This year we will be celebrating the 150th
Anniversary of Sainte-Anne’s Parish, our beautiful community
which has had the joy of worshipping here in Tecumseh since
1859. What an amazing milestone for our parish and for the
greater community of Tecumseh and the Essex-Windsor Region.
150 years of Catholics gathering to celebrate their faith in
both French and English {and for a good portion of that time
in Latin}. Thousands of weddings, baptisms, First Communions,
Confirmation and even the Ordinations of priests and a bishop
{Most Rev. Eugene LaRocque} have taken place inside these
walls. This community has journeyed through many highs and
lows: two World Wars and other conflicts where its sons and
daughters gave their lives for freedom. It lived through the
Great Depression and several recessions. Our facilities have
been through many restoration projects and are in the midst of
one right now. While there is no doubt it is by far the
largest undertaking in the parish’s history, we will get
through it even if it takes a few years...
This church was organized in 1859
by Rev. Peter Fauteux, and he remained with the congregation until 1872.
The Rev. Paul Andrieux succeeded him; he completed the church and
erected the presbytery. He had charge of the parish until 1888, when
Rev. Philias Villeneuve assumed control; he built the convents and the
school, and was the pastor until his death in 1905...
