From the archives: How St. Patrick's paid its dues

This story was first published on June 28, 2003, in the Montreal Gazette.
This ancient ceremony is very rarely performed in Montreal, as a church can only be consecrated when it is absolutely free from debt; thus although St. Patrick’s … was founded in 1847, it is only now, almost sixty years later, that it has at last become eligible for this crowning honor. During almost the whole of yesterday it was crowded with the English-speaking Catholics of the city while many of their Frenc