The mission of St. Anne on Lennox Island was established in 1801 to minister to the needs of the Mi'kmaq who considered Prince Edward Island their home. The proposal was made by Abbe de Calonne, missionary in Charlottetown who was also the first to minister to this flock followed by Rev. MacEachern. After Bishop Duplessis' visit in 1812 he appointed Rev. Jean Louis Beaubien to minister to the Mi'kmaq as well as the Acadians. Father Beaubien and his successor, Father Cecile visited the Island every year to administer the sacraments. The first church was a log structure erected by the Mi'kmaq themselves while a later church was built under the tenure of Rev. B.D. MacDonald. It was framed by John Dixon of Kildare Capes in 1838 and completed in 1842. In 1844 by a process of subscription the residents raise money to build a presbytery which was to be the abode of the priest for his semi-annual visits and also served as the habitual residence of the teacher of the government school. Although it was felt desirable that there be a resident priest on Lennox Island this does not appear to have happened and the congregation was most often served by the parish priest of Grand River, Lot 14