What is a Diocese?

One traditional definition of a diocese is “a given territory, under the authority of a bishop”. Since Vatican II the understanding of “what is a diocese?” emphasizes the persons involved, considering them as “the people of God.”

According to the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, a diocese is “a portion of the People of God,” a community of believers, a communion, not simply one administrative entity of the vast world-wide organization called the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI said that the local Church (the diocese) is “the prime cohesive structure of the Mystical Body” (March 25, 1971).

The documents of Vatican II describe seven major functions of the local diocesan Church: announcing the Gospel, celebrating the Eucharist, building authentic Christian communities, providing pastoral services, having a missionary spirit, recognizing new ministries and interpreting the “signs of the times.”

About our Diocese

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon is a dynamic and vibrant diocese located in Saskatchewan, in the heart of Canada’s prairie provinces, largely situated on Treaty 6 territory, which is also the traditional homeland of the Métis.

Click here for our diocese’s priorities and goals – Proclaim Christ and God’s Kingdom Today

Stretching across 75,107 square kilometers from Macklin and Leader in the west, to Kelvington and Wadena in the east, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon includes some 99,000 Catholics served by 92 parishes.

From many backgrounds, speaking a variety of languages, with a range of socio-economic profiles, Catholics in the Roman Diocese of Saskatoon live in both urban and rural settings. There are First Nations and Métis Catholics, many served by the diocese’s most-recently created parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Saskatoon, and there are newcomers to Canada who connect to their ethnic community when gathering to pray and worship.

In the west are the many parishes of St. Joseph’s Colony, established more than a century ago by German-Russian pioneers, and served for many years by Oblate priests.

Around Muenster and Humboldt are parishes established as part of St. Peter’s Colony, another German settlement: this one grew up around the Benedictine Abbey established at Muenster: St. Peter’s Abbey.

There are also Francophone communities established in the area of Vonda, Prud’homme and St. Denis, as well as a Francophone-Catholic parish in Saskatoon: Sts-Martyrs-Canadiens. The diocese also includes a wide range of other national groups: Irish, Filipino, Polish, Iraqi, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Ukrainian, Sudanese, Vietnamese, and others.

There are six deaneries in the diocese: Saskatoon City, Saskatoon Rural, Humboldt, Wadena, Kerrobert and Eatonia. These regional deaneries were developed as a way to facilitate communication, consultation and cooperation across the distances of the diocese. The deanery structure is designed to keep parishes in touch with one another and with the diocese, foster collaboration, resource sharing and problem-solving among parishes in a region, and provide a forum to address regional concerns.

Representatives from each of the deaneries also serve on a Diocesan Pastoral Council, which is set up as an advisory body to help facilitate a two-way communication between the parishes and the bishop. The first Diocesan Pastoral Council held its first meeting on Oct. 9, 1999.

In addition to our diocesan priests, there are a number of religious priests (Basilians, Benedictines, Dominicans, Oblates, VIncentians, and Redemptorists) serving in the diocese of Saskatoon, as well as three permanent deacons, religious brothers, and religious sisters in a variety of orders.

There are also a number of lay Parish Life Directors, who serve with a Pastor as a Parish Pastoral Team. This is one way in which the challenge of fewer priests/ aging priests is being addressed in the diocese. A number of priests from around the world, including Ghana, Nigeria and India, have also been invited in recent years to provide ministry in the diocese. There is also an active vocations promotion office in the diocese, and there are young men discerning the priesthood. The diocese has also recently embarked upon the discernment and formation of men as Permanent Deacons.

Within the boundaries of the diocese, and connected by bonds of faith and cooperation, there are many partner organizations working with the diocese, including Catholic schools, Catholic colleges, Catholic health care facilities and a number of Catholic agencies. Many were established by the religious orders that came to the area years ago to live and serve the people.

