Since the parish had few families, revenue was very low, and Bishop Ryan asked the Parish of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph to agree to subsidize Assumption Parish for the next four years. To provide a rectory it was decided in 1952 to relocate to the parish a summer cottage owned by Father McCowell at Holy Family Camp in Winona. To help finance this undertaking, which involved purchasing about four acres of land at Elfrida, six older, more affluent parishes were asked to make a donation. Between them the parishes of St. Basil's and St. Mary's in Brantford, Our Lady Immaculate and Sacred Heart in Guelph, St. Clement's in Preston, and St. Patrick's in Galt contributed a total of $2,200 to this rectory. On August 21, 1952, before the Pastor was able to move in, this building was destroyed by fire. The insurance claim paid was less than the estimated cost of restoring the building to its former state. The Bishop decided that it would be preferable to construct an entirely new building, making use of whatever materials could be salvaged from the fire-damaged rectory. On October 27, 1952, the Bishop authorized Mr. Leonard Strohmeyer, a Dundas contractor, to erect the new structure, and he advised Father De Jonge that Mr. Strohmeyer was to be in complete charge of this project and that no changes could be made without the prior approval of the Bishop. The completed rectory was blessed on September 20, 1953 by Monsignor J. F. Hinchey.

     A book was published by the Township of Saltfleet called "Saltfleet Then and Now" for the anniversary 1792-1973. It was copyrighted in 1975 and in the chapter dedicated to Saltfleet churches there is a page and a half on our parish - page 83 and 84. In the article on St. Francis Xavier Parish (with which we have a special relationship, since part of our territory was part of St. Francis Xavier Parish), there are several sections of interest that have to do with the history of our parish also. The following is from "Saltfleet Then and Now".

Steady immigration of Catholics into Stoney Creek and Saltfleet began only after World War Two when Bishop Joseph Ryan, acquired land from the Green estate near the monument on Highway No. 8. In 1946 Father Patrick Bodentistel was appointed pastor of the new St. Francis Xavier Parish. The first mass was celebrated in what was then called the Holy Family Chapel on June 9, 1946. Mass was also celebrated in the "Terrace" which later became known as the El Morocco, for the people in the Stoney Creek area. (This was a dance hall.) Mass was also said at the White City Inn which then was owned by the McDermid family. On completion of the school in 1947, mass was celebrated in a portion of that building until a frame structured abandoned army barracks was bought to act as a temporary church.

Father Bodendistel also started a mission chapel on top of the hill on Mud Street in Tapleytown. This was an army barracks that was moved in from Kenilworth Avenue, put up on posts and it was used for a number of years as a chapel. It was serviced from St. Francis, Fruitland.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission, Tapleytown

     It was a muddy spot, and in the spring everyone had mud on their feet going through to the little church. It wasn't very fancy but it served the purpose at the time. Assistant to the pastor at St. Francis at the time was Rev. Kevin Sheridan who eventually became our pastor in Elfrida. In 1950 Father Bodendistel was transferred to Caledonia and Father Gerald M. Warren was appointed pastor to the fledging parish whose territory took in all of Wentworth County east of Hamilton, which of course would include us on top of the escarpment. Since we were in a way part of St. Francis parish a number of elementary school aged children on top of the mountain in Binbrook and Saltfleet (presently Stoney Creek on the mountain) went to school at St. Francis.

     In one paragraph of the story from this book it says:

The total area served by St. Francis Xavier was diminished when the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption with Father De Jonge of the Sacred Heart Fathers as pastor was established above the escarpment in 1951.

     Another source, Mr. Ken Foyster, Hamilton Diocesan Archivist sent us the following:

In respect to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, the following are the relevant facts:

After doing a census of the Catholics in the new St. Francis Xavier Parish, Fr. Patrick Bodendistel reported to Bishop Ryan, on 27 June 1946, that there were 25 families living above the Mountain in widely scattered areas, and that very few had yet come to mass at his new parish.

On 4 June 1951, the Sacred Heart Fathers, a community from Holland that was then working in the London Diocese, accepted Bishop Ryan's invitation to care for a new parish at Elfrida. Fr. James De Jonge, S.C.J., was nominated as the founding pastor. As you will note from the enclosed letter, Bishop Ryan made the appointment official on 5 July 1951. As you will see from Bishop Ryan's letter of that date to Fr. G. M. Warren, Fr. De Jonge was working in his new parish very soon after July 5.

Other enclosed photostats give the history of the parish up to 1956. After its transfer to Elfrida, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Chapel was (re) blessed in a private ceremony on 13 January 1956, by the then Chancellor of the Diocese, our present Bishop, Paul F. Reding. Twice, in June 1958, and about the beginning of January 1960, this Church was damaged by acts of vandalism. On the first occasion the Church was broken into, and on the second there was an attempt to steal oil from the oil tank outside the Church. A great deal of oil spilled out and seeped into the basement doing much damage.

The present Church of the Assumption was constructed in 1969-70 during the pastorate of Fr. Sheridan. Bishop Ryan presided at the blessing and laying of the cornerstone on 28 September 1969, and also at the Solemn Blessing and Dedication of 15 February 1970.