Blessed Sacrament Parish (Wainwright, Alta.)

The first priests to serve Wainwright and surrounding areas came from France at the request of Bishop Emile Legal, OMI. These priests belonged to the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They arrived in Wainwright on July 27, 1910. There were only 15 Catholic families in the district at the time and mass was said in the Beaudry General Store. A house-chapel was built in November 1910 and regular services have been held in the area ever since.

On April 5, 1915 Archbishop Emile Legal, OMI declared Wainwright canonically erected as a parish, with St. Luke as titular patron saint. The parish included the missions of Irma, Kinsella, heath and Edgerton.

On June 16, 1932 Fr. Doyle left for the States to collect enough money to build a church so that the old church could be used as a school auditorium. Sod-turning for the church took place in Sunday, Aug.7 1932.

Archbishop H.J. O’Leary blessed the new church on Sunday, Sep. 25, 1932 dedicating it to the Blessed Sacrament.

Wainwright church dedicated to St. Luke was sold to Wainwright Medical Centre on Oct. 29, 1968.
Fr. Francis Stempfle was instrumental in the planning and building of the present church. The first sod was turned in April of 1968. Work commenced on April 22nd. On Sunday December 22, 1968, Archbishop Anthony Jordan, OMI blessed the new Blessed Sacrament Church.

Between 1910 and 1932 the parish in Wainwright was known as St. Luke. With the completion of the church in 1932 the name was changed to Blessed Sacrament.

Wainwright has served many missions:

1911-1912: Heath, Edgerton, Gilt Edge, Paradise Valley
1912-1915: Heath, Edgerton, Gilt Edge, Paradise Valley, Irma
1915-1922: Heath, Edgerton, Gilt Edge, Paradise Valley, Irma, Buffalo View
1922-1924: Heath, Gilt Edge, Passchendaele School
1927-1928: Heath
1928-1930: Heath, Irma
1930-1931: Heath, Irma, Fabyan, Edgerton, Gilt Edge, Jarrow
1931-1935: Gilt Edge, Fabyan, Irma, Heath, Edgerton
1935-1938: Heath, Gilt Edge, Paradise Valley, Edgerton
1938-1939: Heath, Edgerton, Gilt Edge
1939-1943: Heath, Gilt Edge
1943-1949: Heath, Irma, Fabyan, Gilt Edge
1949-1953: Irma, Gilt Edge
1953-1957: Irma, Fabyan, Gilt Edge
1964-1984: Irma
1985-1996: Chauvin, Czar
1996-1999: Chauvin
1999-2005: Chauvin, Irma
2005-2006: Chauvin

Parish Priests that have served Wainwright:

1910-1911: Rev. Edmond Gaborit, SCJ, Pastor
1911-1918: Rev. Gaston Carpentier, SCJ, Pastor
1918-1926: Rev. Georges Lemaire, SCJ, Pastor
1926-1931: Rev. Mark Murphy, SCJ, Pastor
1931-1937: Rev. Hugo Doyle, Pastor
1938-1939: Rev. Joseph M. Malone, Pastor
1939-1952: Rev. Joseph Ehmann, Pastor
1953-1956: Rev. Armand Clement, SFM,Pastor
1956-1964: Rev. Joseph Schnerk, OMI, Pastor
1964-1970: Rev. Francis Stempfle, Pastor
1970-1973: Rev. Donald Boudreau, Pastor
1973-1977: Rev. Charles Nearing, Pastor
1977-1983: Rev. Archibald MacKenzie, Pastor
1983-1990: Rev. Gerard MacInnis, Pastor
1990-1995: Rev. Michael Laporte, Pastor
1995-1998: Capt. Robert Ramsay (Military Camp at Wainwright), Pastor
1998-2001: Rev. Vic Perron,Pastor
2001-2006: Rev. Jozef Wroblewski, Pastor
2006-2009: Rev. Raymond Guimond, Pastor
2009-2011: Rev. Len Gartner, Pastor
2011-2013: Rev. Savariappan Rajappa, Pastor
2013- present: Rev. Andrzej Lukaszewicz MSF, Pastor