Cape Breton Deaths courtesy of CAPE BRETON GENEALOGY & HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE - <http://www.cbgen.org/>www.cbgen.org NEW MEMBERS WELCOME Cape Breton Post September 13, 2013 Friday Immaculate Conception will mark its 175th anniversary Sunday MAIN-A-DIEU - The 175th anniversary of Immaculate Conception Church will be celebrated with a special mass Sunday at 4 p.m. Mary Price, a member of the parish council and the CWL, said a special invitation goes out to the public to join in the celebrations. "The community of Main-aDieu awaits you, we look forward to seeing you, our doors are open." Bishop Brian Dunn will preside at the service along with parish priest Rev. Rojasekar Savarimuthu. Former priests will also be in attendance. "I'm not sure how many are coming but I think at least six will be there including two priests who were born here - Fr. Thomas Laphigee and Fr. Bill Burke." The Immaculate Conception Church choir will perform. A reception and lunch will follow in the church hall which is located in the basement of the church. "(It is) a chance for everybody to gather around ... meet up with others they haven't seen for years." Price believes this will be the first special anniversary the church has celebrated in the fishing village. The parish includes the communities of Bateston, Catelone, Little Lorraine and Baleine. "There is a radius of 8-10 miles. I remember myself walking five kilometres to church as we didn't have a car." Price said, like many other congregations, they have seen a decline in attendance at Immaculate Conception parish. "However we are Main-a-Dieu and it makes me feel good to say this, ' We are seeing quite a few at our weekend masses." In recognition of the 175th anniversary, the parish compiled a special book that includes history and photos. The book can be purchased for $10 and will be available at Sunday's service. "We've got 100 sold already. People are buying them to send away to their relatives." According to the book, Bishop Plessis of the Diocese of Quebec visited the area in 1815 and in 1838 the parish was established with Fr. Drummond as the first pastor. By 1886, the parish built the first church through the generosity of the parishioners. The church was destroyed by fire on 1976 and replaced by the present structure which was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1977, by Bishop William Power. For further information on the book or Sunday's service, telephone Mary Price at 733-2813.