Text copied from Sourispedia.
St. Alexis church is a Roman Catholic church situated in Rollo Bay, Prince Edward Island.
Burke indicates that there had been a small church in Bay Fortune during the time of French occupation, but that it fell to ruin before the Acadians had arrived there.
These same Acadians eventually purchased land in Rollo Bay, and for a time church services were held in the homes of the faithful. In particular is mentioned Honore Nuchel, who was a blacksmith but had no family. There first priest recorded to have served these families was Monsieur Magdand. After him came a Monsieur Tedru, whose letters to the Bishop of Quebec reside in the archives of the diocese of Charlottetown.
Abbe de Calonne served after Tedru, then Abbe Gabriel Champion, before finally Father McEachern (who would later become Bishop) was placed in charge of the area and it was under his direction that a little log chapel was built in 1804. It stood close to the Rollo Bay shore, beside the old burial ground which remains to this day*. At this time Rollo Bay was known as Anse a Matieu.
It should be made clear that the stones which remain in this old burial ground are not from this original log church; for these graves were made of sandstone and have been worn away. The graves that exist there today are from the second church.
There were 18 families in the parish at this time, and they all assisted in building this church, which measured 30 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 12 feet high. The church was named St. Alexis, as it was on July 17th 1812 that Bishop Plessis visited Rollo Bay, which is the feast of Saint Alexis[2].
Little is known at this time of the second church which was built there. It was built in 1824. The builder was Bartlett Dunphy. The fate of the 1824 church is unknown to the researcher at this time.
Notes are somewhat scarce regarding the transition between the 1824 church and the 1853 church. However, it is recorded that a church was constructed in 1853 by Lawrence Murphy and Lawrence Peters, on the grounds of the present day church near the intersection of Route 2 and Route 330. This church was sixty feet long, forty-two feet wide, and the height of the walls were twenty-one feet. As Burke writes, “In 1870-2 a chancel vestry and tower were added to it. The High Altar which came from Montreal is delicately through profusely coloured in blue and gold with touches of pink, grey and brown. The frontal is of carton pierre, a representation of the Last Supper in bas relief. Upon the altar are statues of Our Lady and St. Joseph which are painted to harmonize with their background, and on either side brass brackets support adoring angels.
Above the altar is a very fine stained glass window representing the Holy Family. The Holy Water Font is of carved free stone; upon a temporary altar erected to the Blessed Virgin stands an old but richly gilt tabernacle which along with a set of vestments, candlesticks and consor came from France to French St. Peters in the year 1840. They were ordered by Father John McDonald of Glenaladale who at that time served in the eastern end of the Island, and were brought over from St. Pierre in the schooner of Captain John D'Aigle.”
In 1930 it was moved across the road to serve as a hall. It no longer stands.
Father Walker was the first resident priest.