Stories of construction of Our Lady of Mercy Historic Church still alive

Star photo byFrank Gale

Our Lady of Mercy Historic Church was built a century ago in Port au Port East.

After a full century, stories about the building of Our Lady of Mercy Historic Church are still being bandied about.

But thats not strange when you have a structure with such historic significance.

Two seniors who live in Port au Port East and whose fathers both volunteered their time in relation to the construction of the church tell stories they heard as young people.

Eleven years was the time required for the construction of the church because of the desire to have a debt-free structure upon its completion. Every able-bodied man or boy old enough to cut wood would dedicate one week of work each year to the church project.

Sylvia Crocker, who is now 81 years of age, remembers her dad Stan OQuinn talking of some of his contributions towards the church. In addition to putting up the cross on top of the church, one of his other duties was picking up and delivering items that came in by train to Stephenville Crossing.

She said her father, who was born in 1900 and was 18 years old at the time, would make the trip on horse and buggy. During one particular stint he was going back and forth picking up the stations of the cross for the church.

These were made of carrara marble and framed with travertine marble and imported from Italy, so it was important cargo.

Crocker said on a particular trip to pick up one of the stations of the cross, Reverend James Joy, the parish priest at the time who was overseeing the church project, decided to go along for the ride to Stephenville Crossing.

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Stories of construction of Our Lady of Mercy Historic Church still alive