Saint Stephen The Martyr Church

68 Sturgeon Street, Dowling, Ontario

Masses / Messes
Wed/mer: 10:00 am
Sun/dim: 11:00 am

In 1883, the westward construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in the area that would eventually become Dowling, the pastoral care of the construction workers and residents was the responsibility of Saint Anne of the Pines parish (St. Anne’s) in Sudbury.

In 1925, the mission church in Cartier (St. Francis Xavier) was elevated to the status of Parish with the Rev. Father Lionel Séguin becoming the first secular diocesan priest. With the establishment of the Parish in Cartier, the pastoral responsibility for the Dowling mission (Larchwood – Vermillion Lake – Dowling – Levack – Benny & Biscotasing) was transferred to St. Francis Xavier’s Parish

First Residential Mission Church - Larchwood (1927-1940)
First residential church in Larchwood (1927-1940)
Second Residential Church - Larchwood (1942-1964)
Second residential church in Larchwood (1941-1964)

In 1927, Father Séguin established a mission church in Larchwood.  The church was located where present day Pilon Crescent travels by the base of the Highway 144 overpass which crosses the Canadian Pacific Railway Tracks.  

Father Séguin celebrated the first Mass at the new mission on June 12, 1927.

The church caught fire and burned to the ground on June 22, 1940.  The mission was rebuilt in 1941 with the first Mass being said by Father J.A. Benoit.  The mission remained until 1964 when the current day church was built.

More facts about the second mission church

The first marriage in the second church was celebrated in June 1941 with the joining of Trefflé Gravelle (Knight of Columbus) and Thérèse Pilon.  The last marriage to be celebrated was on November 23, 1963 with the joining of Trefflé and Thérèse’s daughter Yvonne Gravelle with Tom Bailey.

St. Stephen The Martyr - 1963

In 1948, St. Joseph’s parish in Chelmsford took over the pastoral care of Dowling until 1963 when the first church of the Parish of St. Stephen the Martyr would open its doors on Christmas Eve. The first Pastor was Father Raymond Tremblay.  St. Stephen the Martyr would be responsible for Vermillion Lake, Larchwood, and Dowling.

In 1996, St. Stephen the Martyr was amalgamated with the parishes in Levack/Onaping and Cartier.  Together, they became the Catholic Parishes of Onaping Falls and Cartier.

In 1998, the church needed extensive repairs and was rebuilt.  In addition to paid contractors, many volunteers of the community at large as well as the Chevaliers de Colomb came together to accomplish the renovations.  With the renovations completed, the bells of the church rang for the first time on December 24, 1998. The new building was consecrated by His Excellency Mgr Jean-Louis Plouffe (Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste Marie) on May 28, 1999.

St. Stephen the Martyr today

Image of Saint Stephen the Martyr
St. Stephen the Martyr (Click for information)

Last Updated on: January 29, 2025