Many customers have a deep connection to the building when they enter. We hear stories of how the store brings back memories for clients who have been coming here for years for various occasions. Now, for those who are truly interested, we would like to share the store's beginnings.
       This store, or rather this entire building, has a rich history that dates back to the construction of a fire station on St. George Street and a man who was deeply devoted to the Catholic religion.
       A video detailing everything, including a tour of the building and more information on the history of RD MacLean's, is now available on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEvmobGNsg&feature=youtu.be

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How to put subtitles on:

Your subtitles are on if there is a red line under CC in the bottom right corner of the video.

​Afterwards, select subtitles.

​Now the video will have French subtitles!

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I have been doing a bit of research after seeing an article with the CBC for the Moncton Youth Quest celebrating their 10th Anniversary across the street, a huge Congratulations to them and their team. I wondered how the CBC, the Moncton Museum, Heritage Canada and Heritage Moncton could all get their facts the same but not acurate. So I went to the proper channels that I know. The Moncton Firefighter's Historical Society Al McNutt. One thing I knew for sure was that the wood structure did not burn down because it is RD MacLean's and it is still standing. Why is this important? No one seams to think it is important other than me and Mr McNutt (my hope is someone else will be interested). It is part of our history of Moncton and a 132 year old building. 200 St George 1890-2018 No. 2 Firehouse.
I think part of the confusion is to follow logic RD MacLean could be No. 1 and Youth Quest could be No. 2. But this is wrong. The departments were divided into areas of Moncton. Both my buiding RD MacLean Co Ltd and Youth Quest were No 2 on St George st.
RD MacLean was No. 2 from 1890-1899
Youth Quest was No. 2 from 1899- 1960's
There was never a fire as a reason of building the Youth Quest building. The fire was in 1915 on Mechanic St. and the No 2 Youth Quest fire hall had already been built by that time.
See below the conversation with Al McNutt. Also they have a new book about the department's history available. They can be purchased at Reads Bookstore on Mountain Road, Shoppers Drug Mart on Mountain Road across from Vito's or Chapters in Dieppe
I also want to thank the Firemen for the extra hard work they put into saving my building when the neighboring building burnt down. I am very grateful.

​"Hi Mrs. MacLean,
I had a phone call about a week ago concerning this same subject, a newspaper research
student I think. Anyway she had things all mixed up saying that the fire station on St George street ( your place ) had burnt down. Not so, it was the fire station on Mechanic St. that burnt in 1915. To explain things a little further, back in the day when your building was a fire station, it was the No. 2 station. Reason was the city was divided into wards and
the fire station on Mechanic St was No. 1,
you were St George st No.2 ,
Bonaccord St was No 3
High St was No. 4.
Your building became a fire station in 1890 and remained so until 1899 when they built the brick station across the street. Also I should say that your building was called a fire house because it housed one piece of equipment ( A steam pumper ) and had a barn for the fire horses out back. Upstairs your building has the old lath and plaster on the walls and this is where the firemen in No. 2 Company had their meetings. You can see on the floor where the stove pipe from downstairs came up through, they had to keep the main floor heated so the pump on the steamer would not freeze up. Our historical society has tried to give our fire fighters today some of the old history about the department and I think a few years ago when you had the fire next door, our guys worked extra hard to make sure your building would be safe. Also we have a new book about our department's history available if you are interested. They can be purchased at Reads Bookstore on Mountain Road, Shoppers Drug Mart on Mountain Road across from Vito's or Chapters in Dieppe. Thanks for your interest. Al MacNutt"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-fire-station-number-2-1.4608711
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5339

​      Most of my Confirmation was preparation for the celebration. My grade 5 teacher at public school happened to be a nun. We were in good hands. 
      
      I remember discussing different themes for our event. I put up my hand and for some reason at that age I was really shy and barely said the word “vent vivant”. The teacher asked me to repeat and I said it again in a low voice. Finally she said speak up and I said it loud enough” vent vivant”.  The teacher picked that theme. 
     
​       Our theme for the class was “vent vivant” wind alive. I made a boat out of wood. My father hammered nails to make a railing around the boat. And I painted it silver.  It was about 2 feet long by 1 foot wide.
 
      Every week we talked about something new. When preparation classes were nearing the end I asked my aunt to be my sponsor and she agreed. I got a new blue dress that my mother bought. My grandfather bought me a necklace with a dove within a circle. Monseigneur Chiasson was the bishop at the time and presided at the ceremony. I got my picture taken and I was confirmed into the church at Cathedral Notre Dame l’Assomption. 
 
I would love to hear your stories of being confirmed. Please share.

