Another note of interest to us was hearing about the Eucharistic Congress held at our church in 1939. Weeks and weeks were spent pre- paring for it. Grounds had to be cleaned, arches and trees erected for pro- cessions, altars and seats put up outside. The church was cleaned and cooking done. The Congress for which people from all over the diocese attended, started on Sunday and closed on Wednesday. A picture of the church and one of the arches is shown in our scrapbook.

The first burial ground used from 1815 to 1842, located near the shore is being renovated by the Women’s Institute as a Centennial Project. it has been named “Shore Road Cemetery”. Only two monuments are left to mark the resting places of these courageous pioneers of yore. One re- markably well preserved has the name “Barrett” carved on it. It was he and his wife that operated an Inn at the Crossroads in what is now known as Kensington but then Barretts Cross. The name on the other is not legible and it is believed that more of the stone markers may be under the sod.

The first Catholic Women’s League was organized about 1932 when Reverend R. MacDonald was parish priest. Mrs. E. G. Gillis was the first president. There are many charter members living around the community.

Since the above was written the Parochial House at lndian River was burned March 14, 1973. Father Callaghan is building a new house. Our good neighbours who belonged to the Protestant faith attended the Church of their choice at Malpeque or Kensington and they still do.

“The white spire On the greenhillside Lifts eye and thought to heaven."

We have seen in the preceding paragraphs how religion has kept pace with the growth of our community. The same is true of Education. Our forefathers were anxious to see their children got what ‘flarning” they could. The first school was built over 120 years ago across the road from our pres- ent building. it was later bought by V. Gillis and is being used by Charlie Gillis as a machine shop. A record from the Department of Education showed that John Taylor was teaching here in 1843 with an enrolment of 35 pupils.

This school was replaced in 1870 by a larger one-room school built on the corner of our present playground. It was to this school that many of our parents and residents trudged to and fro in all kinds of weather. It was bought and hauled by Fred Ready in 1952 and is being used as a store in our district. This school has always had a very large enrolment. Records show that when Daniel Daly was teaching here in 1858, fifty-four students were enrolled. The enrolment from 1900-1952 varied from forty pupils to fifty- five.

Many are the stories told by our grandparents and parents of crude slates and pencils, copybooks, vacations in May and October, school mas- ters, pot-belly stoves, spelling matches, long high desks, hard benches and readers. The school did not have the conveniences nor the pleasant sur- roundings of ours today but it turned out honest men and brave women.

One resident told us about a birch bush that grew behind the school. Whenever the school master needed a strap he went out for a birch strap. For some reason, the bush became stripped of all its switches.

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