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Christian Heritage in Alberta

For many of Alberta’s Christian communities, Easter marks a time of meditation and reflection on the very core of Christian spiritual and religious belief. For Albertans of all creeds and beliefs, this hallmark on the Christian calendar can be a time to explore the history of Christianity in the Northwest, and to reflect on the enormous impact, both positive and negative, that Christian religion and values have had on the shaping of the Province of Alberta.

The Heritage Community foundation invites you to take time to explore Alberta’s Christian heritage through the following websites:

For the Life of the World: The Missionary Oblates
This site explores the 19th century French missionary order that still serves in First Nations' communities in Western and Northern Canada. Through three small virtual exhibits find out about the vocation of these early missionaries.

Methodist Missionaries In Alberta
The movement of Methodism in Canada is an aspect of the settlement of the Canadian West. The missionaries came to spread the faith but also became tools for government policy in relation to Aboriginal People. This legacy, good and bad, is explored.

St. Vincent and St. Paul
The Era of the Fur Trade first brought Francophone fur traders to northern Alberta and created Métis communities. In the wake of the traders came missionary orders, such as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who ministered to the traders and their families as well as preaching the Christian message to other Aboriginal Peoples. After the missionaries came the settlers who built homesteads and farms and who expanded the existing town communities. Join us as we examine the history and dynamics of two of Alberta's important French communities.

A number of other explorations of Christian religious belief in Alberta, from missionary orders to rural church communities, can be found in the following websites indexed on the Alberta Online Encyclopedia:

On each website, find the search bar for the site and try some of the following keywords: Christian, Christianity, church, missionaries, missions, religion, religious. This same search can be done on the Alberta Online Encyclopedia search page to locate materials on all the encyclopedia websites.

	For the Life of the World: The Missionary Oblates This site explores the 19th century French missionary order that still serves in First Nations' communities in Western and Northern Canada. Through three small virtual exhibits find out about the vocation of these early missionaries.
	Methodist Missionaries In Alberta The movement of Methodism in Canada is an aspect of the settlement of the Canadian West. The missionaries came to spread the faith but also became tools for government policy in relation to Aboriginal People. This legacy, good and bad, is explored.
	St. Vincent and St. Paul The Era of the Fur Trade first brought Francophone fur traders to northern Alberta and created Métis communities. In the wake of the traders came missionary orders, such as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who ministered to the traders and their families as well as preaching the Christian message to other Aboriginal Peoples. After the missionaries came the settlers who built homesteads and farms and who expanded the existing town communities. Join us as we examine the history and dynamics of two of Alberta's important French communities.