St. Michael's Basilica

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St. Michael's Basilica, more properly the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, is located on a hill overlooking the Miramichi River in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is the dominant feature of the former Town of Chatham, New Brunswick and one of the largest churches in eastern Canada. It is now in the new City of Miramichi.

Prior to Newfoundland entering Confederation in 1949, St. Michael's was the largest church in Canada, east of Quebec City.

The sandstone neo-Gothic structure was designed by the same architect (P. Keely) as Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, Ste. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Providence, Rhode Island and the Church of the Gesu (Montreal). St. Michael's is 15 feet taller than Holy Name in Chicago, but is somewhat narrower. They are about the same length. Holy Name seats about 300 more people ( 1,520 vs 1,200).

Construction on the cathedral started in 1903 and it was finished in 1921. Italian marble with veined panels was used throughout the interior of the nave and the sacristy.

Rather like a medieval town in having an outsized church, Chatham was long known as a stronghold of Catholicism. St.Michael's Basilica is a testament to the faith of the Irish, Highland Scottish and French Acadian Roman Catholics of Chatham. It is visible for miles especially as Chatham is approached from the north, across the Centennial Bridge spanning the Miramichi River. The church was completed early in the 20th century.

With an austere beauty and pleasing lines, the Basilica was built as the cathedral of a once extensive Diocese of Chatham covering the northern part of the Province. The Diocese was relocated to the French speaking town of Bathurst in 1938.

Notable features of the Cathedral are a Lady Chapel to the west, a tall single spire (once illuminated by the Canadian Air Force because of the proximity of a fighter base) a green copper roof and a matching Bishop's Palace to the southeast. Its great bells, whether tolling a funeral, sounding the Angelus or joyously ringing in Easter or Christmas have long been a feature of life in the town.

A fine stand of linden trees, planted by Bishop James Rogers, stands to the east of the basilica, in front of the palace.

The church seats 1,200 people.

List of parish priests since the construction of the Basilica: note the prevalence of Irish and Scottish names

Monsignor Michael O'Keefe................1904-1934 died in office; very much the old school Irish priest
Reverend Burns....... ....................1934-1946 died in office; a quiet man
Reverend William J. Wallace............. 1946-1961; Chatham native who lived from 1899 to 1985. Lou Gehrig's Disease for last 26 years of life
Reverend Lynn McFadden...................1961-197 deceased; formerly rector of St. Thomas University when in Chatham
Reverend Bernard M.Broderick.............197?-198? died 2006, active until close to the end; worked in the cooperative movement when younger
Reverend Peter Bagley....................active ministry elsewhere
Reverend Leon Creamer....................active, semi retired; Miramichi native
Reverend Leo Sullivan....................active ministry elsewhere; Chatham born
Reverend Joseph Daley................... active ministry elsewhere; originally from Barnaby River
Reverend Paul Riley.......................
Reverend John Fraser.................... incumbent-Dec 2006; originally from Loggieville