Saint-Calixte

Saint-Calixte (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ kalikst]) is a municipality and town in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Montcalm Regional County Municipality. Its proximity to the city of Montreal, and its natural environment, make Saint-Calixte a destination for camping in the summertime. There are also many cottages that surround the many lakes in the region. In 2013, Quebec's largest amusement/camping site, Camping et parc d'amusement Atlantide, a 10 million dollar investment, opened its doors in the municipality. Before its creation the territory of Saint-Calixte was part of an area known as Saint-Lin (now Saint-Lin-Laurentides) In 1851, the Saint-Calixte Mission was formed, named after Pope Callixtus I. In 1855, the municipality was officially founded as the Township Municipality of Kilkenny, taking the name of the geographic township in which it is located (the township was formed in 1832 and named after a city and county in Ireland). A year later in 1856, the post office opened, bearing the name Saint-Calixte-de-Kilkenny since 1877. Designed by architect Adolphe Lévesque, the stone church with its Gothic interior was inaugurated in 1885. The first parish priest of Saint-Calixte was Louis-Joseph-Isaac Martel, from 1853 to 1855, preceded by Jean-Romuald Paré, a missionary, from 1851 to 1853. The current parish priest is Wilson Ramirez-Angel. Raymond Gravel was parish priest at Saint-Calixte from 1994 to 1997 and is known for his commitment to the police and fire services.