Welcome to Our Lady of the
Assumption Parish!
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, a Roman Catholic Parish in the Diocese of London Ontario, acknowledges that Assumption church sits on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy. The Huron, who were given refuge by the Three Fires Confederacy, shared this land with Assumption Parish in order to establish the first Catholic parish in Canada west of Montreal.
We are a sacramental community grounded by sacred scripture. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we strive to be witnesses of the hope we find in relationship to Jesus Christ. This relationship is mediated and guided by the traditions of the Catholic Church as live in the world with goodness, discipline and knowledge. In other words, We affirm our potential more than we condemn our brokenness; we value reconciliation over judgment; and we value the right question over the right answer.
Our Mission
To realize our vision of a Gospel community, we serve, in union with the Magisterial, through ministries devoted to spirituality, evangelization and catechesis, liturgy, outreach and pastoral care, community-building, leadership formation, and pastoral governance.
The focus of our work is to help provide the necessities of body and soul to those living in West Windsor, with special emphasis on its student community and those in material and spiritual need, while remaining open to everyone in Windsor-Essex who wishes to join us.
Vision Statement:
Be a beacon of mercy, service and discipleship.
Purpose Statement:
Encounter God.
Values:
Worship. Justice and Service. Forming Disciples.
Our History and Landscape
Our parish is one of the oldest in Canada; the former Cathedral of the Diocese and dates back to the founding of Detroit in 1701. Originally, Our Lady of Assumption was a mission church among Hurons in Detroit, founded by the Jesuits in 1728.
In 1765 the sixty some (French) families living on the south shore petitioned for a parish of their own. Instead of erecting a second religious centre in the same locality, it was decided that the Mission of the Assumption among the Hurons should become the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption with the care of the souls of both the Hurons and the French settlers. The church depicted at the top of our website is the 1804 church built between Riverside and University Avenues.
Several churches have come and gone, but the one that he remained (the one we worship in today) was built in 1842.
In 1845, the Diocese of London was established (up until now, this was all part of the Diocese of Quebec) and in 1859, Our Lady of Assumption was established at the Cathedral. In 1870, the Basilian Fathers took charge of the parish and of Assumption College (est. 1857).
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