These partners include:

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (Saskatoon, Warman, Martensville, Humboldt, Biggar) – Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools

Light of Christ Catholic Schools (St. Peter’s School, Unity, SK) – Light of Christ Catholic Schools

St. Thomas More College –St. Thomas More College

St. Peter’s College – St. Peter’s College, Muenster

Catholic Health Care – Emmanuel Care/ Emmanuel Health and Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan

Diocesan Map

(General view only, with city of Saskatoon detail: Please note that parish clusters and deanery boundaries have changed since 2017).

History

Creation of the diocese of Saskatoon was decreed by Pope Pius XI on June 9, 1933, “expedited” late in December 1933, and declared “validly erected” as a unit of the ecclesiastical province of Regina by Archbishop James C. McGuigan on the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1934.

The history of the church in this area predates the formation of the diocese by many years. Catholic missionaries from France accompanied the La Verendrye expedition into the northwest in the 18thcentury, and the first priests to take up residence arrived at St. Boniface (in what is now Manitoba) in 1818.

In 1846, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate founded a mission at Ile-a-la-Crosse, in what is now the far northwest corner of Saskatchewan. Oblate brothers and Sisters of Charity (Grey Nuns) came to the mission and Ile-a-la-Crosse was made the seat of the vicar apostolic, with Most. Rev. Vital Justin Grandin, OMI, having pastoral charge of the far-reaching Oblate missions in the west.

In 1883, the first group of settlers from Ontario, including the Catholic family of Karl Kusch, arrived at the newly founded riverside Temperance Colony of Saskatoon. During those earliest years, priests from Prince Albert and the French-Canadian missions to the north would occasionally visit Saskatoon, and sometimes the faithful would rtravel to Batorche or Duck Lake for celebration of Mass.

In 1890, the vicariate-apostolic mission territory of Prince Albert was erected, taking in most of the present Saskatoon diocese and much more. Most Rev. Albert Pascal, OMI, was consecrated bishop of the new mission territory.

Soon after the turn of the century, Catholics in Saskatoon began to build a church, with Fr. P.M. Guerin, OMI as the first resident chapter. A period of widespread Catholic pioneer settlement began to gather momentum at the beginning of this new century.

By 1902-03, Catholic missions were already founded at Radisson and other areas east of Saskatoon. German Catholics from the Dakotas came to the Delisle, Grandora, and Vanscoy districts. Beginning in 1903 an 1904, German Catholics from the United States also settled in the newly-created St. Peter’s Colony, centred around the Benedictine Abbey established at Muenster, SK. In 1904, the French-speaking faithful at Howell (now Prud’homme) had a parish, with Catholics also moving into the Young district, around Allan and near Tessier.

The year Saskatchewan became a province, 1905, also marked the arrival of German-speaking Catholics from South Russia and the United States, accompanied by German Oblates and settling in the west-central part of Saskatchewan, in the Tramping Lake district known later as St. Joseph’s Colony. Parishes and communities sprang up across what is now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

During the Great Depression, in spite of drought and hardship, the Catholic Church continued to grow. The diocese of Saskatoon was erected by papal bull and in April 1934, Most Rev. Gerald Murray, CSsR, formerly Bishop of Victoria, BC, was installed as the new see’s first shepherd.

Check out the history of Bishop Murray and our other bishops (below)  to continue the story of the diocese of Saskatoon!

Diocesan boundaries expanded

In September 1998, five Roman Catholic dioceses in Saskatchewan were amalgamated into three. A number of parish communities formerly within the diocese of Gravelbourg and the Muenster Abbacy (which were both dissolved) became part of either the diocese of Saskatoon or the archdiocese of Regina as a result of that change.

The diocese of Saskatoon grew to include the western part of Gravelbourg diocese, the territory covered by the Abbacy, and a fairly large part of what formerly fell within the Regina archdiocese.

