Over the years, Welland became home to residents from a number of communities from all over the world. The Hungarian community has been a part of the city since the beginning of the 20th century, when the first immigrants began to arrive in Ontario to work in the emerging steel industry and other fields. As they arrived, businesses, services and places of worship focused on serving the Hungarian community emerged.
One of these was Our Lady of Hungary Catholic Church. The first Hungarians came to Welland in 1906; in 1908, Father Biro of Buffalo, N.Y.
, was sent to address the growing community’s spiritual needs at St. Mary’ and St. Peter and Paul churches.
As the influx continued, Biro wrote numerous letters to the Archdiocese of Toronto, informing leaders there of the growing number of Hungarians arriving yearly in Niagara, and that missionary work was needed in the area. However, it would be some time before this would be addressed. Following the great post-First World War immigration wave when many more Hungarians arrived, Franciscan friar Father Lipot Mosonyi was sent to officially organize a Hungarian Roman Catholic parish.
This occurred in 1926, when it was deemed there were enough Hungarian Catholics living in Welland to support a dedicated church. Our Lady of Hungary Catholic Church was built in 1928 and in 2023 celebrated its 95th anniversary. In 1927, Fr.
Mosonyi was replaced by Fr. Istvan Nyiri, under whose guidance the construction of the church was started at 3.
