The Rosenheim District, not far from the eastern limit of the Edmonton Archdiocese, was settled mostly by German and American immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s. The first resident priest to serve them was a German Oblate of Mary Immaculate, Father Augustine Forner, who arrived in Nov. 1909 and built a house-chapel in North Rosenheim. The first mass was for a wedding on Jan. 10, 1919 celebrated in the priest’s residence.
In 1922 construction began on a new church which was blessed and dedicated to St. Norbert on July 26, 1923 by Archbishop O’Leary. On June 3, 1930 Archbishop O’Leary authorized Father Hanley to erect the Stations of the Cross. Between 1954 and 1969 Rosenheim was a mission served from Bobo. In 1969 the parish was closed and the records were transferred to Provost. In 1978 the building was declared a historical site.
In 1949-1950, a new St. Patrick Church was built at the corner of 96th Street and 118th Avenue. The parish was originally financed and built with the help of Sacred Heart Parish, the parent-parish since 1933. Monsignor Canice Foran who was then the curate of Sacred Heart used to conduct the 9:00 o’clock Mass in a two-room schoolhouse called Fairview. As time went on, it became apparent that a church in that area was surely a necessity.
The sod-turning ceremony took place on July 27, 1949. Eleven months later, on June 11th, 1950, the church was officially opened and blessed by Archbishop John Hugh MacDonald. Monsignor O’Gorman then celebrated a solemn high Mass in the new St. Patrick church.
On the east wall, high above the main altar, a huge cross was cut and filled with amber cathedral glass. At a later date, this glass was replaced by a stained glass window depicting the Crucifixion. The nave windows as well as the large window above the main altar, were specially manufactured in the studios of E. Rault, Rennes, France.
A fire swept through the church on Wednesday afternoon of May 4th, 1977 and the church sustained extensive interior damage. After eight months of reconstruction the church opened its doors on December 1977 once again.
The pastors were: Rev. Edmund Donahue, 1949-1970; Rev. Francis Stempfle, 1970-1977, 1985-2018 and; Rev. Edward Purcell, 1977-1985.
In 1998, following the Transformation of Parishes Plan commissioned by Archbishop Joseph MacNeil, it was recommended that St. Patrick Parish be closed. However, parishioners requested that the parish stay open until it had celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2000. Archbishop Thomas Collins agreed for as long as Fr. Frank Stempfle could remain pastor and this decision was carried on by Archbishop Richard Smith.
In 2018, following consultations with the priests and pastoral councils and the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council a decision was made to close St. Patrick and merge it with St. Alphonsus Parish. The last Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m. on September 30th and Fr. Frank Stempfle retired from active ministry.
All sacramental registers have been transferred to St. Alphonsus Parish.
As early as 1911 Veteran was a mission served by the Priests of Our Lady of Tinchebray who resided in Castor. In the 1912 report by Rev. J. Leconte 38 Catholics are accounted for in the area. In 1921 Archbishop O’Leary visited Veteran with Father Leconte and promised the people a church of their own. Later that year the Catholic Church Extension Society in Toronto forwarded $500.00 to Archbishop O’Leary to build a memorial chapel. Two lots of land were purchase from the CPR in late 1921 and in the spring of 1922 construction began. Unfortunately funds were insufficient and the parishioners celebrated mass in the basement while they waited to raise money to complete the chapel. By 1928 the church was dedicated to St. Patrick (unfortunately the exact date of the blessing is unknown), as the construction had finally been completed.
Veteran was served from Castor (1911-1921, 1965-1967), Consort (1921-1962, 1967-1968), Coronation (1962-1965, 1968-1995), Stettler (1995-1999). Masses were ended in 1999 and the parish was closed and merged with Settler. In 2003 the church building was sold to the United Church of Canada.