The Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) are a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers. The order was founded in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1815 to conduct mission work through the founding of religious communities in remote locations.
Members of the congregation arrived in Canada in 1841 and began to establish missions among Indigenous Peoples in what is now Western Canada in 1844. From 1861 on, the Oblates in Manitoba focused their work on the Cree, Dene and Métis peoples in the north. The congregation established missions at Brochet in 1861and Pukatawagan in 1888. The Oblates began mission work among the Inuit of the Northwest Territories in 1912.
The Oblates were primarily responsible for establishing the Catholic Church in Western Canada and were focused on converting Indigenous Peoples to Christianity. They oversaw fifty seven residential schools in Canada, the largest of any religious order. They operated the schools in collaboration with female Catholic orders including the Sisters of Charity (the Grey Nuns).
Sixth Bishop of Calgary, 1968-1998. Born in 1922, the youngest of five children, Paul grew up in Calgary, where his father, Dan was a small retail business owner who died in 1927. Paul’s mother Beebeanna had a strong faith which she passed on to her children. Nicknamed Pee Wee, Paul attended Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s Boys Schools, Calgary. He entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton in 1942. He was ordained a priest on February 22, 1948, months after his mother died. Fr. O’Byrne served first as assistant at St. John’s, Calgary and then at St. Patrick’s, Medicine Hat. His first appointment as pastor was at St. Edmund’s, Medicine Hat in 1954. He moved to Banff in 1961 until 1967 when he was transferred to St. Joseph’s, Calgary. Shortly thereafter he became regional dean for North West Calgary. He was one of the first to be appointed after election by the priests of the deanery. Elected chair of the Priests’ Senate, O’Byrne was chosen as administrator of the Diocese on Klein’s death by the Diocesan Consultors. After a consultation meeting on February 15, 1968, O’Byrne was named Bishop of Calgary on June 21, 1968 and consecrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral on August 22, 1968. He submitted his resignation to the Vatican on his 75th birthday in December 1997. He officially retired on March 9, 1998. Bishop Paul O'Byrne died in Calgary in 2004.
Set up to carry out the Church’s mission of social justice, the Office organized workshops and seminars for parishes, schools and other groups. It provided training in social justice ministry and coordinated fundraising efforts. The Synod recommended that the Office be re-established. It had been dismantled in 1991 in order to cut costs. The Office reopened in response to a resolution adopted by the Calgary Synod around 1995 [?]. It was closed in the reorganization of 2018-9.
The Office of the Bishop aids the Bishop of Calgary in the administration of the Diocese. Initially informally organized, prior to the Second Vatican Council the staff consisted of clergy. As the administrative needs of the Diocese grew due to the growing population and complexities of modern life, the Office of the Bishop required more staff with specific skills. The Office aids the Bishop in organizing meetings, correspondence, schedules, logistics, relationships, and records.
A Tribunal is an essential part of any diocese, and handles all aspects of canon law brought before the Bishop. This includes cases related to marriage and sacraments. The Tribunal of the Diocese was established with the first bishop.
Requested by the Synod, a Youth Ministry function had in fact begun on August 25, 1983.
The first Youth Ministry Office person listed in the Alberta Catholic Directory was in the 1985 edition – Robert Cook, the coordinator. Fr. John Schuster was the liaison priest. He was in Rockyford at the time. Following the Calgary Diocesan Synod the recommendations stated that issues pertaining to youth were ranked as the third most important to the people of the Diocese. The Synod asked that an Office for Youth Ministry be established under a youth minister, using volunteers and that a Youth Coordinator be established in each Deanery. Meetings in early fall of 1994 between Sr. Maria Nakagawa, the Synod Implementation Committee and Anthony Hulse established a vision for youth ministry in the Diocese and early in 1995 Hulse was appointed chair of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Commission.
This is the official agency of the diocese for coordinating all activities relating to the education in faith of all members of the diocese. It assists the bishop in his role as chief catechist of the diocese.
In 1985 it joined with the FCJ Christian Life Centre to institute the TEAM program (Together Enabling Adults for Ministry). The Synod recommended that the Office be expanded and that training be provided for spiritual directors.