Previous Bishops:


Bishop Gerald Murray

Gerald C. Murray, CSsR – First Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1934-1944

Gerald Murray was born in Montreal on 26 December 1885 and baptized in St. Patrick’s Church the following day. He first attended St. Anne’s School, Montreal, then the Redemptorist College at Ste. Anne de Beaupé. After high school, Murray returned to Loyola College in Montreal where he obtained a B.A. in 1906. He received the Redemptorist habit and pronounced his vows on 8 September 1907, then continued his studies in Ottawa at the Liguorian College. On 4 September 1910, he was ordained to the priesthood in his home parish of St. Anne’s, by Archbishop Gauthier of Ottawa. In the following years, Fr. Murray served in pastoral ministry in Annapolis, Maryland, studied at the Gregorian in Rome, and taught Philosophy and Theology in Esopus, New York and Brockville, Ontario. In 1927, he was chosen Provincial Superior of his Redemptorist Congregation with headquarters in Toronto.

Early in 1930, Fr. Murray was notified that he was to be ordained bishop and named to the See of Victoria, BC. He was consecrated by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Andrea Cassulo in St. Anne’s Church, Montreal on 7 May, 1930 and installed as Bishop of Victoria on 4 June, 1930.

In December, 1933, Bishop Murray was informed that he was to be the first bishop of the newly-formed diocese of Saskatoon. On April 18, 1934, he arrived in Saskatoon from Victoria (in the middle of a raging dust storm) and was formally installed as Bishop. He celebrated his first Pontifical High Mass the following day in the newly-elevated St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Bishop Gerald Murray, CSsR served as Bishop of Saskatoon until January 27, 1944, when he was appointed Coadjutor-Archbishop to Archbishop Alfred A. Sinnott of Winnipeg. Murray served as Coadjutor-Archbishop until his death 3 June, 1951.

[Some information from: D.F. Robertson, The Sword of St. Paul: A History of the Diocese of Saskatoon 1933-1983, 1982]

Bishop Philip Pocock

Philip Francis Pocock – Second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1944-1951

Philip Francis Pocock was born in St. Thomas, Ontario on July 2, 1906. He studied Theology at St. Peter’s Seminary, London and was ordained to the priesthood on June l4, 1930 by Bishop Denis P. O’Connor of Peterborough at St. Peter’s Cathedral, London. Pocock served in two parishes until 1933, when he went to Rome for graduate studies and obtained the degree of Doctor of Canon Law. On his return to London, he was appointed to the staff of St. Peter’s Seminary where he taught Moral Theology and Canon Law until 1944.

On April 7, 1944, Father Pocock was appointed Bishop of Saskatoon. He was ordained to the episcopacy in St. Peter’s Cathedral, London by Most Reverend Ildebrando Antoniutti, Apostolic Delegate of Canada, and installed as Bishop of Saskatoon June 29, 1944. Pocock served as Bishop of Saskatoon for 7 years.

On June 16, 1951, following the death of Coadjutor-Archbishop of Winnipeg, Gerald Murray, CSsR, Pocock was named Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg and, on August 6 of that year, became Coadjutor-Archbishop to Archbishop Alfred Sinnott. He succeeded to the See on the retirement of Archbishop Sinnott and became Archbishop of Winnipeg on January 14, 1952.

On February 18, 1961, Pocock was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Toronto. He succeeded to the see of Toronto and became Archbishop of Toronto on March 30, 1971.

On April 29, 1978, Archbishop Pocock resigned the See of Toronto and took up residence at St. Mary’s Parish, Brampton. He died on September 6, 1984 and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill, ON.

[Some information from: D.F. Robertson, The Sword of St. Paul: A History of the Diocese of Saskatoon 1933-1983, 1982]

Bishop Francis Klein

Most Rev. Francis Joseph Klein – Third Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, 1952-1967

Francis Joseph Klein was born August 6, 1911 on the family farm at Sedley, Saskatchewan, the eldest of thirteen children of the Edward Klein family. His early education was in Friedenthal and Sedley, then he attended St. Anthon’s College, Edmonton and Campion College, Regina. His seminary training was begun at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Edmonton and he became one of the first students of Regina Cleri Seminary, Regina when it opened in 1932.

