St. Bartholomew Church
30 Church Street, Levack, Ontario
Masses / Messes
Tues/mar: 10:00 am
Sat/sam: 7:00 pm
Sun/dim: 9:45 am
Before 1925, the Jesuits were responsible for the mission churches along the Canadian Pacific main line west of Chelmsford. In 1925, the Jesuits asked the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie to take over the responsibility of the Levack people. Before the church was built, the Jesuits often said mass at the C.P.R. Levack Station which was located at the corner of Highway 144 and Marina Drive.
Photos of St. Bartholomew's Church - 1942
Originally founded in 1936, the parish remained a “mission” of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cartier until 1942 when the church was built. The current building was built in 1953. The first pastor was Father J. W. Wells.
St. Bartholomew's 1953 New Church Dedication
St. Bartholomew's Church and rectory a few years later
St Joseph The Worker
In 1948, a rock slide at the Levack mine occurred when a large layer of rock slid into an old mine shaft, creating a hole that stretched from the 200 foot level all the way to the 1,100 foot level. The resulting gigantic cave-in left a huge gaping hole underground. As the collapsing rock neared the surface at the edge of a nearby lake, disaster was imminent as the mine would have been flooded with lake water. The parish turned to prayer and the falling rock changed course during the night and eventually stopped about 300 feet from the surface.
On May 1 (international Labour Day), 1955, on the occasion of the institution of the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, the statue was unveiled and blessed, having been erected on a piece of mine core taken from the drilling operation conducted from the surface for approximately 300 feet in order for backfilling work to be carried out. At three feet in diameter, it was the largest piece of rock core in the Dominion of Canada and was the first time such type of drilling had been done in this country. The mining work was done under the direction the International Nickel Company Limited (INCO).
Levack finally hears the bells of St. Bartholomew's ring out
For many years, the bell tower of St. Bartholomew’s sat empty. In October of 1988, the bell from the closed St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Biscotasing was brought to Levack and on October 14, 1988 was installed in the bell tower where it, once again, rang out in joyous celebration.
The Parish of St. Bartholomew’s celebrated 50 years as a parish in 1992. To commemorate the occasion, a plate was made.
St. Bartholomew's Church Today
Last Updated on: August 13, 2024