Born on Dec 31, 1878 in St. John, New Brunswick, his family moved to Boston, Mass. when he was young and attended school there. His was a late vocation; at the age of 29 he entered St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish to study for the priesthood. Smith went on to study at the Grand Seminary, Montreal and St. Augustine’s, Toronto before being ordained for the Diocese of Calgary by Archbishop McNeil on Dec 27, 1916. After serving for a year in Toronto Smith was made assistant priest at St. Mary’s Cathedral until he was loaned to the Winnipeg Diocese for the year 1918-1919. On his return to Calgary he was made pastor of St. Ann’s, Calgary and he was appointed rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1924, a position he was to retain for 42 years until his death in 1966.
On Feb 8, 1937 Fr. John Smith was made a domestic prelate and he became Dean of Calgary on Jun 8, 1941. He served as a member of the Bishop’s Council under McNally, Kidd, Monahan, and Carroll. On Jan 29, 1942, Monsignor Smith celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Monsignor Smith was made Protonotary Apostolic ad instar on Mar 31, 1960 and he became Dean for South Calgary on Aug 8, the same year.
On July 21, 1966 Smith suffered a heart attack, entered Holy Cross Hospital and he died on Aug 5, 1966, at the age of 87. His funeral was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday, Aug 9, 1966, the celebrant being Bishop Wilhelm, the sermon was preached by Bishop Carroll. His body is interned in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
The need for St. Ann’s Church in Calgary arose out of the moving of St. Patrick’s chapel. St. Patrick’s was built on the east of the Elbow River 1883. The C.P.R train station was built to the west of the Elbow and this shifted the cities development to that area. Thus, St. Patrick’s chapel was moved to near the current location of St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1884 to be part of the growing city. Some Catholics though remained near St. Patrick’s previous location in the east. Due to the significant travel distance (to St. Patrick’s or Holy Cross) to mass each Sunday the Catholics in this area desired a new Chapel.
Thereby, in May 1908 Catholics in the area requested that they could have a Chapel closer to them in the east. For fifteen dollars a month a store (9th Avenue between 11th and 12th Street S.E) was rented out to serve as the Chapel for around forty people. The first mass was said by Rev. L. Culerier O.M.I (assistant at St. Mary’s Cathedral). Later Rev. J. Lestanc O.M.I. would also preside over mass for the Chapel. This location was not large enough for the resident’s needs. Mass was even held in Haskins Hall (9th Avenue between 12th and 13th Street S.E.) and in another store (9th Avenue and 12th Street S.E.).
At this point (1908) there were only around seven or eight families in the area using these make shift Churches. The residents requested to Bishop Legal on April 15 1909 for a proper Church to be created. They received permission to build a Chapel on 1500 8th Avenue S.E..
The Church’s name came from Father Lestanc who had been a mission priest at the small makeshift Chapels. He was devoted to St. Ann and he hoped that giving it such a name would encourage more vocations.
St. Ann’s opened for Mass on August 8, 1910. Father Jan and Father Nelz were officiating. The canonically erection was on December 16, 1910 and the Church was served by priests from St. Mary’s until December 1911. It was entrusted by Bishop Legal to the Priests of St. Mary’s of Tinchebray (who would serve from 1911-1916). Rev. L. Forget S.M.T. was the Churches first pastor and Rev. L. Anciaux S.M.T. was the assistance.
St. Ann’s first school opened in 1910 and was located over the Church’s vestry. Then they created a one room school and basement in the Church. By 1911 the needs of the population demanded that a larger four-room school (two rooms opening 1912 and the other two in 1918) was to be created (21st Avenue and 9th Street S.E.). This school was in an important and convenient location for the parishioners and they decided to move the St. Ann’s Church in 1913 to 8th Street and 21st Avenue S.E. In this new location the Church served Catholics from south and east from the Bow and Elbow River to Midnapore. This area was presided over until 1927 (when Holy Trinity mission was built) and more territory was lost in 1931 when Our Lady of Perpetual Help took charge of the Holy Trinity mission.
