The Beginnings

The Calgary Separate School Board leased a one-room school from Mr. Rooney in Serani Estates and named it Bridgeland School. It served the many Catholic children who lived in the Bridgeland-Riverside area. It was the forerunner to St. Angela’s School, the fifth school to be opened by the Calgary Roman Catholic School District No. 1. The first teacher was Mrs. Julia Hector, who later served as principal until 1923. Student enrollment increased rapidly, and on April 14, 1915, a c

The first Church was established on the upper floor of the original St Angela’s school and was initially called St Angela’s as well. The space functioned as a Chapel and accommodated 225 people. In February 1924, the altar and furnishings of the abandoned Bankhead Church near Lake Minnewaska were moved to the Chapel. Basement Church circa 1916 Bishop Kidd lost little time in establishing the parish as soon as he had a Priest to supply it. On Sunday, September 13, 1925, he said

The Impact of the First World War and Postwar Calgary The First World War brought the first era of Italian immigration to an abrupt halt. There were approximately 85 Italians from Calgary and area who enlisted in the Canadian war effort, returned to Europe, or shifted into war‑related labour. When the war ended in 1918, Calgary— like much of the world—was changed. With the arrival of Antonio Milano as an official Consul of Italy in 1914, the Italians had a formal voice and a

Written in 1915, this letter reflects the concerns, loyalty, and growing frustrations of Calgary’s Italian community during the First World War, while calling for fairness and equal treatment within the city.