Francis was ordained to the priesthood on Sept. 2, 1934 in his home parish at Sedley by Archbishop James C. McGuigan of Regina. After a year of further study in Quebec, Fr. Klein returned to Saskatchewan, where he served in various rural parishes in the Archdiocese of Regina.

On Feb. 28, 1952, Klein was appointed Bishop of Saskatoon, ordained by Cardinal James C. McGuigan of Toronto on April 30 at Holy Rosary Cathedral, Regina and officially installed as bishop of Saskatoon at St. Paul’s Cathedral on May 8, 1952. He was the first Saskatchewan-born priest to become a bishop.

Bishop Klein served as bishop of Saskatoon for almost 15 years, during a time that included the Second Vatican Council, which brought many changes to the liturgy and the Church. His tenure was a time of growth, and included establishment of the Catholic Pastoral Centre, and new Catholic facilities, such as St. Ann’s Home.

On Feb 25, 1967, he was appointed Bishop of Calgary and installed on April 25. He died suddenly within a year, on Feb 3, 1968, while undergoing a gall bladder operation. Following funeral ceremonies in Calgary, he was buried beside his parents in Sedley, Saskatchewan.

[Some information from: D.F. Robertson, The Sword of St. Paul: A History of the Diocese of Saskatoon 1933-1983, 1982]

Bishop James Mahoney

James Patrick Mahoney – Fourth Bishop of Saskatoon, 1967-1995

James Patrick Mahoney, the fourth bishop of Saskatoon, was born in Saskatoon in 1927 and ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Klein on June 7, 1952. He served at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Delisle, Colonsay and Blucher, taught at St. Paul’s High School and was the first principal of Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon. He was named bishop of Saskatoon in 1967 and ordained to the episcopacy on December 13, 1967. He chose as his motto: “Fidelis Deus: God is Faithful.”

During his 27 years as spiritual leader of Roman Catholics in the Saskatoon diocese, Bishop Mahoney undertook and supported works within the Church and in the larger community involving Catholic education, ecumenism, health care, vocations, the spiritual formation of priests and laity, the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Women’s League, the Brazil mission and social justice endeavours. Many diocesan ministries developed during Bishop Mahoney’s time as shepherd, including such important developments as the launch of Lay Formation and the establishment of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

“He was much respected in the Catholic community and beyond and was able to forge important links with people of non-Catholic churches and faiths, as well as with the civic leaders of Saskatoon, many of whom participated in the celebration of his 25th anniversary as bishop in 1992,” reports diocesan archivist Margaret Sanche. Bishop Mahoney died March 2, 1995 in Saskatoon. To honour his work in promoting Catholic education in Saskatoon, the Catholic School Board named Bishop James Mahoney High School after him. The James. P. Mahoney Institute for the Family was established in his memory to support projects designed to strengthen families and family life.

Bishop James Weisgerber

James Weisgerber – Fifth Bishop of Saskatoon, 1996-2000

Born in Vibank, Saskatchewan, James Weisgerber was ordained a priest in Regina on June 1, 1963. In 1990 he was elected General Secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, a position he held until his ordination as the bishop of Saskatoon in March 1996.

While he was bishop, the boundaries of Saskatchewan’s dioceses were redefined, with a newly-amalgamated diocese of Saskatoon coming into existence in September 1998. The diocese of Saskatoon inherited the west part of the former diocese of Gravelbourg, as well as area formerly served by St. Peter’s Abbacy of Muenster, and part of the former diocese of Regina. This change of boundaries added some 20,000 Catholics to the diocese of Saskatoon.

James Weisgerber was named Archbishop of Winnipeg by Pope John Paul II in June 2000.

Bishop Albert LeGatt

Bishop Albert LeGatt – Sixth Bishop of Saskatoon, 2001-2009

Albert LeGatt was born on May 6, 1953 in Melfort, SK to Joseph and Emma LeGatt. His early schooling was at St. Brieux (1959-1967) and at Le Collège Notre Dame, St. Louis, SK (1967-1971). He studied at Le Collège de St. Boniface (University of Manitoba) obtaining a Bachelor of Arts (with majors in Philosophy and French) in 1974. For the next three years he served as a CUSO (Canadian University Services Overseas) volunteer in Ghana, West Africa, teaching French in a secondary school. He entered Le Grand Seminaire de Québec in 1977, pursuing studies in theology at L’Université de Laval.

LeGatt was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1983 by Bishop Blaise Morand in St. Brieux, SK. He served as assistant pastor, then pastor, in a number of parishes in Prince Albert Diocese (1983-2000). He pursued studies in Pastoral Liturgy at the University Notre Dame, Southbend, Indiana (2000-2001). He was involved in the Diocese of Prince Albert as co-ordinator of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, Director of Vocations and Consultor.

LeGatt was named Bishop of Saskatoon on July 26, 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He was ordained and installed by Bishop Blaise Morand on October 5, 2001 in St. Patrick’s Church, Saskatoon. He served on the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and the Catholic Aboriginal Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

During his eight years as bishop of Saskatoon, Bishop LeGatt worked with the diocesan faith community on a number of initiatives, including the establishment of a diocesan Task Force on Marriage to work with a diocesan office of Marriage and Family Life to strengthen and support marriage, as well as a Diocesan Mission Office to create greater awareness, participation and understanding of mission beyond diocesan boundaries. A diocesan office of prison ministry, and of Roman Catholic hospital chaplaincy to two secular city hospitals were also established under LeGatt’s leadership.

Bishop LeGatt worked with the diocesan Lay Formation team and representatives from the diocese of Keewatin-LePas and Prince Albert to establish the unique new Aboriginal Catholic Lay Formation program, offered in conjunction with the established diocesan and eparchial program.

As part of a focus on life-long faith formation, LeGatt also restored the Order of Initiation Sacraments in the diocese, with confirmation now celebrated before First Eucharist. Working with the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission, LeGatt also issued a general decree setting pastoral directives for sacramental sharing in particular circumstances between Catholics and baptized Christians of other denominations.

Bishop LeGatt’s initiatives also included the launch of a “Rooted in Christ” Diocesan Vision that calls for a focus on six priorities over five years, and a “Uniting in Faith” campaign to build a Cathedral and Catholic Pastoral Centre. A ground-breaking for the new building took place in December 2009 and the building opened in December 2011 and was officially blessed on May 13, 2012.

On July 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Albert LeGatt as the Archbishop of St. Boniface, Manitoba and his installation was held Sept. 21, 2009.

Bishop Donald Bolen

Bishop Donald Joseph Bolen – Seventh Bishop of Saskatoon, 2010-2016

Donald Joseph Bolen was born Feb. 7, 1961 in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. the son of the late Joseph (+1968) and Rose (+2006) Bolen. He earned a BA Honours in Religious aStudies at the University of Regina, a Bth, Mth and a Licentiate in Theology from Saint Paul University, Ottawa, and undertook work on a D.Phil in Theology at the University of Oxford. On October 12, 1991 he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan.

From 2001-2008, Msgr. Bolen served as a staff member at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Rome, staffing Anglican-Roman Catholic and Methodist-Roman Catholic relations and the preparation of texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Served as Co-secretary of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) and the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Donald Joseph Bolen as the seventh bishop of Saskatoon Dec. 21, 2009 and his Episcopal Ordination was held on the Feast of the Annunciation, Thursday, March 25, 2010 at St. Patrick’s Parish in Saskatoon.

Most Rev. Donald Bolen’s tenure as bishop of Saskatoon (2010-2016) included a multitude of initiatives and projects. He came into the diocese just as construction was beginning on a new diocesan Cathedral and Catholic Pastoral Centre, after years of planning and fundraising under the leadership of outgoing Saskatoon Bishop Albert LeGatt.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process to address the painful legacy of the Indian Residential School System and the June 2012 national event that was held in Saskatoon also impacted Bolen’s tenure as bishop.The diocese established a new consultative body, the Diocesan Council for Truth and Reconciliation under his leadership. The DCTR includes Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal representatives. Initiatives of the DCTR have included a pastoral letter and ecumenical event about the issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, and the establishment of a day of prayer for reconciliation and healing in the diocese and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. In 2016 a treaty elder series inviting Indigenous elders to come to parishes and talk about their spiritual traditions was also initiated.

