Clergy History at St. Joseph's Parish

St. Joseph’s Parish in Merasheen was served by many priests over its 150 year existence with the earliest recorded post-French history of a priest living in Merasheen beginning with Fr. Edward Troy in 1839 until 1847.

After Fr. Troy and for most of its early history, St. Joseph’s Parish was a mission of Assumption Parish in St. Kyran’s. Fr. James Walsh came to the parish just after it was established in the 1850s and for the next seventy years, pastoral visits to Merasheen were generally made from St. Kyran’s or Bar Haven.

In 1927, Fr. John Fleming became the first priest to directly reside in the parish in more than seventy years and the parish generally continued to have resident priests for the next forty years until resettlement in 1967. Below are short biographies of most of the various priests that served Merasheen during the history of St. Joseph’s Parish.

The infamous Fr. Edward Troy, likely born in Ireland in 1797 and ordained in the parish of Waterford and Lismore, was banished to Merasheen in 1839 to 1847 for his political activities in St. John’s by Bishop Michael Fleming who had been ordered by Rome to remove him from the island of Newfoundland. During his tenure, according to Howley (p. 265), he was responsible for building a church and presbytery although the exact location is unknown.

Fr. James Walsh, born in Cappahayden, Ireland in 1803, served in Merasheen from 1 December 1845 to 1855 before being reassigned to Bonavista for two years. Fr. Walsh returned to Placentia Bay as parish priest of Assumption Parish in St. Kyran’s from 1857 until his death during a pastoral visit to Merasheen on 12 July 1873. He is best known for building the stone church on the road between St. Kyran’s and St. Leonard’s which was consecrated as the Church of the Assumption on August 15, 1859.

Fr. William Doutney, born in St. John’s on 29 June 1845, succeeded Fr. Walsh in St. Kyran’s in 1876 and held that appointment until 1913. One of the first tasks he undertook was the completion of the interior of the new stone church. Unfortunately the church was gutted by fire in December 1879 and was rebuilt as Mary of the Assumption church and reconsecrated on 15 August 1886. As with Fr. Walsh, his pastoral ministry required him to make regular visits to other nearby communities including Merasheen.

Fr. Francis Cacciola, born 23 April 1870 in Brooklyn, New York City, was appointed curate of Assumption Parish, St. Kyran’s in 1906 under Fr. Doutney. He resided in Bar Haven where he worked under these arrangements until 1913. During those years, Fr. Cacciola made frequent pastoral visits to Merasheen. With the division of parish boundaries in 1914, he was appointed as the first parish priest of the newly established parish of St. Francis Xavier in Bar Haven, holding that position until his retirement in 1953.

Monsignor Anthony Fyme, born in Warnink, Holland on 9 August 1879,was appointed parish priest of Mary of the Assumption Parish, St. Kyran’s in 1913. In his 25 years in that role, he built beautiful churches, schools and halls in several of the missions of the parish including starting construction of a new church in Merasheen in 1916. After battling poor health in his latter years in St. Kyran’s, Fr. Fyme was reassigned as parish priest to Merasheen in 1938. Here a less rigorous schedule was afforded him but as his health improved he took on additional duties to the parish of Red Island. Resigning in 1956, now 77 and in failing health, he left Merasheen and settled in at St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's to a slower pace of life.

Fr. John Fleming, born in Burin on 4 December 1901, was ordained on 10 July 1927. His first appointment was as curate at Merasheen under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Fyme and remained there until 1930. His next appointment was at Sacred Heart Parish in Oderin from 1930 to 1937 and then to Sacred Heart Parish in Marystown, holding that position until he retired in 1957 due to poor health.

Fr. Francis Jackman, born on Bell Island, Conception Bay on 28 September 1903 and ordained a priest on 19 June 1927 at All Hallows College in Dublin by the Right Reverend Dr. Morrisroe.  Fr. Jackman was appointed curate in Holy Rosary Parish in Argentia under Fr. Adrian Dee, which included at the time responsibilities for the missions of Fox Harbour, Red Island and Merasheen.  He served as parish priest in Merasheen in 1930 before taking an appointment as Curate in the Cathedral Parish in St. John's. (Source: Year book and almanac of Newfoundland 1931).

