After nearly two decades of welcoming workers, visitors and worshippers in the heart of downtown Edmonton, St. Benedict Chapel held its final Mass, at City Centre mall.
After the final Mass Aug. 12, the Blessed Sacrament was removed from the chapel and the sanctuary light was extinguished, marking the end of the chapel’s presence in the downtown shopping centre. Read more about the closure. The closure comes as the future of Edmonton City Centre remains uncertain. Local developer Westrich Pacific Corp. is preparing to acquire the struggling shopping centre and pursue a long-term redevelopment that could bring about 1,500 residential units, new retail space and major recreational amenities.
The chapel opened in November 2006 and has provided a place for daily Mass, reconciliation, pastoral care, spiritual counselling and quiet prayer. Its lease expires Aug. 31, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton decided not to renew it amid the receivership of City Centre mall, uncertainty about the property’s future and changing conditions in the downtown shopping centre.
Archbishop Stephen Hero presided over the Mass of Thanksgiving, where he reflected on the meaning of the cross and the role of the chapel in the lives of those who gathered there. Read Archbishop’s homily. It was standing room only at Mass as the chapel pews filled quickly.
In his homily, Hero recalled how Christians are repeatedly marked with the sign of the cross throughout their lives — at baptism, confirmation, Ash Wednesday and in the anointing of the sick. He said the cross is more than a symbol: it marks believers as God’s children and calls them to lives of faith, reconciliation and service.
He connected that message to St. Benedict Chapel, describing it as a place where people were “built up” in their mission of evangelizing, praying and reconciling amid the demands of daily work.
Hero expressed gratitude to the vision of his predecessor, Cardinal Thomas Collins, who supported establishing a chapel in the middle of what was once a bustling downtown workplace and business district. He also thanked Father Tesfu Kelati, the priests who served the chapel, volunteers, benefactors and worshippers.
For Alana Davis, the chapel’s closure marked the end of an important part of her daily routine.
“I’ve been coming to this chapel for quite some time now, at least two years, and it’s part of my daily routine,” Davis said after the Mass.
Davis worked downtown and described the chapel as “an oasis in the middle of the workday,” whether she came before work or during lunch.
She also spoke about the importance of the community and Father Tesfu, whom she described as a spiritual mentor and director who had been a help throughout her life.
While Davis said she was sad about the closure, she also embraced the message of hope emphasized during the Mass.
“I understand the situation,” she said. “It is sad that it has to shut down, but it’s also, like in the homily, what’s next? We’ll just move somewhere else.”
The Archdiocese has encouraged downtown Catholics to attend Mass at nearby parishes, including St. Joseph’s Basilica. Davis said she will likely attend the 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph’s after work, though she noted that finding a morning Mass compatible with her work schedule will be difficult.
The chapel may be closing, but the Archdiocese says its mission continues. Father Tesfu will remain involved in ministry in a different capacity, while the faithful who made St. Benedict a part of their daily lives will carry its community beyond its walls.
As Hero reminded worshippers, the Church’s mission does not depend on a single building. For those gathered Wednesday, the final Mass was therefore both an ending and a thanksgiving — and, as Davis put it, a moment to consider “what’s next.”
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