Holy Rosary Parish, Portugal Cove, was dedicated by Father Edward Troy in 1833, and ministered to the St. Thomas mission region.  As first Parish Priest, Father Troy visited the different settlements of the South Shore of Conception Bay for the celebration of Mass and Administration of the Sacraments.  
 
In 1877 Bishop Thomas Power saw, with the increasing population in the area, the need for a new parish to be established in the Power's Court, Manuels area, known as St. Edward's Parish.  The first parish priest appointed was Father Lawrence Vereker.
 
On July 18, 1914 the Catholic community of the area was devastated to find that their church had burned to the ground.  The task of rebuilding the church fell to Father Peter Kelly.  The cornerstone was laid in 1917 and blessed by Archbishop Roche at its completion on August 14, 1918.  The parish, at the time, extended from St. Anne's siding to Kelligrews.  St. Anne's was a village in the the area of today's St. Anne's Industrial Park.  

St. Edward's original parish boundaries extended from Seal Cove Bridge in the west to St. Anne's Siding (Donovans) on Topsail  Road. The boundaries were radically altered when the parish was divided on 15 September 1982, resulting in the creation of two additional parishes, St. Thomas of Villanova, Manuels, and Holy Family, Paradise.  St. Thomas of Villanova included the communities of Topsail Pond, Long Pond, Three Island Pond, Chamberlains, Manuels, and Topsail.  Holy Family included the communities of St. Thomas, formerly part of Holy Rosary Parish (Portugal Cove), and Paradise.  St. Edward's, Kelligrews, included the communities of Foxtrap, Upper Gullies, Seal Cove, and Kelligrews. Assets of the former St. Edward's Parish (Topsail) were distributed proportionately to the three new parishes that were formed from the division.  The parishes faithfully served their congregations until the early part of 2020, when the Covid Pandemic limited all services, and then the financial stresses on the Archdiocese brought painful decisions in 2022.

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During a time of transition and restructuring in our Archdiocese, many parishes closed, including the churches at Holy Family, Paradise, and St. Edward's, Kelligrews.  Change is never easy, and on November 26, 2022 the three parishes formed in 1982 reunited under the original parish name of St. Edward's, encompassing all the boundaries.  The congregation worships in the church dedicated to St. Thomas of Villanova in Manuels.   We are grateful to Father Cosmas Iweru, Father Ken Walsh, Father James Fleming, and Archbishop Peter Hundt for their spiritual guidance and support.

 

 

Shoreline Article on the merging of our 3 Parishes  Click Here

 

Saltwire Article on the merging of our 3 Parishes  Click Here

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION