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The first settlers from Quebec arrived in the area around Big Lake in 1891 under the colonizer Rev. Jean-Baptiste Morin. Others arrived in subsequent years. This settlement of largely French-speaking Catholics was considered part of St. Albert Parish, but the distance to the mission over the trails was great.

On June 18, 1897, Bishop Vital Grandin, OMI granted their request for a parish of their own. The southeast corner of Section 17, Township 54, range 26 was chosen by Bishop Legal, OMI and Fr. L. Dauphin, OMI for the 40 acre site and Bishop Legal named the parish St. Pierre’s. Bishop Legal blessed the log-church on Oct. 29, 1911.

A log church was constructed with logs given by Chief Michel Calahoo from the reserve, on the condition that his people be allowed to worship at the new church. Fr. Dauphin saw also to the building of a rectory with logs from the Reserve. The log church burned down on Nov. 13, 1932.

A second church was built in 1933 on the same site. Archbishop O’Leary blessed it on December 19, 1933.

Villeneuve was served at the beginning from St. Albert by Fathers L. Dauphin and Gustave Simonin, OMI, 1897-1898.

Villeneuve was served from the Seminary by Rev. M. O’Callaghan who saw to the administration while Fr. R. Bernard, OMI saw to the spiritual part of the set-up.

In 1973, the Spiritan Fathers took charge of Villeneuve where they resided, serving also St. Emerence church in Riviere Qui Barre and Mearns as well as Busby. These parishes were returned to the diocesan clergy in 1987.

On August 9, 1995 Rev. A. MacKenzie blessed the new parish hall.

On June 22, 1997, the 100th anniversary Mass was presided by Archbishop Joseph MacNeil.

Archbishop John Hugh MacDonald established St. Pius X as a parish on the 18th of April, 1954 and Rev. Francis Gillis was appointed its first pastor. The original boundaries of the parish were specified in a letter from the Archbishop in which he explains that “you will have the Airport on the east, 118th Ave on the south, the railway tracks to the north, and for the present, whatever they may be to the west.” Given the rapid growth of Edmonton in the 1950s it appears that the Archbishop understood that at some point in the near future a second parish would be erected to the west.

A special ceremony was held on Saturday May 39, 1954, a special sod turning ceremony was held at 123rd Avenue and 131st Street, the site designated for St. Pius X Parish. The ceremony was held to coincide with ceremonies held in Rome to celebrate the canonization of Pope Pius X. Construction started shortly thereafter in July 1954. Although construction was incomplete, the first mass at St. Pius X Parish was celebrated by Father Francis Gillis, the first pastor, on Christmas night 1954. During construction, mass was celebrated at the Sherbrooke School (later renamed St. Pius X School). Finally in 1956 Archbishop Anthony Jordan presided at the official blessing on January 1956.

Rev. Gillis retired in 1970 and died on September 27, 1973. After his retirement he was replaced by Father Albert Laisnez. Father Albert organized the Parish Pastoral Council with recommendations taken from Vatican II. In December 1973, women in the parish began to serve as auxiliary ministers of the Eucharist. In June 1974, Sister Cecilia Hudec was chosen as Pastoral Assistant to assist Father Albert with the work of the parish. In 1977 he was transferred to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sherwood Park and Father Malcolm Campbell followed him as pastor.

On December 3, 1978, at the suggestion of Archbishop MacNeil, the parish welcomed 200 Spanish-speaking families living in various parts of the city. Father Campbell was tutored in Spanish by a Chilean parishioner and Sister Rita Schiller provided assistance. The Spanish-speaking community was active at St. Pius X until 1986. They would eventually go on to form Santa Maria Goretti Parish in Edmonton.

In 1996 the Lebanese (Maronite) Christian Community of Edmonton requested to use St. Pius X to celebrate the Eucharist with their priest and to participate in other pastoral functions. Unfortunately the arrangement was short-lived and the agreement was terminated in May 1998 as the community no longer had a priest.

On July 1, 2012 St. Pius X hosted its last Mass, marking the closure of the 58-year-old parish. Based on the findings of the Transformation of Parishes (ToPs) review process started in 1996 it was recommended that St. Pius X be twinned with St. Angela Merici Parish. Unfortunately due to declining membership and shortage of priests, St. Angela Merici will close its doors in June of 2013.

