Instelling

Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert

The ecclesiastical province of St. Boniface directed early missionary activities in Western Canada, north to the Arctic and west to British Columbia. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate were the first Roman Catholic missionaries in this area, travelling through Fort Carlton in 1838 on their way to the west coast and ministering the sacraments throughout their journey. In 1871 Bishop Vital Grandin, o.m.i., became Bishop of the Diocese of St. Albert which included the area of Saskatchewan today. On June 2, 1891,the Apostolic Vicariate of Saskatchewan was formed with Bishop Albert Pascal named Bishop of Mosynopolis and Vicar Apostolic of Saskatchewan. Stationed in the town of Prince Albert, he was the first resident Roman Catholic bishop in Saskatchewan. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert was officially formed on December 2, 1907. At that time the districts of Ile-à-la Crosse and Cumberland were detached to form part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Keewatin. The Diocese of Regina came into being in 1910. The Benedictine Monastery, in Muenster, founded in 1903, became Saint Peter's Abbey Nullius in 1922 along with its missions. Later on the Diocese of Saskatoon was separated from Prince Albert Diocese in 1933. The geographic boundaries of the Diocese of Prince Albert were now set.