When his church burned down, the devoted priest hastened home from Ireland and started the work of rebuilding. And when he died, his parishioners buried him beneath the floor
by CAMPBELL CORK
One of the most unusual burials in Mount Forest was that of the much loved Catholic priest, Bartholomew Joseph O’Connell, who died in the winter of 1908 on his 64th birthday.
Father O’Connell served two periods in Mount Forest, first from 1876 to 1886 and then again from 1892 to 1908. He is remembered for endearing himself to the entire community by his warmheartedness to Catholics and Protestants alike.