St. Peter's Mission Church was originally built in 1823 as a place of worship by Irish Catholics. Nunan's Corner was a farming community of about 100 settlers according to the research done by MHF Historian Matthew Wilkinson. The farming community was established in 1819 and was dubbed "the Catholic Swamp," because the land was often flooded and most of the inhabitants were Catholic. "Early Catholic settlers were pushed to the periphery," said Wilkinson. "When it came to receiving land grants, they were quite often given poor quality land." The settlers came to Nunan's Corner in the 1820's and 1830's after the construction of the Welland Canal. It encompassed the area from the Eight Line in Oakville to Tenth Line in Mississauga, roughly two kilometres east and west from the intersection of Britannia Road and Ninth Line. Each of the farming families received a plot of land where they constructed houses, barns, and other structures to support their respective farms. Because of the remoteness and distance from the railway, the villagers had little contact with the outside world. There was no post office and the nearest sawmill was in what is modern-day Oakville. For nearly 100 years, they had to fend for themselves out in the forest, manufacturing much of their own goods and looking to each other for support. Still the settlers persevered and worked the land until people left the settlement in the 1920's and 30's and the area was no longer known as Nunan's Corner. The church and the cemetery is the only reminder we have of them today. (Source: Owen Jarus, Mississauga News, June 2005)
Join us for Holy Mass at this Mission Church on:
Sundays at 7:30 AM
Mondays at 7:00 PM
Saturdays at 9:00 AM
St. Peter's Mission Church is considered to be the oldest church in the Diocese of Hamilton and was connected to Holy Rosary Parish in Milton located about 15 miles away. But due to lack of priests and the growing needs of the Holy Rosary Parish at the city centre, they decided to close the church on Christmas Eve of 2000.
Meetings
Knights of Columbus meets here every Third Wednesday of the Month
Legion of Mary meets every Saturday morning at 10 AM
The RCIA meets every Thursday at 7:30 PM
When St. Josephine Bakhita Parish was created in July of 2008, Fr. Mark set up the Rectory and Office of the new parish not far from this old church. He would pass this church every day from the Rectory as he drives on the Ninth Line to celebrate Holy Mass at the chapel of St. Joan of Arc Secondary School.
The school facilities are not always available for the use of the new community. Fr. Mark felt sad that there is a small Catholic Church nearby, which happened to be located on the other side of Ninth Line (parish boundary and archdiocesan boundary) and is closed. He determined to seek permission from the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Hamilton to have this church open for the use of the new parish. With God's help and the cooperation of everyone involved in the decision process, the church is once again opened for God's people. On the first day of November 2008, on the Feast of All Saints, the Parish celebrated the first Holy Mass at St. Peter's. On that very same day our local Praesidium of the Legion of Mary, Queen of All Saints, was also born.
In January of 2010, the City of Mississauga extended its boundary up to the edge of 407 and St. Peter's Church gained a new address. We are waiting for the decision of the bishops whether they will petition Rome to change the ecclesiastical boundaries to reflect the municipal boundaries.
For now, St. Josephine Bakhita Parish is grateful that we can at least connect our story with the pioneering and faithful Irish Catholics, whose only memory is symbolized by this old church and its cemetery.
The school facilities are not always available for the use of the new community. Fr. Mark felt sad that there is a small Catholic Church nearby, which happened to be located on the other side of Ninth Line (parish boundary and archdiocesan boundary) and is closed. He determined to seek permission from the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Hamilton to have this church open for the use of the new parish. With God's help and the cooperation of everyone involved in the decision process, the church is once again opened for God's people. On the first day of November 2008, on the Feast of All Saints, the Parish celebrated the first Holy Mass at St. Peter's. On that very same day our local Praesidium of the Legion of Mary, Queen of All Saints, was also born.
In January of 2010, the City of Mississauga extended its boundary up to the edge of 407 and St. Peter's Church gained a new address. We are waiting for the decision of the bishops whether they will petition Rome to change the ecclesiastical boundaries to reflect the municipal boundaries.
For now, St. Josephine Bakhita Parish is grateful that we can at least connect our story with the pioneering and faithful Irish Catholics, whose only memory is symbolized by this old church and its cemetery.