Monsignor John Murray, born in St. Lawrence on 5 October 1905, was ordained on 25 June 1930. His first appointments were short term and temporary as curate at Holy Redeemer Parish in Trepassey in 1931, St. Joseph’s Parish in Merasheen in 1932 and St. Michael’s Parish in Bell Island in 1933. One of his notable baptisms at Merasheen was Denis Walsh, born on 16 July 1932. Fr. Murray had other appointments as curate of St. Joseph’s Parish, St. John’s from 1934/35, Cathedral Parish from 1935 to 1941, Sacred Heart Parish in Placentia in 1942, St. Patrick’s Parish, St. John’s from 1942 to 1949 and parish priest at St. Kevin’s Parish, Gould’s from 1949 to 1962. He returned to St. Joseph’s Parish, St. John’s in 1962 and retired in 1983.

Fr. Alfred Bown was born at Bell Island, Conception Bay on 5 May 1908 and ordained a priest on 29 June 1934 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John's, by Archbishop Edward Roche.  Fr. Bown was appointed curate in St. Michael's Parish, Bell Island, where he served from 1934 to 1939, except for one year of temporary replacement appointments in St. Joseph's Parish at Merasheen, Sacred Heart Parish at Oderin, and Sacred Heart Parish at Marystown.

Fr. Charles Greene, born in Point Verde on 7 October 1924, was ordained 17 June 1951. Following appointments as administrator of Sacred Heart Parish in Fox Harbour until 1953 and curate at Cathedral Parish in St. John’s until 1956, he was part of a pastoral team to parishes in Oderin, St. Kyran’s, Bar Haven and Merasheen with Fr. William Collins and Fr. James Doody. He was appointed as parish priest of St. Joseph’s in Merasheen from 1957 to 1960. Subsequent appointments included parish priest of St. Joseph’s, Lamaline in 1960/61, St. Agnes’s, Pouch Cove-Flat Rock from 1962 to 1970, St. Patrick’s, St. John’s until 1973, Cathedral Parish until 1977 and 13 years at Holy Trinity in Torbay until retiring due to ill health in 1990.

Fr. William Collins, born in Placentia on3 April 1904, was ordained on 22 June 1930. Although he was not directly responsible for St. Joseph’s Parish, as parish priest of St. Francis Xavier, Bar Haven and administrator of Assumption Parish, St. Kyran’s from 1957 to 1967, he made frequent pastoral visits to Merasheen. He is especially remembered for his support of co-operatives in Placentia Bay (and also for his speed in saying mass and brevity in the confessional).

Fr. James Doody, born in Colinet Island on1 December 1925, was ordained on 21 June 1953. Like Fr. Collins, he was not directly responsible for St. Joseph’s Parish, but as parish priest at Sacred Heart Parish in Oderin from1956 to 1962, he made many pastoral visits to Merasheen in his boat, the Stella Maris.

Fr. Philip Lewis, born in Holyrood, ordained in 1957, his appointment as parish priest of St. Joseph’s Parish was announced on June 16, 1960 and effective on July 3 until re resigned in 1965.

Fr. Valentine Power, born on Colinet Island on 19 February 1926, was ordained in 1962. His first appointment was as curate of Sacred Heart Parish, Placentia and then as parish priest of St. Joseph’s, Merasheen on 1 October 1965 until 1 September 1967. His other appointments included Sacred Heart Parish, Fox Harbour until 1974, St. Michael’s Parish, Bell Island, 1974, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish from 1974 to 1987, Assumption Parish, St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart Parish, St. Vincent’s until retirement in 1994. As the last priest in Merasheen at the time of resettlement, people still remember that Fr. Power was reluctant to abandon the people when they needed him most. In a letter to the Bishop on July 6th he offered to stay for another year. Sadly, that was not part of the plan and Fr. Power left Merasheen on 1 September 1967 marking the official end of St. Joseph’s Parish.

Credits:  many thanks to Ernie Walsh for your assistance and support and also to Monsignor Francis Coady's book "Lives Recalled".