On October 7, 1875 the church was consecrated by Bishop J. T. Duhamel.  Read this fascinating, historical account of our parish, entitled “Sketch of the Parish of St. Mary, Almonte, Ontario, 1823-1885 by a Priest of the Diocese of Ottawa”

Although the parish has historically and formally been called Holy Name of Mary, with references to such in diocesan material dating to the 1930’s, the sign on the front of the church was not changed from “St. Mary’s” to “Holy Name of Mary” until after Fr. William Penney (1996-2002) took over as pastor. He engaged in a dynamic renewal of the parish and the church. Renovations to the bell-tower and restoration of heritage details in the interior of the church began under him in 2002.