A BEAR RIVER WEDDING IN 1944 THE GIFT FOR EACH OTHER

As Christmas drew near, most engaged couples were contemplating what they would give their fiancé(e)s for Christmas, Gerard and Celia McCloskey decided to give each other a very special gift, the gift of each other.

It was November 29, 1944. Winter had already arrived and had enshrouded the earth with a carpet of snow. The air was cold and frosty that morning as Gerard and Celia McCloskey, both from the district of Bear River, drove to Rollo Bay to be married.

They arrived at St. Alexis Church in a blue Pontiac, a two- seater sedan. Gerard wore his blue, striped suit, and Celia was dressed in her pretty blue dress and matching hat.

When they entered the church they were surprised to find that it was very cold. They soon discovered that the furnace was not working, and there was no heat.

They were married at eight o’clock in the morning in the vestry of the church, instead of the main Church. Rev. A.L. Sinnott, the parish priest at the time, performed the ceremony. Mrs, Kay MacIsaac (Mrs. J.B. MacIsaac) and Tom McCloskey were the attendants. There were no ushers or floral arrangements, and very few people in attendance.

The janitor was in the basement trying to get the heating-system going. The furnace was banging and Clanging so loudly, that it was difficult to hear, or to be attentive to the ceremony. The noise and the extreme cold prevented them from feeling nervous. When it was over, they approached the altar to sign the register. Father Sinnott looked around for it, but it wasn’t to be found. To avoid embarrassment, the priest suggested that they come into the house some Sunday after Mass

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