St. Anthony's Parish can be proud of its many years
as a growing Christian Community of faith and service.
Much has developed and changed in the eighty-two
years since our church began. A growing list of parishioners ...
different facilities ... new programs.
Our history could be said to have started in 1905
with the coming of the railway through Lloydminster. The railway
provided the means for Father Auguste Bernier and his assistant, Father
Jean Garnier, to visit the local Catholic people. These two men had a
large area to minister to, as they served the area east of Vegreville
between the North Saskatchewan and Battle River all the way through into
Saskatchewan.
In 1909, Father Henry Goutier was appointed parish
priest of Vermilion. As there was no church or priest's house in
Vermilion, Father Goutier worked out of Vegreville until 1910, when
churches were built in Vermilion and Lloydminster.
At this time, through the Church Extension Society of
Canada, a gift of $500.00 was received from Mr. Hirst, in memory of his
son Anthony, for a memorial chapel. This first place of worship was
built on the NE corner of 53 Avenue and 49 Street, facing south. When
well filled, it would hold about 100 people seated on chairs. These
early parishioners included: (Lloydminster) the Almond family; A. Behnke;
Mrs. Boorman; the Bourne family; H. Browsen; W.E. Coleman; Mrs. Cryne;
G. DeLisle; J. Edelmayer; E.W.H. Howell; the Hughes; 0. Ingram; J.S.
Jerone; A. Keichinger; P. Lahaye; A. Maloney; J.A. McLean; the McLellans;
J. Powers; J.A. Probert; J. Swan; H. Trulin: P. Weighhill; the
Zackowski's. (Kitscoty) Tim Bootsman; E. Carroll; E. Dalton; J. Drew; J.
Finlin; P. Freehill; G.E. Hines; P. Hurley; Mrs. McDonald; Thomas
McGreey; Steve O'Connor; B. Orwick; L. Newton; Tim Sexton; W.J. Kennedy.
(Marshall) Mrs. H. Fisher; J. R. Hodgson; the O'Connors; F.W. Wells.
Electric lighting, operating off the town generator,
was available in this church. Lights consisted of single bulbs - one on
either side of the altar and two in the body of the church. Leo Cavanagh
remembers well the church lights. "They swayed in the winds, "
he recalls.
A cast iron stove near the back of the church
provided heat during the colder months. When Father Dobson arrived
however, the winter months' Mass was often celebrated in the rectory
because of the inadequate heating in the church. With a full crowd in
attendance, people would often spill over into the kitchen as the rooms
of the rectory would fill.
Father Thomas Dobson was the first resident pastor. He had come to
Western Canada from England on the advice of his doctor who had
suggested that a drier climate might improve a serious respiratory
ailment. Archbishop OLeary of Edmonton welcomed the young priest and
immediately sent him on a 'temporary' assignment to Lloydminster and its
far-flung missions. Not only did the climate improve his health, but
Father Dobson was able to assume the rigors of missionary life with
unwavering zeal and dedication. The 'temporary' posting was to last for
more than 24 years!
In 1948, St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton was in
need of a spiritual director and professor of English and Father Dobson
was invited to fill these positions. It was a very difficult departure.
Happily though, he was able to return during the Christmas and summer
vacation breaks to assist his successor, Father Gorman.
On June 19, 1959 while coming home to Lloydminster,
Father Dobson was fatally injured. The automobile in which he was a
passenger, was involved in a head-on collision near Vegreville. The
first Catholic School - "St. Thomas" and the Knights of
Columbus Council were named in memory of our first pioneer pastor.
Senior parishioners remember Father Dobson's special
pet and companion, a little fox terrier. The story goes that one Sunday,
the dog got lonely (Father was celebrating Mass) and so decided to
attend the service himself. It was summertime so he trotted in through
the open door, walked right up the aisle, poked his head through the
altar rail curtain, looked around, and trotted back out. Father Dobson
happened to see him just as he left the altar rail, and if looks could
kill, the poor dog would have dropped in his tracks.
On July 1, 1948, Father Gorman arrived and work was started on a
badly needed new church building. Ground was broken for the church by
Father Gorman, not ceremoniously with a shovel, but with an actual
"Cat." It was found out later that prior to becoming a priest,
the Father had been a cat skinner. This new church was located on the NW
corner of 52 Avenue and 44 Street. The parish moved into it in August,
1949, and the basement was completed in 1950. The vestry and front
entryway were added at a later date. The grand cost of this church was
$49 536.81. The total labor cost was $13 167.44. The architect used was
Husky's architect. Joe Nicodemus, whose line of work was heavy machinery
and excavation, and Greg Baribeau, Sr., a carpenter, provided much of
the expertise in the building of the Church. Parishioners did the
remainder of the general labor with everyone pitching in to help out.
With the exception of the plumbing and electrical work, all was donated
or given at cost.
To raise money for the church, the C.W.L. organized
suppers, teas, bazaars, and held them in the Alberta Hall. Under the
capable organizational skills of the ladies, everyone in the parish,
including the children, pitched in to make them truly parish affairs.
The stairs up to the hall were narrow and everything used (except for
the table and chairs) had to be brought in each time. What a job
carrying the water! Later on, these events were held on the main floor.
The parish was not very old when various groups began
to form and contribute to the life of St. Anthony's.
On the first Sunday in May, 1924, Mrs. Culford,
President of the Vermilion C.W.L., came to Lloydminster to help organize
the St. Anthony's council of the Catholic Women's League. Mrs. A. Behnke
became the organization's first active president. First line of business
for the group was to get a house ready for Father Dobson. The C.W.L.
also ran the fair booth during the thirties. Lucella Ross remembers
helping wait on tables, as complete meals were offered to hungry
fair-goers. Money raised was used for the new church building.
1977 under the leadership of Father Donald Stein, the
Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception arrived in Lloydminster
to assist in Pastoral Ministry.
The Catholic school system rapidly grew and in
October, 1963, St. Mary's was opened to eighty-six students to
accomodate grades nine to twelve. In 1969, it was converted to a junior
high school. In 1985, St. Mary's had a re-opening as Holy Rosary High
School and once again offered grade eight to high school programming.
Two other elementary Catholic schools opened in
Lloydminster. They were: Father Gorman, opened in August, 1977 and the
newest school, St. Joseph's, which was officially opened on November 3,
1982.
Faced with an ever expanding community and an aging
building, plans for our present building were conceived. Much of the
introductory work began under the leadership of Father Stein. Through a
lot of hard work on the part of many people, the dream came true on Palm
Sunday of 1987.
A bridge from the old to the new was created with a
procession which walked from the old church to the new building which is
located at 27 Street and 56 Avenue. The first Mass in the new premises
was celebrated by Father Karl Raab at 9:00 a.m. on April 12,1987.
Apart from the statistics and dates, it is very
important that the many unnamed individuals be recognized whose hard
work, participation and commitment, and talents have contributed to
making our parish the vibrant, growing community that it is today.
Buildings go up and buildings fall, but the active
faith of the parish community forms the main foundation of the church.
With this faith, a church can truly be the living body of Christ.
