Every month, we share a photo from our archives! – Businesses along the main street in Fort Saskatchewan, AB, opposite the Catholic Church, 1908-1909. (…)
- From the Archives
- 27 October, 2022
From the Archives
On this page, we share from time to time the things that our archivist found and wants to share with you! It tells you about our history in Canada and how our mission began and developed over the years. "From the Archives" currently draws on content from the Franciscan Archives of Western Canada, which contains records from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. To learn more, visit us at archives.franciscanfriars.ca.
On May 9, 1955, Fr. Ulric Ell received approval to construct a new church building at Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. The old church had been built in 1905 using logs covered with siding, and by the 1950s it had become too small for the (…)
- From the Archives
- 7 October, 2022
Every month, we share a photo from our archives! – The library at the Rosemont friary in Montreal, 24 Sep 1923. (…)
- From the Archives
- 26 September, 2022
The first parish school in St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Vancouver began in 1946, and classes were held in the parish hall beneath the church which had been partitioned off into classrooms. That first year, 82 students attended, divided into eight grades. But (…)
- From the Archives
- 12 September, 2022
Every month, we share a photo from our archives! – Fr. Alphonse Claude-Laboissiere eating with a family at Moose Lake, Alberta, 19 Aug 1933. (…)
- From the Archives
- 12 August, 2022
Every month, we share a photo from our archives! – Celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi in Chipman, Alberta, at the first altar in front of the Merchant’s Bank, 3 Jun 1920. (…)
- From the Archives
- 20 June, 2022
As a continuation of the previous post, after the friary in Regina was dedicated as a retreat house in 1931, the Franciscans prepared to open the Regina Minorum Friary to visitors and retreatants. This included the following enthusiastic welcome found in the opening pages (…)
- From the Archives
- 6 June, 2022
Every month, we share a photo from our archives! — Three friars enjoying the sun and “rain” from a garden hose outside St. Anthony’s College in Edmonton, Alberta, 1942-1943. In the photo is Fr. Abel Mireault (left) and Fr. Raymond Pennafort-Willey (centre). (…)
- From the Archives
- 16 May, 2022
The decision to establish a Franciscan friary in Regina, Saskatchewan, dates back to May 1930, when Archbishop elect James Charles McGuigan was on retreat with the friars in Edmonton in preparation for his episcopal consecration. It was at that time that he first mentioned (…)
- From the Archives
- 2 May, 2022
Every month, we share a photo from our archives! — We all look forward to the arrival of Spring, as parts of Canada are still waiting for the spring weather to come! St. Francis Friary in Vancouver had a large garden with a variety (…)
- From the Archives
- 21 April, 2022