The diocese’s consultative structure was revised and refined under Bishop Bolen’s leadership, bringing new energy, direction and discernment to groups such as the Priests Council and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. A new salary grid was introduced for parish and ministry employees in the diocese, and the work of the personnel committee now includes annual meetings with priests of the diocese and the invitation for feedback from parish councils.

Dialogue was an ongoing cornerstone of Bolen’s time as bishop: ­ dialogue with other Christians, with members of other faith traditions, with people of good will and the culture at large. Events during his tenure included public inter-faith forums about issues such as “faith in the public sphere” or “peace and terrorism”, a public discussion on compassion between the Catholic bishop and a Tibetan Buddhist, and a public conversation on the music of Leonard Cohen by Bishop Bolen and Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsy. A local Evangelical-Catholic dialogue initiated by Bolen in 2009 has produced a joint statement and nurtured many discussions and friendships, while an Ecumenical Formation Program has been established through the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.

Justice and Peace was an ongoing priority for Bolen, both in the diocese and on the national stage, where he serves as chair of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

After the retirement of long-time volunteer coordinator of Justice and Peace Tony Haynes, as well as a process of restructuring and strategic planning, a full-time coordinator was hired for the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace.

Donations – first from the late Rev. Paul Donlevy and family and then from Holy Spirit parish – also led to hiring a half-time staff person to coordinate a new diocesan Office of Migration, created to oversee issues around refugee sponsorship. Persecution of Christians around the world, the scourge of human trafficking, the need to care for the environment, opposing the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, protecting conscience rights, and promoting the need for palliative care, are among issues addressed in the diocese and beyond during Bolen’s time as bishop.

Other milestones under Bishop Bolen’s leadership included the return of diocesan missionaries from Brazil, a re-envisioned Christian Initiation and Catechetics office, the renewal of the diocesan Covenant of Care and sexual abuse policies, the establishment of a Justice and Outreach Year of Formation (JOY) program, and a discernment about ordaining men to the permanent diaconate in the diocese of Saskatoon.

After six years as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, Most Rev. Donald Bolen was appointed Archbishop of Regina by Pope Francis, with an installation celebration held Oct. 14, 2016.

The Diocesan Pastoral Council is comprised of elected and appointed individuals from each of the six deanery regions in the diocese – Saskatoon City, Saskatoon Rural, Wadena, Humboldt, Eatonia and Kerrobert regions.

The council also includes representatives of the priests, women religious, and Catholic Organizations. The role of the DPC is that of the chief consultative body for the bishop of our diocese and as such, its representation is a miniature snapshot of the people and areas of the diocese of Saskatoon.

Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) members gathered Nov. 30, 2022 in Saskatoon — in person and via Zoom — to reflect, report and provide input to the bishop. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatono News)

Deaneries:

Eatonia Deanery includes parishes located at Eatonia, Eston, Fox Valley, Kindersley, Lancer, Leader, Liebenthal, Marengo, and Richmound. Dean is Fr. Francis Appiah-Kubi.

Humboldt Deanery includes parishes located at Annaheim, Bruno, Burr, Cudworth, Dodsland, Englefeld, Humboldt, Imperial, Lake Lenore, Lanigan, LeRoy, Middle Lake, Muenster, Peterson, Pilger, Quill Lake, St. Benedict, St. Gregor, Watrous, Watson, and Young. Dean is Fr. Colin Roy.

Kerrobert Deanery includes parishes located  at Biggar, Denzil, Handel, Kerrobert, Landis, Leipzig, Luseland, Macklin, Major, St. Donatus, Tramping Lake, Unity, and Wilkie. Dean is Fr. Matthew Ramsay.

