St. Clement Parish () is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish community located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). After the replacement of the liturgical norms of the 1962 Roman Missal by the post-Vatican II Mass in the 1960s, St. Clement Parish was the first community in the world to be authorized to celebrate the Mass and other sacraments in Latin only, according to the older liturgical norms. It eventually became the first canonically erected Personal Parish in the world established for Tridentine Mass. It was then entrusted to the pastoral care of the FSSP by the Archbishop of Ottawa. Since June 3, 2012, St. Clement Parish operates out of Ste-Anne Church in Lowertown. This group found an older priest who agreed to serve them in this desire, and they received permission to use the chapel of the Monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood on Echo Drive in Ottawa for Mass. They were served first by Canon René Martin, the chaplain of the convent, then by Fr. Guy Martin, W.F. In the early 1970s, the community was told to use the Mass of Paul VI, which they did, but using the Latin language. Fr. Charles-Henri Bélanger, a former padre of the Canadian Armed Forces, became chaplain to the congregation in 1981.

The Community continued to gather at the Precious Blood Sisters' Monastery until 1984 when the Sisters renovated their chapel. That year the Community acquired a small building of their own in the Ottawa suburb of Gloucester, which they renovated into a chapel, placed under the patronage of Saint Clement, and furnished with altars salvaged from the renovated Monastery chapel.

Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage

Members of the parish organize and lead the annual Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage, a 100 km pilgrimage on foot from Saint-Joseph-de-Lanoraie to the Marian shrine of Notre-Dame du Cap at Cap de la Madeleine, Quebec. Founded by a group of lay parishioners and first partially walked in 2003, the pilgrimage is based on the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté pilgrimage from Notre-Dame de Paris to Chartres Cathedral in France. It takes place over the Labour Day weekend and draws over 70 pilgrims each year. In recent years the number has been about 100.

References

  • St. Clement parish website
  • The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
  • The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Canada)
  • Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage
  • "Summorum Pontificum", the Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI given motu proprio