The Jesuits were among the first missionaries to arrive in modern-day Ontario, arriving there in the early 1600s.
n 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway’s westward expansion reached the Sudbury area. The railway established a temporary construction camp in Sudbury, which was initially intended to serve as the terminus of the railway in Cartier. However, it was not until the vast mineral wealth of Sudbury was discovered that the area exploded as the economic center of the region.
It’s hard to talk about our parish’s history without mentioning the railway. The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway brought Jesuit missionaries to the Sudbury area. Bishop John Francis Jamot, the first bishop of the vicariate created by Pope Pius IX in 1874, which encompassed the northern part of the Diocese of Peterborough and the vast territory of the future Dioceses of Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, requested the Jesuits come to Sudbury. The vicariate’s chancery was established in Sault Ste. Marie. Bishop Jamot tasked the Jesuits with missionary work to ensure the pastoral care of the construction workers building the railway.
With the arrival of the railway in Sudbury, Jesuit missionaries established St. Anne of the Pines (St. Anne’s) Parish, which became responsible for the regions from Sudbury to Chapleau, Espanola, and Sturgeon Falls. St. Anne’s Parish was part of the larger Jesuit mission in Wikwemikong, which is located on Manitoulin Island and was established in 1836. Father Perth first celebrated Mass at St. Anne’s in late March 1883.
Construction of the rail line through Sudbury was completed in November of 1884, and the the first through train service between Montreal and Winnipeg beginning in November 1885.
The Jesuits built the St. Francis Xavier mission church in Cartier in 1893. St. Francis Xavier remained a mission of St. Anne’s until 1925, when it became an independent parish under the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. The new parish assumed responsibility for the mission churches in Larchwood, Vermillion Lake, Levack (Levack Station), Benny, and Biscotasing.
In 1936, the St. Bartholomew Mission Church was formed under the responsibility of St. Francis Xavier. St. Bartholomew’s remained a residential church until 1942, when it became its own parish.
In 1948, responsibility for the Dowling and Larchwood pastoral areas was transferred from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cartier to the St. Joseph Parish in Chelmsford.
In 1963, the Parish of St. Stephen the Martyr was established in Dowling, with the first Mass being celebrated on Christmas Eve.
On June 6, 1975, the Parish of St. Francis Xavier celebrated 50 years of being an independent parish church of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.
In 1988, the parish communities of Cartier and Levack were amalgamated into one parish. The rectory in Cartier was closed and was later sold in 1991. The Convent and School in Cartier had been previously closed and sold. The new combined parish continues responsibility of pastoral duties for Benny (Former St. Anne Church; 1923-1964) and Biscotasing (former St. Paul’s Church) primarily for funerals and internments in the local cemeteries.
In 1996, the parish community of Dowling was amalgamated into the parishes of Cartier and Levack, forming the current day Parishes of Onaping Falls and Cartier with one common rectory and office (both located beside the church in Levack). The new parish continues to provide pastoral duties for Benny and Biscotasing.
In 2017, the rectory/office in Levack was demolished due to its deteriorating condition and high cost to maintain. The parish priest now has a private apartment in Levack. The sacristy was renovated to include a space for the office.
On June 6, 2025, St. Francis Xavier Church in Cartier celebrated its 100th anniversary as a parish church. One hundred years ago on this same date, the Diocese of the Sault Ste. Marie elevated the Cartier mission church to that of a full parish.
Churches of our Parish
St. Francis-Xavier
Click image for information and history of St. Francis Xavier Church
St. Bartholomew
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St. Stephen the Martyr
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Past churches of our Parish
St. Anne's - Benny
Click image for information on the former St. Anne's church in Benny, Ontario
St. Paul's - Biscotasing
Click image for information on the former St. Paul's Catholic Church in Biscotasing, Ontario
Last Updated on: November 19, 2025
