(1790-9 May 1845), clergyman and figure of legend. (Father John, Mr John, known in Gaelic as Maighstair Iain Mac Iain Mhic Iain, which is Gaelic for Mr John son of John, son of John; the title Mister was used for priests before Father became standard ) Born in the Glen, near Williamstown. GC. Parents: John McDonald and his wife Jane Sutherland. Jane Sutherland had been born a Presbyterian. He studied at the college at St. Raphael’s and at the Sulpician seminary in Montreal. On the death of his father, he returned to the Williamstown area to help his family on the farm. After resuming his studies at the seminary, he was ordained 16 Dec. 1825, being then aged thirty-five. He then served as a curate or assistant priest at St. Raphael’s, and afterwards, from the early 1830s till 1840, as the 6th pastor of St. Raphael’s. When the mission of St. Finnan’s was established at Alexandria in 1832, he became responsible for it, while maintaining his residence at St. Raphael’s. When the mission at Alexandria was raised to the status of a parish in 1840, he became the first resident pastor of St. Finnan’s. He sang the first mass in the newly built church at Alexandria on Christmas Eve, 1833. While the church was being built, he is said to have stated to Bishop Macdonell that the church would become a cathedral. He was not quite correct, however, for it was not this church but its successor, built in the 1880s, that became a cathedral with the creation of the diocese of Alexandria in 1890. While pastor at Alexandria, he was also responsible for Catholics at Lochiel. Fr McDonald died in Alexandria. Out of his savings he had been buying land at the south of Alexandria, and he left this land on his death to the parish for the financing of Catholic education. The part of Alexandria which grew up on his land became known from his name as “Johnstown.” In Alexandria he lived for a time in the church vestry, and afterwards in a small log house. The log house was finally demolished in 1901. (GN 17 May 1901) He was a near relative of Big Finnan of the Buffalo Mcdonald and was the great-uncle of D. R. Mcdonald, who was MLA for Glengarry. He must be distinguished from his contemporary and namesake, another celebrated Father John and Mr John, namely Rev. John Macdonald (1782-1879).

     He was noted for being exceptionally devout. There is a story that on one occasion he walked barefoot from GC to Montreal to carry out an exorcism in a church or chapel there. The collection of materials on the history of the diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall published under the title of Sinnsearachd has a brief but judicious examination, probably written by Mgr Ewen J. Macdonald, of this story. It was reported that Father John was once led in the night to a deathbed by three mysterious little lights, thought to be the spirits of three dead children of the dying woman.

Macdonald, St. Finnan’s * memorial plaque in St. Finnan’s Cathedral * GN supplement 1903 [8] * Sinnsearachd 48, 53-58, 170 * Archibald MacDonell and others, History of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Williamstown, Ontario: 1847-1997 (1997) 19-20: biog. sketch, story of three lights * Johnstown leases altered to allow for sale of leased plots, Glengarry News 10 May 1956