Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (OLPH)

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 Mass in St. Angela’s chapel and the following Sunday Rev. N. RC Anderson, Secretary to the Bishop, newly ordained and who arrived in the Diocese only ten days before, said his first Mass in the new parish.

The first boundaries were Centre Street on the west, the Bow River on the South, the City boundary on the east, and 8th Avenue on the North. Bishop Kidd invited the Redemptorist Fathers of Toronto to accept the parish and in preparation for their coming he took steps to purchase a large brick veneer house at 610 2 Avenue N E as their residence.

In April, 1929, Rev. Isidore Shalla, C.Ss.R. formally took charge of St. Angela’s as acting pastor. Immediately following this, he and Bishop Kidd began to arrange for a basement church to be constructed. The design of the basement church used the plans for a basement church recently built on the Blood Reserve. The building was completed and blessed on December 22, 1929. At the request of the Redemptorists the name of the parish was changed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help became the spiritual and social centre of the Italian community. When difficult economic conditions affected the parish, after the Depression and the Second World War, the community raised funds, contributed manual labor to get the foundation of the new church, which was blessed by Bishop Carroll on November 7. By 1954, the parish greatly increased in numbers. The completed Church was blessed on June 17, 1955. It was located at 400 Edmonton Trail NE, where it remains today.

Outdoor Altar and procession

Tea on the lawn - Pourers are Mrs Allasia and Mrs N Violini, Servers: Aurora Vietto, Mrs J Grassi, Irma Rosso, Jean Santopinto, Geneva Grassi, Daisy Rosso, Nellie Zanni, Agnes Stalinski.

Written by: Jackie Kleiner

Photos and Sources: OLPH Booklet, 50 Years 1925-1975, At The Foot of The Hill

Brynne Venini, M.D. From the Buffalo to the Cross: A History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Jan. 1, 1973

Editorial Review: Reviewed and formatted by the Calgary Italian History Project for web publication