Rural Saskatoon Deanery includes parishes located at Beechy, Davidson, Elbow, Elrose, Kenaston, Outlook and Rosetown, as well as at Allan, Asquith, Colonsay, Langham, Martensville, Prud’homme, St. Denis, Vanscoy, Viscount, and Vonda. Dean is Fr. Habila Musa.

Saskatoon City Deanery includes all parishes in the city: Cathedral of the Holy Family, Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Anne, St. Augustine, St. Francis Xavier, St. John Bosco, St. Joseph, St. Mary, St. Michael,  St. Patrick, St. Paul Co-Cathedral, St. Peter the Apostle, St. Philip Neri, St. Thomas More (Chapel), and Sts-Martyrs-Canadiens. Dean is Fr. Stefano Penna.

Wadena Deanery includes parishes at Archerwill, Foam Lake, Fosston, Kelvington, Lintlaw, Naicam, Nobleville, Perigord, Rose Valley, St. Front, Wadena, Wishart, and Wynyard. Dean is Fr. Jerome Ogunleye.

New DPC meets for first time

The new Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) established by Bishop Mark Hagemoen met for the first time on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2018. Newly formed after the appointment and installation of a new bishop for the diocese, the DPC began a visioning process, in a day that included presentations by Sr. Teresita Kambeitz, OSU,  and Fr. Gerard Dewan.

Cathedral

The diocesan Cathedral is a symbol of unity, and a diocesan home for our growing faith community, pointing to the presence of Christ and speaking to who we are as God’s people. It is the home of the Bishop, the shepherd of the Diocese and the focus of unity. It is “our church” – the heart of the Catholic community and the church that belongs to everyone in the Diocese. The Cathedral of the Holy Family was dedicated on May 13, 2012.


Sarah Hall Studios. Photography by Grant Kernan

St. Paul’s, the original diocesan Cathedral in downtown Saskatoon, has served us well. Originally built in 1910, it was designated the diocesan cathedral when the Diocese of Saskatoon was established in 1933. Eventually, however, St. Paul’s did not have the seating capacity to serve the growing diocesan Catholic community as the location for diocesan events such as ordinations, the Chrism Mass, etc. Because of its historic significance to the diocesan faith community, the Vatican has given permission for St. Paul’s to be designated a Co-Cathedral. St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral will also continue to serve a vibrant faith community in the downtown area.

Building the new Cathedral of the Holy Family was a historic milestone: it was the first Cathedral built specifically for the Diocese of Saskatoon and the first new Cathedral to be built in Western Canada in over 50 years!

The building includes a large, main worship space, large enough to accommodate such diocesan celebrations as the Chrism Mass and ordinations. The building also includes the Catholic Pastoral Centre ministry and chancery offices on the second floor, and the parish offices on the first floor, as well as a Queen of Peace day chapel, a hall, kitchen facilities and several meeting rooms.

Beauty, technology and faith are combined in a unique solar stained glass installation at the new cathedral. The large “Lux GLoria” stained glass south windows high atop the building spire include some 1,000 solar cells permanently embedded into the art glass designed by artist Sarah Hall. The solar cells collect energy for the building. The design of the colourful windows in three large groupings of the panels – red, gold and blue – reflect the colour and movement of prairie skies.

The Saskatchewan State Council of the Knights of Columbus took on the task of helping to raise funds for this unique project, while also encouraging councils in the diocese to contribute through smaller events.

Sarah Hall also designed the five stained glass (non-solar) windows that circle the worship space of the new Cathedral. The windows depict our salvation history, beginning with “Creation” and then proceeding to “Covenant” “Incarnation” “Resurrection” and “Glory.”

An Annunciation mosaic, incorporating two stained glass windows in the cathedral’s Queen of Peace Chapel was also designed by Sarah Hall, and was dedicated in May 2013.

Find more information about the parish of Holy Family Cathedral at https://holyfamilycathedral.ca