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1955 Our first building

Chapel & School

Mass at CTKP

1955 Our first building

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CHRIST THE KING PARISH BEGINNINGS

OUR FIRST BUILDING

Christ the King Parish began as a Mission of Holy Cross Parish in 1955. Fr. Azarie and Msgr. Charles Empson were the first priests of the Archdiocese of Saint Boniface to serve our parish. In 1955 the city of St. Vital came to the Churches aid and offered a fair price for the land at the corner of St. Mary’s Rd and Lennox Ave. There was an abandoned building on it and after renovations, it was used by the church as both a chapel on the second floor and a school with 4 classrooms on the main floor.

As the number of parishioners grew to 2000, the chapel became too small for Sunday Mass and the Mass was said at the St. Vital YMCA.

In 1958 A new Chapel with a school and auditorium was built on the St. Mary’s Rd property and the Sunday Mass was held in the auditorium.

On September 21st, 1958, Christ the King Parish had a double ceremony when Rev. Father P.J. Collison blessed the cornerstone of the new chapel and school, and installed Rev. Father Robert Baxter as Pastor.

Mass in the auditorium proved to be unsatisfactory and the parishioners started planning to build a church beside the existing building.

The new church at 68 feet with an inverted V shape was the highest building in the city of St. Vital and had a seating capacity of 600.

Present at the opening ceremonies were Premier Duff Roblin, St. Vital mayor Harry Collins, St. Vital council, MLA Larry Desjardins and other civic and religious officials. Ministers representing four other faiths were also present at the opening.

On November 15, 1965, the first Mass was celebrated in the new parish church and on December 19, 1965 the new church was blessed by Archbishop Maurice Baudoux.

Around 1996, Christ the King redesigned the layout of it’s worship space. It added Chapel,

a new Baptismal Font and changed over to inclusive seating.