14

Hymnal (interior) - artefact A2007.21.02
circa 1904
Heritage Park, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

15

The Mission Building

Between 1914 and 1925, the mission had two sections: the upper floor was a residence for the priests and lay brothers, and the ground floor was used as a chapel. It could seat 100 people on the wooden benches. The benches at the back of the church had kneelers, but those at the front did not. Three chairs sat behind the communion rail: one at the right and two at the left for altar boys. The Stations of the Cross hung along the side walls of the chapel. Father Laffont kept the sacred vessels and wine in a cabinet behind the altar.

Both floors were heated with a wood stove, but the building was still cold and draughty. The log building was constructed according to the Hudson Bay dove-tailing joint style common in this area at the time. Chinking sealed the logs to prevent cold air from entering.

16

Altar in Old Catholic Mission Exhibit at Heritage Park
29 October 2009
Heritage Park, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

17

Belltower atop Old Catholic Mission
29 October 2009
Heritage Park, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

18

The Journey North

Fort McMurray and the St. Jean-Baptiste Mission became an important centre in missionaries' journeys north. For much of the region's history, the only methods of transportation were dog-sledding and river transport, and these could be risky. Bishop Taché and Bishop Faraud made the run up the Athabaska by scow (a river boat with a shallow draft) many times, and Bishop Faraud nearly drowned on one of these journeys. Father Grouard and Father Breynat journeyed up the river through Athabaska Landing. They made camp on the shore along the way, and at one stop they managed to set fire to the forest. It caught quickly and spread through some of the trees before dying out. The crew laughed and told the bishops they were lucky that no law enforcement officers had come on the trip, as starting a forest fire was illegal.

The Hudson's Bay Company sent twelve barges north along the rivers each year, and reserved one of these for the missions. This had to be divided between Protestant and Catholic missions, and the HBC waived all liability for damaged or delayed goods and staff. When steamboats became viable in the region, the HBC's shipping became more reliable, but also more expensive. Frustrated with the transportation difficulties, Bishop Grouard received permission from the Church in 1892 to build a fleet of steamboats to serve the northern missions. This fleet included the St. Joseph, which served Fort McMurray and, when it was completed, the St. Jean-Baptiste Mission. The St. Alphonsus and the St. Charles were the other initial members of Bishop Grouard's fleet, while Bishop Breynat had use of the St. Mary.

River travel was still unreliable, however, as Brother Leroux discovered. Bishop Breynat tried to get a road built up to Fort McMurray, offering to fund the project himself. This proved too difficult, however, and he was forced to rely on the river and the railway once it had been completed, though the train did not come all the way into Fort McMurray. The community remained a critical link between the train station in Draper and the Athabaska waterway that provided access to the rest of the Canadian northwest.

19

Father Alphonse Feuvrier and Bishop Gabriel Breynat having tea in a winter forest

Credits:
La Société Historique et Généalogique de Smoky River (The Smoky River Historical and Genealogical Society)

20

The Nuns' Visit

In the summer of 1914, Sister Gilbert and her companions travelled to Fort McMurray's Mission as part of their obediences to journey into the north. These women were Grey Nuns of Montreal, an order which later became a crucial part of Fort McMurray's history. As was often the case, they took a train into Draper, or Old Waterways. They left from Edmonton on June 3 and arrived in Draper on June 6. The train was so slow and stopped for such long periods of time that in places Sister Gilbert got off the train to pick flowers and berries. She and her companions sat on their sleeping bags in the caboose, as there were no seats.

Once they arrived in Draper, they needed to get into Fort McMurray. The nuns and the other passengers followed Mickey Ryan's horse to the river. There they met Joe Shott, who ferried them down the Clearwater and Christina rivers. Joe Shott was silent and Sister Gilbert found him forbidding. She said to her companions in French, "What if he should abandon us on the way! He might even scalp us or roast us or even kill us!" Later she learned that Shott spoke French fluently and had understood everything she said.

The nuns arrived in Fort McMurray to discover that much of it had been flooded. Not only this, but the Mission was a mess--or at least they thought it was. To Father Laffont's embarrassment, they cleaned the entire Mission, including Laffont's own room. They even fed his stash of dried meat to the dogs, forcing him to fast for a month. Once they had finished cleaning the Mission, they began to work on salvaging the supplies that had been ruined. The Northern Traders' warehouses had been hit by the flood, and most of the Mission's supplies had been kept in these warehouses.

While the nuns were there, Father Laffont and the lay brothers slept outdoors under canvas tents. Father Laffont, wishing to be back indoors, went so far as to purchase a house for the sisters to stay in. After twenty days of work, though, the nuns repacked and headed further north to complete their obediences.

21

Sister Gilbert with baby in incubator
February 1961
St. Gabriel's Hospital and outbuildings, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Claude Fournier
Fort McMurray Historical Society

22

Reverend Lefebvre and man gardening next to St. John the Baptist Church (built 1925)
1925-1939
St. John the Baptist Church (1925), Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
La Société Historique et Généalogique de Smoky River (The Smoky River Historical and Genealogical Society)

23

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1925

Fort McMurray's population had grown so much between 1911 and 1925 that the mission realized they needed a bigger church. Construction began that year and the new church--St. John the Baptist Catholic Church--was blessed on 24 June 1926. It stood on Franklin Avenue near where the City Hall stands today.

24

St. John the Baptist Church (built 1925) in flames
1939
St. John the Baptist Church (1925), Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Fort McMurray Historical Society

25

The Mission as a Residence

In 1926, when the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was built, the Old Mission was converted into private residences. Between 1926 and 1958, two families lived in the Mission. The Auger family stayed a few years, followed by the Paquettes, who lived there during the remainder.

Housing could be hard to find throughout Fort McMurray's history. Any structure at all needed to be put to use when possible. The Old Catholic Mission was no exception to this.

26

Family living in St. John the Baptist Mission
1925-1940
St. John the Baptist Mission, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Archives Deschaletes
Fort McMurray Historical Society

27

The Warehouse Church

On 19 February 1939, St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, built in 1925, caught fire and burnt to the ground. At this time the St. Gabriel's Hospital warehouse was empty. The warehouse, located behind the hospital's laundry building, was renovated and used as a church until 1950, when a new church was built. The warehouse was moved to another location to make room for the new building. In 1960 the warehouse was again used to replace a burnt building: the Harpe family purchased it to house their 14 children when their own home was lost to a fire.