History of Blessed Sacrament Parish

Below are links to specific items from our history. Please click on the link to access the item and you will be able to enlarge to your preference. The directories contain all relevant pictures from that year.

Rite of Dedication Booklet April 23, 1982

Parish Directory 1991

Parish Directory 2012

Burford Times Articles June 12, 2014

Artwork by Linda Bennett

50th Anniversary Celebrations

As we continue the year 2014 with the 50th anniversary celebrations, we look forward to the following events: 

  1. Prayer Nights of Thanksgiving 
  2. Bible study groups 
  3. Christian Renewal activities 
  4. Parish Picnic 
  5. Parish Breakfasts 
  6. Card Nights 
  7. Family Skating 
  8. Dinner Dance 
  9. Chicken Barbecue 

Blessed Sacrament Parish community remembers with gratitude:

    • The founding members of the parish 
    • Pastors and priests of St. Basil especially Father Duffy 
    • The bishops of Hamilton Diocese 
    • The Congregation of the Resurrection
    • All the faithful members of Blessed Sacrament Parish both past and present

    OUR MISSION STATEMENT 

    Blessed Sacrament Parish is a Christian family within the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.
    Our purpose and desire is to live as Jesus taught us and to share those teachings with others.  

    We will 

    • love one another as Jesus loves 
    • worship faithfully 
    • study and be prepared to share our Catholic faith 
    • reach out beyond our parish community (and) 
    • Welcome others as we would welcome Jesus himself 
    Dear Parishioners and Friends of the Parish,   It was exciting to arrive here last June in time to be part of the preparations for the fiftieth anniversary of the parish. It has allowed me, as a pastor new to the community, to become aware of the rich history of Blessed Sacrament Parish. Over the year, the parish council completed the work on the mission statement and the parish motto, “Rooted in Jesus”.  Rooted in our history and in the Eucharistic Lord we are now challenged to live the present in such a way that we continue to grow in Christ. This is our moment in history to create powerful and new memories. Let us pray that fifty years from now those celebrating the hundredth anniversary will look back with gratitude on our generation and tell their children, “With God’s grace they cultivated the Faith well, let us praise God for the harvest.”   With the prayers of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and the blessings of our Eucharistic Lord,  

    Fr. Robert Bulbrook, Pastor (Fr. Bob)  

    History of Building of New Church

    At a parish council meeting, the members were discussing the maintenance required on our church at 67 King St (presently known as Fellowship Baptist). The main needs were a new roof, furnace and the addition of a meeting room.

    The discussion led to the idea of building a new church in the vacant lot that had been donated to the church at 183 King St.

    A delegation approached the bishop, pitching the new church idea and he told them that they could not afford to build. A few months later, the delegation returned to the bishop with pledges of over $100,000 and the bishop backed the construction of the new church and hall.

    Stemmler Construction was chosen as the main contractor as he had agreed to allow the congregation to help by providing various materials and general labour.

    Many people helped; some during the day when they were not required in the fields, some after they had toiled all day on their jobs and even some after school and some on weekends.

    Their contributions ran the gamut from general labour like hammering and wheeling cement to skilled labour like plumbing and electrical work.

    This method was not only used for the main building but continued even when the addition was added 10 years later.

    Labour was not the only contribution. The planned vinyl flooring in the church and hall were upgraded to carpet in the church and wood tiles in the hall as parishioners negotiated deals with various suppliers. Also, the planned kitchen was upgraded to stainless steel as a parishioner source the material and formed it in his shop.

    Thanks to all involved (and their families)

    • Walter Huszczo
    • Alex Szabo
    • Joe Banko
    • John Osztrovics
    • George Seitz
    • Charles Vanbesien
    • Joe Miller
    • Alex Gulas
    • John Kloepfer
    • Joe Bosnjak
    • Isolino Picanco
    • Stan Tota
    • David Apps
    • Andy Szalai
    • Frank Baka
    • Karl Hepp
    • And many others

    The first event in the new hall was a wedding in late 1981. Later there was a $120/couple fundraiser held. These events, along with many others that followed (one year, the hall hosted 39 events) coupled with the incoming donations led to paying off the $800,000 cost of the new building in 5 years.