I remember my First Confession. I was nervous to go talk to the priest but for some reason I don't remember much of my First Communion. I do remember my older brothers getting host at my Godfather at the old white wood presbytery outside Fredericton who was a priest at the time. It was a cold winter day and I did not understand why I was not allowed. So I asked my daughter Gabrielle what she remembers of her First Communion :
 
When I was asked to write about The First Communion this is what I had written down: “The First Communion is an ancient tradition practiced in the Church during Easter. It occurs after being baptized and after the First Confession. This being the third out of seven sacraments, one must precede the first reception of Eucharist. This reception is a Christian ceremony honoring the Last Supper, where bread and wine are consecrated on the altar and consumed thereafter.” Sounds like you went on a Wikipedia page right? I decided to dig deeper and tried to remember how I felt during my First Communion.

I recently went to church the other day (something that I haven’t done in a while) and the pastor asked these two kids how they felt after their first communion. They said beautiful things like “I felt closer to God when I prayed” and “I understood what he had planned for me”. For me, honestly, I was just excited to be able to eat the bread like the adults. Now that I am older (and a little bit wiser), I can see how these two kids felt, I just wished I was as wise as them when I was a kid.

I don’t practice religion as much as I used to as a kid. I feel like my generation is so focused on technology or school, but that’s a topic for another blog post. Growing up, I used to go to church with my mother every Sunday. After church, I would go to catechism and I remember the week before our First Communion, we had to practice walking down and getting the host and as a kid, I would be really excited because it was different compared to a regular catechism class. I also remember learning that we had to say “Amen” after receiving a host. I used to think we only had to go up, get the bread and go back to your seat but there is a certain technique to get that piece of dried up bread.

It’s good to think back to all the memories you’ve created. I am glad I took the time to remember my memory of my First Communion. Feel free to share your experience in the comment below .

God Bless

As many of you know, there are many different types of candles. In our store, you will find a total of 15 different types of candles: Devotional, Beeswax pillar, Paraffin pillar, Votive, Wedding, Anniversary, Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Presence Candle, Christmas, Pascal Candles, Vigil, Processional, Novena and Saint.

We already discussed the devotional candle and their uses in my previous blog http://www.rdmacleanshop.com/blog/-devotional-candles-and-their-uses

The beeswax candles or Altar candles are made with 66 2/3% beeswax. This is the minimum requirement to be liturgically correct here in Canada.

The best way to burn the Altar Candles is to use a follower. The followers come in brass or pyrex. Place the follower on the candle once it is burning for about an hour cinch down on the follower to create a seal. Once you do this the follower should not be removed for the life of the candle. This allows for proper burning of the candle and should not drip. In the end it will be more economical.

The Altar Candles come in 3 standard lengths 9", 12" or 15". The standard width come in 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 1 3/4", 2, 2 1/2" and 3". They come in 3 styles plain end used with a socket, tenex with the use of a tenex peg the size of your small finger, and pan diametre which uses a small cup within the candle.

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     RD MacLean, also known as Roderick Duncan MacLean, started his humble beginnings as a door to door salesman selling pots and pans, but deep down, he had a passion for Catholic religion. Brought up in a religious family, he had a good connection with the church. After graduating from Saint Francis Xavier University, he tried a couple years in the seminary like three of his brothers who, eventually, became priests. He also had three sisters who were nuns. All this religious background made it easy for him to start selling church supplies and religious articles. 
     In the early 30’s, he decided to start his business and open the R.D. MacLean Company Ltd. store in central Moncton. The location was perfect for shipping its product to the Atlantic Provinces because the city of Moncton had an impeccable railroad system at that time. He first opened the store downtown Moncton on Westmorland, located in the basement of the newspaper firm called "L’Évangeline". He often did business with that newspaper firm. This allowed his new store to get a lot of publicity. If you are wondering what the building looks like in the present time, it is now a restaurant named Gustav. 
     Moving on to the late 30’s, he relocated his business next to the newly built Cathedral, which is where the store still resides. The building on 200 St George used to be the number one fire station in the early 1900's. The back yard was the coral for the horses and the upstairs is where families lived. The fire station quickly moved out because during the winter, the water in the pipes used to freeze from the really bad insulated walls. These conditions were too unpredictable and made it very inconvenient in desperate mesures when needing to put out a fire, so they built a better building across the street where Moncton Youth Quest is now. Although, this made was very convenient for RD MacLean. 
     All moved in the new location on St George Street, Roderick renovated and added to the building which doubled the space that it used to be. He also added a manual elevator that is still functional and being used today. He worked until he was 80 years old.
     In 1983, he sold his company to his second son, Donald Maclean. Donald implemented many new technologies like the 1-800 number and fax machine to improve ease of communication with the customers. He kept ownership for 20 years after his daughter (Roderick's grand-daughter) became the owner and is still the owner to this day. 

