Blessed Sacrament Church - Parish History

Blessed Sacrament Church was officially founded on October 30, 1921. The first Mass of the newly formed parish was offered for the people in the Pines Chapel. Up to this time, only one Catholic Church, St. Joseph's, had served the city of Chatham. It took over two years to establish the new parish and build the present church. On February 4, 1923 the first Mass was offered at Blessed Sacrament and the same evening our first Confirmation was celebrated. The following day our first of many marriages took place. By 1957 Chatham had grown to a size which demanded another Catholic Church, so in this year the family of Blessed Sacrament was divided and St. Agnes parish was born. On January 6, 1964 disaster struck our parish family when a terrible fire completely destroyed the interior of the Church. It took eighteen months to make all the necessary repairs and during all this time, the congregation celebrated mass in the church basement. Years later the Church rediscovered and improved structurally. New entrances were also designed and added. The austere look of the interior took on a new warmth and vitality that was welcomed by the parishioners. The grounds of Blessed Sacrament are known for their colourful show of beauty and originality. Over the years the parish has won many landscaping awards from various clubs that adds to the pride felt by all parishioners. There are always changes in the make up of a Parish Family, just as there are in every family, but this is life and this is growth, and our Parish is no exception. Today we have grown to a membership of over twelve hundred dedicated, hard working families, who look forward to many more happy years together in the service and worship of God our Father.

The History of Our Parish Family