The Priests of St. Mary Tinchebray let in 1916 and then Rev. W.E. Cameron became the first secular priest for them. The priest’s first rectory was built in 1915 by the community and this building was later sold to the Precious Blood Sisters in 1951. At that time Rev. E.L. Doyle built a new rectory for the Priests.
In 1958 the community saw the creation of a new Church. This was built with the support of Msgr. Doyle and was blessed November 23rd by Bishop Carroll. The old Church building was then used as the parish hall until 1965 when a new one was created.
The population of the Church expanded to 200 families by the 1970s, but was decreased as the surrounding population aged (by 1999 there were 76 families). The Church kept a close tie with St. Ann’s school until 1984 when it became a Francophone Elementary, Junior High and High School. The Church had ties with Lithuanian Catholics and held Reconciliation and Mass for them yearly. Father F. Mongeau also celebrated mass for a First Nations population from 1992 to 1995. In 1995 the Spanish community of St. Mary’s Cathedral used the Parish hall and facilities of St. Ann’s (until St. Paul’s Church became theirs). From 1994-1996 Father Rolando Badiola served the Filipino communities monthly Mass from St. Ann’s. In 2000 St. Ann merged with St. Mary’s Cathedral. By 2002 the Korean congregation moved to St. Ann’s and the Parish became known as St. Ann’s Korean Parish.
In 1887 the small community of Coalbank built a small sandstone church which they called St. Patrick's, on land donated by the North West Coal and Navigation Co. This church was blessed by Rev. Albert Lacombe O.M.I. in August 1887. In Sept 1888 Fr. Leonard Van Tighem moved to Lethbridge as parish priests and built a new sanctuary for the church and a convent for the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus, who came to Lethbridge in 1891. In 1892 he planted tress around the church, the first trees to be planted in Lethbridge. In 1894 he extended the building. On August 25, 1895 the original St. Patrick's church was consecrated by Bishop Grandin, and was said to be the first church consecrated in the Diocese of St. Albert [?] A new building was erected in 1903. Bishop Frederick Henry closed the church in 2011, in a process that the Vatican has subsequently ruled to be invalid.
Fille de Jesus
Formed to generate interest in the priesthood among young men. The Synod requested lay representation on the Committee. The Committee organized annual vocation awareness retreats, working with contact representatives in parishes. There were guidelines for the CDVAC. In 1980 the Committee had 12 members including the chair Fr. Hoschka, 5 women religious and 3 priests, 2 laymen, 1 lay woman and Bishop O’Byrne.
[Also known as the Calgary Diocesan Vocation Awareness Committee (CDVAC) or Diocesan Vocations Awareness Council]
In early 1995 Bishop Paul expressed to Bishop Roy of St. Paul that he was having difficulty getting the Vocation Awareness Committee reactivated for Calgary
[RCDCA 343.5342]
Minutes exist from 1977 and papers to 1998.
The Vocations Formation Team consisted of Bishop Paul J. O'Byrne and appointed Diocesan priests, who oversaw the progress of seminarians and those in discernment.
Born on November 19, 1909 in Walkerton, Ontario. Having attended school in Walkerton, and St. Augustine's Seminary, Toronto, Wilhelm was ordained for the Diocese of Hamilton on June 9, 1934. He was assistant pastor at St. Mary's, Hamilton from 1934 to 1936, and at Christ the King Cathedral from 1936 until 1939, where he was also the Bishop's secretary. From 1939 to 1945 Wilhelm was Chaplain in the Canadian Army where he attained the rank of Major and won a Military Cross. After the war he studied for his Licentiate in Canon Law at the University of Ottawa and then served as pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul from 1947 until 1963. He was appointed vicar general and auxiliary to Bishop Carroll on June 28, 1963 and was ordained to the episcopate on August 22, 1963 in Hamilton by Cardinal McGuigan. When Bishop Carroll returned to Calgary after the first session of the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Wilhelm participated in the subsequent sessions of the Council in Bishop Carroll’s stead. During his time in Calgary, Bishop Wilhelm celebrated almost all the episcopal ceremonies and pontifical Masses. He also conferred almost all the ordinations and most of the confirmations. He became the Archbishop of Kingston in 1967.