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Before 1886
While the inception of the physical church of North Bay can be dated back to 1886, the Catholic community resided in the area for many years prior. Jesuit missionaries, living alongside the Indigenous people of the Northern shore or “north bay” of Lake Nipissing, began active ministry in the year 1640 and continued, along with the Recollect and Oblate Orders, to lead the faith community for the next 200 years, until spreading out across Northern Ontario during the summer of the 1886. Coincidentally, this occurred during the same year of the establishment of St Mary’s of the Lake Parish, the small chapel that would soon flourish into the grand Pro Cathedral.

St Mary’s of the Lake Parish
In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway was expanding into North Bay, opening the land up to colonization. The railways opened the doors to economic potential of the prolific mines and forests of the Northern Ontario land, thus drawing workers and their families to the area. This influx in population required a change in spiritual accommodations, leading to the construction of the North Bay chapel of St. Mary’s of the Lake, in 1884. Up to this point, Holy mass was being offered in a small house, called McFarlane’s Shanty. Outdoor masses were known to have taken place with records of Rev. Father Nedélec celebrating Christmas midnight mass outside at Descheney Creek, in 1882.

The new chapel was a white frame building, with one spire and a belfry. In 1886, the structure was placed on a foundation on Main Street West (lot #101), becoming a central point for the community, both physically and as a gathering place for the town. That is, the bell was used as a fire alarm as well as a gathering call for important town meetings. The upper part of the sacristy also doubled as a school room for the overflowing numbers in the newly formed Separate School. At this time, the parish religiously served about one hundred families and was run by Father Joseph Bloem as resident pastor.

The New Church
Although St. Mary’s of the Lake served many uses and was greatly cherished by its parishioners, the small frame building became inadequate for the community over the next decade, despite additions to the church over the years. The arrival of a new pastor, Father David Joseph Scollard, on March 1, 1896, was the catalyst for the transformation of the small frame Parish into the grand Pro-Cathedral. In 1898, Father Scollard bought the land that is now the site for the large church. The land consisted of eight town lots and was purchased for $1350.00 from T. & W. Murray of Pembroke. Despite suggestions from parishioners to build the new church up the hill, away from the downtown, Father Scollard saw the downfalls of disconnecting from the centre of the community as well as the additional costs that would be required to haul up materials.

On March 22nd, 1903, during a meeting between the men of the congregation, presided over by Bishop O’Connor, intentions were finalized for a stone church to be built. The day after, the bishop and Father Scollard met with Thomson and Angus Architects, of North Bay and asked them to create plans for the new church that would be able to seat 900 people. In early 1904 the contract for the entire project was given to Tailifer and Sons, of Sault Ste. Marie, who, out of thirteen bids, offered one of the lowest prices of $46,721.00 and promised to finish the project quickly, setting August 1, 1905 as the completion date. The contract was for the entire project, including excavation, piling, masonry, carpentry, plastering, and roofing.

Construction
Tailifer and Sons began construction on the new church immediately. Some work was subcontracted, including the pilings, which were completed on May 10, 1904, by O’Boyle Brothers. The stonework was trusted to a respected stone-mason of North Bay, John Robertson.

The laying of the cornerstone on June 19, 1904 was a monumental occasion. The June 23 edition North Bay Times reported, “It was a day of general rejoicing for the parishioners of Saint Mary’s; the fulfillment of a cherished dream of Pastor and congregation; an epoch around which are encircled and interwoven happy memories, mementos and joyous remembrances that shall linger and live in the hearts of the people in years yet to be recorded “. The ceremony took place at 3 p.m. with a large gathering of parishioners forming on the site. Mass was said in both English and French, after which the cornerstone and location of the cross were blessed by the Bishop.

Only a year and a half after construction started, the new St. Mary’s Church of North Bay was completed, an impressive feat that spoke to the skill of the craftsmanship of the project. Only days before Christmas, on the last Sunday of Advent, December 17, 1905, the new church was blessed and dedicated. Both Catholics and Protestants came from all over North Bay and the surrounding area, filling the 1100 seats of the building.

The final cost was $65,000.00. However, this included heating, lighting, pews, altars, stained glass windows, and a large sacristy. The small church and lot on main street were sold to a parishioner, finalizing the new era of the white stone cathedral.

A New Name
During the same year that construction began on the new church, impactful news was delivered to the Catholic community. The northern part of the Diocese of Peterborough, in which North Bay was part, was to be sectioned into a new diocese, the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Father Scollard was to be named the new Bishop. Despite the Episcopal See being in Sault Ste. Marie, the bishop chose to reside in North Bay instead. This was for practical reasons, like the accessibility the railway provided to the rest of the diocese, but also due to a personal connection to the new church that had yet to be completed. From this point on, North Bay became the unofficial See of the Diocese, even resulting in discussions to make it official in 1932. However, the motion was defeated due to the funding the change would require. Not long after, this unofficial episcopal centre was realized in the change in name of St. Mary’s of the Lake to the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption. ‘Pro’ coming from the Latin prefix meaning ‘instead of’.