Established on 22 September 1871 as the Diocese of St Albert (Latin Sancti Alberti), on territory split off from the then Diocese of Saint-Boniface, to which it lost territory again in 1889 (meanwhile Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface)
Promoted on 1912.11.30 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Edmonton / Edmontonen(sis) (Latin), having lost territory to establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary as its first suffragan.
The Archdiocese of Edmonton was later criticized for its handling of sex abuse allegations against Rev. Patrick O'Neill and was sued by one of O'Neil's alleged victims in 2012.[3]
From March 28 to April 1, 2022, a delegation of 32 Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors, and youth – as well as support staff – journeyed together from across the country to meet with Pope Francis, accompanied by a small group of Canadian Bishops. Metis, Inuit and First Nations delegations met with the Pope over three days. The delegation was supported by Archbishop Richard Smith on the Archdiocese of Edmonton's behalf.
Their visit to Rome concluded in a final audience with Pope Francis on April 1 with all three Indigenous groups. At that time, the Pope made an historic apology for the Church's role in the residential school system, and promised to come to Canada to apologize on Canadian soil. During that encounter, Pope Francis said he was very sorry during his Final Audience with all the Indigenous delegates:[4]
"I also feel shame … sorrow and shame for the role that a number of Catholics, particularly those with educational responsibilities, have had in all these things that wounded you, and the abuses you suffered and the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values. For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God's forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart, I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon."[5]
His Holiness said it was his hope to visit Canada “soon” and possibly “in the days” around the Feast of St. Anne, which is on July 26. This date was chosen by Pope Francis because the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage [6] has been a traditional place of gathering for Indigenous peoples, and is also the largest annual Catholic gathering in Western Canada. First called Wakamne or God's Lake by the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation who live on the west end of the Lake, and Manito Sahkahigan or Spirit Lake by the Cree, Lac Ste Anne, about 75km northwest of Edmonton, is the site of the annual pilgrimage, one of the most unique and memorable spiritual gatherings in North America. This choice thus demonstrated Pope Francis' intent to help reconcile indigenous and settler populations, respecting both cultures simultaneously.
Pope Francis then visited sites across the Archdiocese of Edmonton:
Sunday, 24 July 2022: Arrival and welcome at Edmonton International Airport
Monday, 25 July 2022: Meeting with indigenous peoples: First nations, Métis and Inuit at Maskwacis,[7] and meeting with indigenous peoples and members of the Parish Community of Sacred Heart at Edmonton[8]
Tuesday, 26 July 2022: Holy Papal Mass at "Commonwealth Stadium" in Edmonton[9] and participation in the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage and Liturgy of the Word at the Lac Ste. Anne [10]
In August 2023, a former student of St. Mary's Salesian Junior High School, Stephen Bounds, filed a lawsuit claiming he was groomed and sexually assaulted as a 12-year-old by a teacher, Marc Desjardins, in the 1980s. Bounds says he asked for "protection" from the school's acting principal, Father Stephen Whelan, who instead "chastised" Bounds for making the allegation of assault. Whelan himself had previously been accused of sexual abuse when he was vice-principal of a California Salesian high school in the 1970s.[11] A year later, three other men came forward with allegations of sexual abuse at the school.[12]
Émile-Joseph Legal, O.M.I. (1902.06.03 – see promoted 1912.11.30 see below), succeeding as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Saint Albert (1897.03.29 – 1902.06.03) and Titular Bishop of Pogla (1897.03.29 – 1902.06.03)
John Hugh MacDonald, (1938.03.05 – retired 1964.08.11), previously; later Bishop of Victoria (Canada) (1934.08.11 – 1936.12.16) and Titular Archbishop of Mocissus (1936.12.16 – 1938.03.05) as Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton (1936.12.16 – succession 1938.03.05); emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Mediana (1964.08.11 – death 1965.01.17)
Anthony Jordan, O.M.I. (1964.08.11 – retired 1973.07.02), previously Titular Bishop of Vada (1945.06.22 – 1955.04.27) as Apostolic Vicar of Prince Rupert (Canada) (1945.06.22 – 1955.04.27), then Titular Archbishop of Silyum (1955.04.27 – 1964.08.11) as Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton (1955.04.27 – succession 1964.08.11); died 1982
Joseph MacNeil, (1973.07.02 – retired 1999.06.07), also President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1979 – 1981); previously Bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick (Canada) (1969.04.09 – 1973.07.02)
The archdiocese (not including its suffragan dioceses) covers Central Alberta, Edmonton Capital Region and the middle and upper half of the Alberta's Rockies region. The Archdiocese includes the greater Edmonton area but also covers a geographic region stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Saskatchewan boundary in the east, from Olds in the south to Grande Cache in the north.
