St. Patrick’s Day Tea
Join us on Sunday, March 19 in remembering our roots with a High Tea experience. The Parish will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Tea in celebration of Catholic Hill heritage.
Due to limited space in our Parish Hall, there will be two seatings - first seating: 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and second seating: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are required for entry and costs are: Adult $20.00, Child (Under 13) $10.00 and Child (Under 6) Free.
Tickets will be on sale after Masses on weekends leading up to the Tea and will also be available at the Parish Office.
The Story behind the St. Patrick's Day Tea -
While dedicated to Our Lady, many of you know that the Basilica has a special connection with St. Patrick. The first church on Catholic Hill was a small wooden structure built by Irish immigrants in 1833 in the fledgling community of Guelph. The above sketch is by David Allan. (Guelph: It's Early Days and Later)
In 1856, a convent was erected on Catholic Hill, and the Sisters of Loretto, many from Ireland, arrived to provide education for the children of the Parish. Archival records from 1939 show the Sisters celebrating their connection to St. Patrick with the "Shamrock Tea" hosted in the convent. The Tea eventually outgrew the space at the convent and was moved to the Parish Hall of the Basilica to the enjoyment of Catholic Hill parishioners.