    As many of you know, there are many different types of candles. In our store, you will find a total of 15 different types of candles: Devotional, Beeswax pillar, Paraffin pillar, Votive, Wedding, Anniversary, Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Presence Candle, Christmas, Pascal Candles, Vigil, Processional, Novena and Saint.

    Devotional candles are the candles you typically see in a church. The parish allows you to burn a candle in the church for a small fee, which goes towards helping with the maintenance of the church as well as supporting your community. In return, the community supports you with a memento of your loved one or prayer. A great way to share your faith. These devotional candles can also be brought home. Now days there are many different types of devotional candles.

1. 5 Day Devotional candles are made of glass and have a cross decoration, the top is shaped like a chimney for proper and clean burning. They burn for approximately 5 days, depending on the amount of oxygen is fed to the flame. They are our most popular seller.
2. Plastic refills are another popular economical option. If this is the route you prefer, you will need to buy the glass globe first to be able to slide in the refill. The refills come in paraffin wax and now in a renewable resource, vegetable wax.
3. Lumens are smaller and have a smaller wick so they burn slowly. The candle has a straight top and a cross decoration.
4. Carmel lights are a 3 day burning candle. It is made out of glass and looks the size of a drinking glass once finished with the candle. These also come with a 3 day refill.
5. Votive candles are another devotional that you can burn either at home or in the church. They are smaller and last for a few hours. We carry the 4, 6, 8, 10 or 15 hour votive candles.

     All Devotional Candles are made in Canada and are made with products tested and verified to Canadian standards. 

​http://www.rdmacleanshop.com/store/c9/Candles.html

  Blooming flowers and warmer weather make the perfect setting for a move. Real estate agents often say that spring and summer are the peak seasons for buying and selling a home, which is why this is the perfect post for today.  

   The real estate industry can be very unpredictable but with prayers and faith, your house could have new owners within a few weeks.
    St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and adoptive father of Jesus, is the patron saint of homes and families. He is the protector of carpenters, workers and realtors. It has been known that praying to St. Joseph can in fact help you sell your house.

Their are many How to's on the burying of the St. Joseph statue, here a just a few:
    - Bury upside down next to the "for sale" sign
​                                                            - Bury 3" from the rear of the house
                                                            - Simply place it somewhere on the property 
                                                            - Bury it next to the street facing the home
                                                            - Bury it next to the front door facing away from the home
                                                            - Bury it in the front yard
                                                            - Bury it 8" to 12" deep
 
        While specifics truly don't matter, what does is the belief and the trust in St. Joseph to help. 
     
​                  http://www.rdmacleanshop.com/store/p181/St_Joseph_Home_Sellers_Kit.html

   With a wide variety of Bibles in our store, it can be an overwhelming process choosing the right one. Here are 10 things to look for before purchasing a Bible. 

Step 1:
     It is important to know if you are looking for a Catholic Bible or a Protestant Bible. Catholic Bibles differ from Protestant Bibles because they include the Apocrypha and the Deutercanonicals. Which means they include the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees and Baruch.  

Step 2: 
    It is also necessary to recognize that there are different types of Bibles. Catholic Bibles can be found under the names of Good News, New American Bible (NAB), Newly Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Ignatius and New Jerusalem. Protestant Bibles will have titles like King James, New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (NIV), Good News, New International Readers Version (NIrV), New Living Translation (NLT), Contemporary English Version (CEV), Amplified,The Message and Living Bible.  (Further details on these different Bible interpretations on a future blog post.)  

Step 3:
   You must ask yourself: is it a gift? Is it a  personal Bible you are looking for? Or do you prefer a Study Bible? Bibles exist for different occasions, for example a White or a Family Bible is a suitable gift for a wedding.  
 
Step 4:
   You can choose between a soft cover Bible or hard cover Bible depending on your preferences. The soft cover options are a leather cover or a paperback cover. 

Step 5:
   Are you looking for more distinguished page edges? Gold or silver are the chic options, however plain white is also an option. Sometimes they even come in a variety of color.
 
Step 6:
   Someone who is organized will appreciate the index tabs available in some Bibles. In other Bibles, they can place the tabs themselves. Also, ribbon markers are another way to find a page efficiently. 

Step 7:
   Bibles are printed in various sizes. If you want to choose a large print Bible, look for Giant size font. However, when going with larger print, that also means the Bible is heavier. When choosing a Bible this is something to decide which is more suitable for your needs.

Step 8:
   For an easier read, some Bibles have the words of Christ in Red.

Step 9:
   Some Bibles can be a little expensive, so it is primitive to protect your investment. Zipper cases and slip cases are the perfect way to preserve the words of God.

Step 10:  
   Lastly, you can take in consideration which color you prefer. These days Bibles come in wide range of colors: black, burgundy, red, blue, multi-color.

With the help of these 10 steps to choosing a Bible,  you are on your way to discovering the Bible to uplift your spirit in your daily life.