In 1933 an acreage at Westerose, about two miles west of Ma-Me-O Beach was donated by Jack McRae and the first Catholic Church in the area was built. Prior to that parishioners attended mass in the school at Falun or in their homes. Unfortunately in 1934 the church was destroyed in a storm. It was then rebuilt and blessed by Archbishop MacNeil on July 19, 1942. In 1952 the church was moved from Westerose to Mameo Beach where it remained for the next forty years. In 1993 the church was rebuilt and blessed by Archbishop MacNeil on Aug 22, 1993.
Mameo Beach was a mission of Wetaskwin (1932-1940 and 1968-1994), Winfield (1940-1968), and Hobbema (1994-1997). Between 1997 and 1998 Ma-Me-O Beach had a resident priest, Father Enzio Agnoli, however due to declining parish population Ma-Me-O Beach was closed in 1998.

In 1842, at the request of some Métis people, Bishop Provencher of St. Boniface sent Fr. Jean Baptiste Thibault, a secular priest, to visit the western plains. He left on April 20, 1842, and offered his first Mass at Fort Edmonton on June 19, 1842. Lac Ste. Anne, then known as Manito Sakahigan, was not visited by him that year as he had to go back to St. Boniface to give his report. Records show that he blessed marriages and baptized in Oct. 1843 at Manito Sakahigan.

Father Joseph Bourassa joined Fr. Thibault in 1844 to mission in the prairies; they were to work alongside one another for eight years. On Sep. 8, 1844, Father Thibault blessed the lake and renamed it Lac Ste. Anne. Together, they built the first house-chapel at Lac Ste. Anne in 1844.
The first regular church was completed in 1852 and blessed by Fr. Bourassa on July 25, 1852. It measured 40’ x 25’ and stood where the second church at the Lac Ste. Anne Mission was erected in 1888 by Fr. Zéphirin Lizée, OMI and blessed by Bishop Vital Grandin, OMI on Feb. 10, 1889. It was destroyed by fire on Dec. 2, 1928.
Fr. Albert Lacombe, a secular priest, arrived at Fort Edmonton on Sep. 17, 1852. He spent the winter of 1852-53 among the Cree and Métis people at Lac La Biche and later at Fort Edmonton. He then settled at Lac Ste. Anne following the departure of Fr. Bourassa. Fr. René Rémas, OMI came to Lac Ste. Anne in mid-Sep. 1854 to be the Master of Novice of Fr. A. Lacombe. On Sep. 28, 1856, the latter pronounced his vows and thus became an Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate.
On Sep. 24, 1859, three Grey Nuns of Montreal arrived via St. Boniface at Lac Ste. Anne Mission to teach, take care of the sick in the homes and see to the cooking and housekeeping of missionaries. With the founding of St. Albert in 1861 as a mission, Lac Ste. Anne lost most of its people.
In 1930, a building 22’ x 40’, previously used as a dance hall, was purchased, transported and reconditioned by Fr. P. Lebre. It is the actual church.
The first pilgrimage to Ste. Anne was organized by Fr. Joseph Lestanc, OMI superior of St. Albert Mission, in 1889. There were 45 participants at the first pilgrimage.
    The pilgrimage sanctuary was begun in 1925; enlarged in 1926. On Nov.11, 1930, a hurricane demolished the whole building.
   In 1931 the erection of a big church began, to be used during pilgrimages. Rev. Father Ubald Langlois, OMI Provincial, blessed the “Pro-Basillica of Ste. Anne” on July 29, 1936. This pilgrimage sanctuary was demolished in 1980.
Father Hudon saw to the building of a new one which was blessed by Archbishop J.N. MacNeil on Aug. 17, 1980, on the Golden Anniversary of Lac Ste. Anne Church.
   Lac-Ste. Anne Parish serves 3 districts: Lac Ste. Anne (Darwell), Alexis Reserve and Alberta Beach.

Donald Joseph Arthur Stein was born in Edmonton, Alberta on June 4, 1934. He attended the Grand Seminary at St. Boniface in Manitoba between 1956 and 1960 and ordained to the priesthood at St. Joseph’s Cathedra on June 4, 1960. During his career as a priest he held many positions in the Archdiocese of Edmonton including Assistant at St. Edmund’s Parish (1960-1963), Assistant at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Camrose (1963-1964), Assistant at St. Patrick’s Parish in Edmonton (1964-1968), Pastor at Redwater and Gibbons (1968-1970), Pastor at Assumption Parish (1970-1975), Pastor at Lloydminster (1975-1980), Pastor at St. Theresa’s Parish in Millwoods (1980-1985), Pastor at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Camrose (1986-1992), Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sherwood Park (1992-2000), Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Red Deer (200-2008). In 2008 Rev. Stein retired.