Immaculate Conception Church
Sutton, Ontario

It was in the 1830's that the village of Bouchier's Mills grew up around a large grist and saw mill on the Black River, four miles from Lake Simcoe.  In 1890, the village was incorporated under the name of Sutton.  In the following lines is a picturesque description of Sutton in the 1850's.

"Those were the days when the main street of Sutton was lined with beautiful maple trees, and there was a rustic wooden bridge over the Black River.  Near the bridge was the Post Office and General Store, and there were three hotels on the main street.  The general store near the bridge perched precariously by the water's edge.  The front of the store faced the river to receive the Indian trade which had come for many years down from the North by canoe.  Later, with the population growing around the mill, the store found itself turning about to meet those who came by wagon and buggy from the lake and surrounding countryside.  The town pump on the main street completed the picture.

For 120 years the Catholic people of Sutton were members of St. Anthony the Hermit Parish in Virginia, a mission of St. Joseph's Parish at Beaverton.  For the twenty or thirty years prior to the building of Immaculate Conception Church, Sutton people formed the bulk of St. Anthony's Parish.  In 1950, Father McMahon, pastor of St. Anthony's, even instituted a bus service from Sutton to Virginia to augment the transportation of parishioners by private car.  The need for a church in Sutton was apparent, and largely through the efforts of Mr. Paul Higgins and a dedicated committee of both residents and summer cottagers, the new church, picture perfect with its tall steeple, was built in 1954.  It was formally blessed and dedicated by His Eminence James Charles Cardinal McGuigan, Archbishop of Toronto, on Sunday July 18, 1954.  The services of dedication, of His Eminence preaching and saying Mass was recorded and shown in its entirety on television, quite an unusual feat for those early days of television.

It remained a mission of St. Joseph's Parish, Beaverton, under the successive pastorships of Rev. Arthur McMahon (1954-1955), Rev. Vincent McGivney (1955-1956), and Rev. Joseph H. O'Neill (1956-1959), all of whom were resident pastors of St. Joseph's Church, Beaverton.  During the fifties the population at Jackson's Point and Sutton continued to grow to such an extent that it became desirable to have a resident priest at Sutton, and in 1959 Sutton was created into a parish.  Our Lady of the Lake Church in Keswick, which had formally been a mission of Newmarket, now became a mission of the Sutton parish.

On Sunday, July 19, 1959 - Father William O'Brien was installed as the first pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the presence of His Excellency, Most Reverend F.A. Marocco, Auxilliary Bishop of Toronto.  At first there was no rectory, but plans to build one immediately got underway and in the spring of 1960 the present rectory, built of stone and attached to the church, was completed. 

Our faithful shepherds have been, Father William O'Brien (1959-1962), who was succeeded by Father Thomas C. Cullen who laboured here for 17 years (1962-1979).  He was succeeded by Father Basil O'Brien (1979-1985), Father Christopher Walsh (took over in 1985, to March 9, 2001 when he passed to his reward).  He was succeeded by Fr. Herman Dias (Administrator (2001 to August 2002), and Fr. Stephen Hull, who was pastor from August 2002 to June 2006.  Our Parish was led by administrator Fr. Joseph Grima for one year, and in June 2007 we welcomed Fr. Mirek Misiura, and was pastor until June 2009.  Our current pastor is The Rev. Msgr. Edgardo Pan, who joined our parish in July of 2009.

Our Lady of the Lake Mission Church
Keswick, Ontario

Our Lady of the Lake Church began as a summer colony of cottagers and weekend visitors from Toronto who from 1937, had Mass celebrated for them in a tent by Rev. Dr. W.D. Muckle, pastor of St. John Chrysostom parish in Newmarket.  In 1940, largely through the interest and generosity of Mr. J.J. Fizgibbons and a group of resident families and summer cottagers from Toronto, a site for a permanent structure was purchased; and in 1942 the original building was constructed.

On Sunday, August 23, 1942 His Grace the Most Reverend James C. McGuigan, Archbishop of Toronto, solemnly dedicated the white frame chapel.  It was the Archbishop who, inspired by the beautiful view of Lake Simcoe on this occasion, chose the name "Our Lady of the Lake."

The church remained a summer mission of Newmarket until 1959, when Sutton became a parish.  In addition to Rev. Dr. Muckle (1937-1946), other pastors of St. John's, Newmarket, who were responsible for the Keswick Mission until its attachment to Sutton were Rev. T.E.J. McCabe (1946-1955), Rev. Basil Sullivan (1955-1957), and Rev. J.J. Haws (1957-1959).

Since its attachment to Sutton the Keswick Mission Church, Our Lady of the Lake, has been served by Fr. William O'Brien (1959-1962), Fr. Thomas C. Cullen (1962-1979), Fr. Basil O'Brien (1979-1985), Fr. Christopher Walsh (1985 to 2001), Fr. Herman Dias (2001 to 2002) and Fr. Stephen Hull (2002 to 2006).  Our parish was administered Fr. Joseph Grima for one year, and as of June 2007 our pastor was Fr. Mirek Misiura until June 2009. Our current pastor is The Rev. Msgr. Edgardo Pan, who joined our parish in July of 2009.

With the growth of the Keswick community, the need for a new church had been quite evident.  In 1989 the New Church Building Committee was implemented and the ongoing labour for this project of building a house of God continued through the efforts of many dedicated people.  The old Our Lady of the Lake Church and it's property was sold in 1997.  The new Our Lady of the Lake Church was completed in 2001, and is located on Metro Road at Old Homestead Road, next to St. Thomas Aquinas School.