Peter Novecosky, OSB

Regina celebrates 100 years

The Archdiocese of Regina completed a year-long celebration of its centennial anniversary with a gala weekend June 5 - 6. The celebration was kicked off on the Solemnity of Pentecost, May 31, 2009. During the course of the year parishes and communities celebrated the legacy of their faith in a variety of ways. Many of these events have been reported in the Prairie Messenger.

Archbishop Daniel Bohan said he travelled throughout the diocese to join in the festivities. They took place “in parish churches and out under the wide, blue Prairie sky. They were held in the context of pilgrimages, suppers, family picnics in parks and the impressive ritual of a First Nations Traditional Feast.”

Various ceremonies of recognition were held to honour with papal or diocesan awards those who made significant contributions to the faith development of their parish or diocese. Parish communities recognized parishioners who have faithfully and generously served the church in the daily life of the parish community.

The archdiocese used the occasion to recall and acknowledge the history and faith traditions of the pioneers of their community. A centennial book that recounts the stories of 100 different men and women will keep that legacy of faith and sacrifice alive into the future. People of all ages and interests were challenged to build on the faith tradition they have received and grow it for the future.

The Diocese of Regina was created on March 4, 1910 and its first bishop was Rev. Olivier-Elzéar Mathieu. Previous to that it had been part of a vast geographical territory known as the Apostolic Vicariate of Saskatchewan which was erected in 1890; Rev. Albert Paschal, OMI, was consecrated its first apostolic vicar in 1891. It was a misson of the Diocese of St. Albert in Alberta.

By 1905, when the province of Saskatchewan was established, Catholic priests, sisters and brothers were ministering to First Nations and Métis, mainly in the north and central regions of Saskatchewan. Catholic settlers from eastern Canada, the British Isles, western and eastern Europe and the United States had begun the great migration to the Canadian prairies, bringing with them the need for Catholic parishes, schools and hospitals. As the Catholic population of the province increased, the diocesan territories were changed to meet the needs of the people.

In 1907 the Vicariate of Saskatchewan became the Diocese of Prince Albert and a suffragan of St. Boniface in Manitoba. In 1910 the territory of the Prince Albert Diocese was greatly reduced with the formation of the Diocese of Regina in the south and the Vicariate of Keewatin in the north. When Regina became an archdiocese in 1915 the Diocese of Prince Albert became a suffragan of Regina.

The Archdiocese of Regina has been served over the years by the following archbishops: Olivier-Elzéar Mathieu (bishop 1911 - 15/archbishop 1915 - 29); James McGuigan (1930 - 34); Peter Monahan (1935 - 47); Michael Cornelius O’Neill (1947 - 73); Charles Halpin (1973 - 94); Peter Mallon (1995 - 2005) and Daniel J. Bohan (2005 - ).

Chair of the Anniversary Centennial Committee, Joan Pratchler, thanked those who made an effort, great or small, to enter into the archdiocese’s celebration of faith by: celebrating a liturgy in their parish, wearing a T-shirt, writing a card, helping at a barbecue, planning a celebration, writing or reading a faith story, offering a prayer, serving on a committee, thinking of a family member of faith or reflecting on their own personal faith history.

We wish the archdiocese many happy “returns” for the kindnesses they show to one another.