The original St. Alexander's Church was built in 1877 by Fr. Remi Faure. First operated as a mission church of St. Columbkille's in Pembroke it was officially established as a parish on April 17, 1898. It served the Catholic population of Rolph, Buchanan and Wylie townships, with missions at des Joachims and at Chalk River. The present Our Lady of Good Counsel church was erected in 1953-54 to accommodate the large influx of people settling in the new town of Deep River following the establishment of the Atomic Energy Project at Chalk River. The year 1998 was a momentous year for our parish as we celebrated our 100th Anniversary. In order to prepare for this major event, a Logo was selected among eighty entries. The Logo was to reflect the theme of the celebration "Christ's Family - 100 Years". Two major liturgical celebrations took place in 1998. On April 17th a special Mass with Bishop O’Brien commemorated the actual founding of the parish, which was then called St. Alexander. Many priests and former pastors were present as well. Fr. Jack Quinn, who had served the parish from 1978 - 1994 was warmly welcomed back as guest homilist. He traced the history of the parish from it’s beginnings, through the monumental changes and the building of the new church when the town of Deep River was established, to the present day community.  The second planned liturgy was the outdoor mass of Sunday, June 28th. On a beautifully sunny day, under the pines where the original church once stood, he reminded us that "A parish is not just buildings. It’s the people who use these centres of worship". "An assembly of people, like we have here this afternoon". He urged us to be encouraged by our past as we look to the future. Taking part in the liturgy were also six priests who, at some point in their careers, had served at our Lady of Good Counsel. Also present to bring up the gifts, was Nora Gleeson. At 95 she was the oldest parishioner and had lived all her life in this community. A book was pulished called "100 Years of Worship"; it recounts the history and the accomplishments of the parish.  Copies may be obtained through the Parish Office.