Across Bagot Street from #208
Commemoration
Patriot, colonizer, and priest, he was born in the Highlands of Scotland. In 1804 he came to Canada as chaplain of the disbanded Glengarry Fencibles and later became Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec. As the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Kingston formed in 1820, he lived in this building and in 1831 was appointed to the Legislative Council of Upper Canada. In 1837 he founded Regiopolis College in Kingston and is buried in St. Mary’s Cathedral in this city
Background
Mcdonnell was born in Glengarry, Scotland, a part of the highlands. He was instrumental to the creation of the Glengarry Regiment, made up of Catholic Scots, part of the British Army. He was its chaplain. After the regiment was disbanded in 1802, the British government offered land in British North America to the soldiers. Macdonnell was one of those who came to Glengarry, Upper Canada.
He worked to help settle Catholics in the colony including an increasingly large number of Irish. He died in England while seeking funds for schools in his see. He was originally buried in St. Margaret’s Convent, England but later his remains were brought to St Mary’s in Kingston.