St.
Francis Xavier Church
Carlsruhe,
Ontario, Canada
Our
History
CKNX 2008
Dear Anne: I have enclosed a copy of my
story on the Carlsruhe Church which was broadcast on CKNX History 101 -
Campbell Cork
Carlsruhe Church/ Fame - Fr
Francis Rassaerts
Roman Catholic Priest Father Francis Rassaerts gave the village of
Carlsruhe, Bruce County, its most famous landmark, the St. Francis
Xavier Roman Catholic Church.
Father Rassearts directly supervised the construction of the church
which began in 1872 and took two years to complete. The two-story brick
church cost $9,000 which, of course in those days, was quite a sum of
money.
It seems Father Rossearts had it in his mind to build a church long
before he ever arrived in Carlsruhe. The native of Holland brought
plans for the church with him when he fost came to Canada.
The Carlsruhe Church is an exact replica of the priest's home church in
Roermund, Holland. Not only did the priest oversee construction, he
also contributed in no small way to the cost of the project.
The Bruce County Historical Society Yearbook tells when it came time
for stained glass windows, Father Rassearts returned to Holland where
friends and acquaintances contributed to the cost of no less than 38
stained glass windows which he then had shipped to Canada.
Coming from a well-off family, Father Rassearts also brought back cash
from many generous family members.
The church's yellow bricks were manufactured by a local brickyard owner
Andrew Zettler.
Father Rossearts was born in 1833 and came to Canada at the age of 31
in 1864. He became the priest in Carlsruhe the following year and
remained at the head of the church there until his death at age 54 in
1887. During Father Rassaert's final years in Carlsruhe, he was
suffering from the effects of typhoid fever.
He was the longest serving priest at St. Francis Xavier in Carlsruhe
with 21 years on the job. He is buried in the little cemetery directly
across from his beloved church.
As well as bringing money and stained glass windows to Carlsruhe,
Father Rassaerts brought one other very important object from Holland.
In his pocket he carried a little acorn which he planted in front of
the church rectory and which grew over the next century into a mighty
oak that today is more than 130 years old.
Name: Anne Schwan