City Centre in Windsor in Essex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Catholic Coloured Mission of Windsor
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La Mission Catholique Noire de Windsor
1887-1893
Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 14, 2026
1. The Catholic Coloured Mission of Windsor side of marker
The first Roman Catholic mission for Blacks in Canada was established in Windsor in St. Parish in 1887 under the leadership of the Very Reverend Dean James Theodore Wagner. The "Catholic Colored Mission of Windsor” was created to serve disadvantaged Black children, while encouraging Blacks in Windsor to adopt the Catholic faith. It was first located in the original frame church building at Goyeau Street and Park Street East. With the support and partnership of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph (RHSJ), a new mission school and orphanage was built next to the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital near Erie Street. The sisters of the RHSJ were responsible for the management of the mission. Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary taught at the school. The mission educated and cared for vulnerable children of all races. The school and orphanage was an important initiative that provided access to education and child welfare at a time before government-funded social services were available.
La première mission catholique
this page online
Erected by Ontario Heritage Trust.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work
Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 14, 2026
2. La Mission Catholique Noire de Windsor side of marker
Location. 42° 19.004′ N, 83° 2.192′ W. Marker is in Windsor, Ontario, in Essex County. It is in City Centre. It is at the intersection of Park Street East and Goyeau Street, on the right when traveling east on Park Street East. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 85 Park St E, Windsor ON N9A N9A, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Bell (here, next to this marker); Original Home of Major F.A. Tilston V.C. Armoury (about 180 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Underground Railroad in Canada (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893) (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Francois Baby House / La Maison Baby (approx. half a kilometer away); The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, PC., C.C., Q.C. (approx. half a kilometer away); The Great Western Railway (approx. half a kilometer away); French Settlement on the South Shore (approx. half a kilometer away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Windsor.
Also see . . . Wagner, James Theodore (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).
Wagner continued(Submitted on May 18, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)his work on St Alphonsus, extensively decorating the interior at great cost and making plans for a more permanent rectory. As dean he founded the parishes of St Clement’s, Our Lady of the Lake, and Our Lady Star of the Sea. In the spring of 1887 in the old church, St Alphonsus Hall, he launched a catechetical mission for blacks. To solicit funds for the mission he went to Europe, preaching on one occasion to 5,000 people in Paris. At Wagner’s invitation, the Religious Hospitallers of St Joseph came from Montreal and established a community in Windsor on 13 Aug. 1888. Early in 1890 they opened the Hotel Dieu hospital and next to it they built an orphanage and school connected to the black mission. Most of the money to purchase the property and to erect the buildings had been personally raised by Wagner. Unfortunately, the school and orphanage, always considered secondary by the Religious Hospitallers, were abandoned in 1894 – a source of great pain to the dean near the end of his life – but the hospital, the first in Windsor, has remained as a monument to his social consciousness.Photographed by Tim Boyd, May 14, 20263. The Catholic Coloured Mission of Windsor / La Mission Catholique Noire de Windsor MarkerLower left of photo, between the bell and the church building
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 18, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
