(3 July 1883-19 Sept. 1958), clergyman. (Fr A. L. McDonald, Alex L. McDonald, Alexander McDonald, Father Alex) He was born at his parents’ home, which was on Lot 14 in the 3rd Concession of Lochiel Township, GC. Parents: Duncan James McDonald and his wife Catherine Kennedy. He attended school locally, then Alexandria High School, the University of Ottawa, and the Grand Séminaire in Montreal. As a young man, he was known as an athlete and in particular as a football player. He was ordained to the priesthood on 19 Dec. 1908 at St. James’s Cathedral, Montreal. He was administrator (the title rector was not yet in use) of St. Finnan’s, Alexandria, from 1909 to 1916, and was parish priest at Glen Robertson from 1916 to 1928, and at Williamstown from 1929 to the end of his life. At Glen Robertson, he was involved in completing the work of building a new church to replace the church destroyed in the fire of 1915. At Williamstown, he supervised the preparation and instalation of a stained glass window in the sanctuary honouring the 17th-century Canadian martyrs including Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalement. This window had been made possible by a bequest left for a window in the will of John A. Chisholm, ex-mayor of Cornwall.

     The author R. A. Jeffrey, describing a visit to Williamstown in 1949, wrote, “Rather absent-mindedly I knocked at the door of the imposing square brick house beside the ancient stone church of St. Mary’s; the portals opened wide and were framed by the largest Scotsman I had yet seen in these or other parts; more than six feet in height, broad of shoulder, with a remarkable personality and friendliness[;] he would have appeared every inch the athlete–a football coach’s dream–were it not that he was in clerical garb. Here was the ‘Big Alex’ of Ottawa University days.” As “a player and manager” for Ottawa University’s football team, he had been “a tower of strength,” one of the football men who were “the toast of Ottawa.” Fr McDonald died at the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Cornwall, shortly before the golden anniversary of his priesthood, and is buried at Glen Robertson.

Glengarry News 25 Sept. 1958 * biog. article, “based on the notebook of the late Florence (D. D). MacDonell,” Glengarry Life No. 33 (1994), with portrait * St. Finnan’s CRNI, II, 291 (baptism) * Macdonald, St. Finnan’s, 9, 17, 21, with portrait * Archibald MacDonell and others, History of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Williamstown, Ontario: 1847-1997 (1997): biog. information, portrait, colour reproduction of the stained glass window * Williamstown 200 34-36 * Villeneuve 64, 181, 189-190, 259 * R. A. Jeffrey’s two-part article on GC, “Proud Men of Glengarry Rugged, Resolute Race,” and “Glengarry Cleric Football Coach’s Dream,” Ottawa Journal 18 & 19 Aug. 1949 * to be ordained, GN 18 Dec. 1908 * stained glass window, GN 7 Nov. 1930