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