It acknowledges that the Archdiocese is situated on traditional lands, parts of which are within Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 territories of the Alexander First Nation (Cree), Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (Stoney), Enoch Cree Nation (Cree), Ermineskin Cree Nation (Cree), Louis Bull Tribe (Cree), Montana First Nation (Cree), O’Chiese First Nation (Western Ojibwa), Paul First Nation (Cree/Stoney), Samson Cree Nation (Cree), and Sunchild First Nation (Cree). Mass is celebrated in at least 16 different languages, including Cree, French, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Croatian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Italian, Hungarian, Korean, Latin, Sudanese, and American Sign Language.
As of 2020, it pastorally served 436,792 Catholics (26.4% of 1,899,097 total) on 150,000km² in 122 parishes and missions with 126 priests, 40 permanent deacons, 163 religious sisters, 8 religious brothers, 5 members of lay institutes, 15 lay missionaries and 12 seminarians.[13]
The Western Catholic Reporter was a weekly newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that covered the Catholic religion.
The newspaper was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton. Its declared mission was to serve its readers by helping them deepen their faith through accurate information and reflective commentary on events and issues of concern to the Church.
The Reporter closed in 2016 and was replaced by the news website Grandin Media. Grandin Media lasted until the website was shut down in early 2024. All stories from the Grandin Media website were then transferred on to the Archdiocesan website, .
The Archdiocese of Québec is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest episcopal see in the New World north of Mexico and the primatial see of Canada. The Archdiocese of Quebec is also the metropolitan see of an ecclesiastical province with the suffragan dioceses of Chicoutimi, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Trois-Rivières. The archdiocese's cathedral is Notre-Dame de Québec in Quebec City.
An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese, or is a diocese, archdiocese, eparchy or similar permanent ordinariate that either has no bishop or archbishop or, in very rare cases, has an incapacitated (arch)bishop. The title also applies to an outgoing (arch)bishop while awaiting for the date of assuming his new position.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage–Juneau is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, in southern Alaska in the United States. The archdiocese has a single suffragan diocese, the Diocese of Fairbanks.
The Archdiocese of Liverpool is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the Isle of Man and part of North West England. The episcopal see is Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The archdiocese is the centre of the Ecclesiastical Province of Liverpool which covers the north of England as well as the Isle of Man.
The Diocese of Duluth is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
The Archdiocese of Grouard–McLennan is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Canada and the metropolitan see of an ecclesiastical province for the Roman Catholic Church in northwestern Canada.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Keewatin–Le Pas is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes parts of the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario and has the suffragan diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson. The current archbishop is Murray Chatlain.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montréal is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Canada. A metropolitan see, its arch episcopal see is the Montreal, Quebec. It includes Montreal and surrounding areas within Quebec.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint-Boniface is a Latin archdiocese in part of the civil Province of Manitoba in Canada. Despite having no suffragan dioceses, the archdiocese is nominally metropolitan and is an ecclesiastical province by itself. It is currently led by Archbishop Albert LeGatt.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia.
The Archeparchy of Winnipeg is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or archeparchy of the Catholic Church in Manitoba, a province of Canada. Currently, its archeparch is Lawrence Huculak.
The Diocese of Calgary is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Alberta, Canada. The Diocese of Calgary is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Edmonton.
The Diocese of Saint Paul in Alberta is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that includes part of the civil province of Alberta. On September 15, 2022, Gary Anthony Franken, was appointed Bishop of Saint Paul, succeeding Paul Terrio.
Lac Ste. Anne is a large lake in central Alberta, Canada. It is in Lac Ste. Anne County, along Highway 43, 75 km west of Edmonton.
The Archdiocese of Port Moresby is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea. Its cathedral is in St. Mary's Cathedral, in Port Moresby, National Capital District.
The Roman CatholicDiocese of Kingstown is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the entirety of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The diocese is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Castries and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
Vital-Justin Grandin was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop labelled as a key architect of the Canadian Indian residential school system by contemporary mainstream and Catholic news sources, which has been considered an instrument of cultural genocide. In June 2021, this led to governments and private businesses to begin removing his name from institutions and infrastructure previously named for him. He served the Church in the western parts of what is now Canada both before and after Confederation. He is also the namesake or co-founder of various small communities and neighbourhoods in what is now Alberta, Canada, especially those of francophone residents.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax–Yarmouth is a Latin Church archdiocese that includes part of the civil province of Nova Scotia.
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