History

Our Lady of Grace Church officially opened on June 9, 1985. Our church community is the union of two Calgary parishes: St Clement’s and St Andrew’s. St. Clement’s was formed in 1964 in the Calgary community of Belfast. With no building, the parish used two portable army huts that served as a temporary church until a new home could be built. A hillside piece of land, with a beautiful view of Calgary’s downtown, was acquired for the new St. Clement’s church. However the neighborhood grew more and more industrial. Active families in the parish began to diminish or attend newer churches in neighboring communities. The army huts remained, and the new St. Clement’s church was never built.

St. Andrew’s Italian Church started in 1965. (Previously, St. Mary’s Cathedral and Our Lady of Perpetual Help served Calgary’s Italian community.) Bishop Francis Carroll authorized the purchase of the abandoned St. Andrew’s Presbyterian church in the community of Inglewood. St. Andrews opened on September 14, 1965 after much hard work and restoration by Calgary’s growing Italian community.The Scalabrini Fathers were invited to take over St. Andrew’s parish in 1981. Over the years, the congregation continued to outgrow St. Andrew’s facilities. The Parish was overflowing, the hall was too small, and finding a place to park was almost impossible. In the early 1980′s, the city halted plans to expand the church after encountering strong community opposition.

Saint Andrew’s and Saint Clement’s had reached critical needs. Both needed new facilities to continue to attract a strong community of parishioners. As a surprise to everyone, the Holy Spirit brought the two communities together. After a suggestion by a parishioner, Bishop Paul O’Byrne brought the two communities together in 1984. The dreams of the two communities became a reality when Our Lady of Grace Italian and English Church officially opened in June of 1985.

You can read more about our history in the September 2010 issue of The Carillon.  Download your copy here!

Click the thumbnails of our parish priests below to view their full image.