Rev. Michael J. Walsh
My family’s connection to Saint Mary’s Cathedral goes back to 1833. According to my late father, my great-great grandparents, Thomas Henry Walsh and Devine de Mezangeau, were married in the Cathedral on April 13, 1833. They lived in Tangier, Nova Scotia, and Saint Mary’s was the closest church to them at that time. To get to their wedding, they would have travelled by boat, a journey of about 100 km. I have always been impressed by the efforts my ancestors made to keep the faith, especially when they lived a great distance from a Catholic Church.
My own experience of the Cathedral began in 1981. I had a job that required me to work the night of Holy Thursday. I read in the bulletin about a mass at Saint Mary’s – the Chrism Mass – and I was present for the blessings of the oils and renewal of priestly promises, something I did for many years.
I was ordained a deacon at Saint Mary’s October 21, 1989, and a presbyter for the service of the local church on September 29, 1990. The blessings that started on those days continue in my life.
My health no longer permits me to go to the Cathedral. I hope for a time when I can go to the Cathedral again. Meanwhile, I remember the faith significance of the Cathedral that began in my family almost 200 years ago.
- Rev. Michael J. Walsh
Halifax, NS