Responding to Church Fires

30 June 2021

Appears in: Archdiocesan News

Archbishop Smith addresses the faithful in a response video to church fires amid efforts for truth and reconciliation. On the morning of June 30, 2021 St. Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville (located within St. Paul Diocese) was destroyed in a fire.

This video may be found and shared directly from YouTubeFacebook, and Instagram. Please share from within those platforms.


Statement from St. Paul Diocese

A statement has been released from Bishop Paul Terrio of St. Paul Diocese on the fire at St. Jean Baptiste Church this morning in Morinville. As their website is overwhelmed by increased traffic, we have posted an image of the statement in a tweet here.

Brief History of St. Jean Baptiste Church

The St. Jean Baptiste parish community was established in 1891 by Fr. Jean-Baptiste Morin, and the church building was erected in 1907.

From 1891 to 1912, it was part of the Diocese of St. Albert. On November 30, 1912, St. Albert was elevated to become the Archdiocese of Edmonton. St. Paul became a diocese July 17, 1948, however, the parishes of Morinville and Legal were not annexed into St. Paul diocese until 1955. Since November 18, 1955, this church has been part of the Diocese of St. Paul.