"St. Helen's Parish fonds" found 4 records

St. Helen's Parish fonds

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription77922

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1992-2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Physical Description: 1.5 cm. of textual records + 1 medallion

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of posters, cards, anniversary programs, a pictorial photo directory, a calendar, a book and a medallion related to St. Helen's Parish. Items in this fonds depict its Centennial Celebrations.

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1992-2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Physical Description: 1.5 cm. of textual records + 1 medallion

Description Level: Fonds

Accession Number: 2013-10; 2013-11

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of posters, cards, anniversary programs, a pictorial photo directory, a calendar, a book and a medallion related to St. Helen's Parish. Items in this fonds depict its Centennial Celebrations.

History: In the first years of the 20th century, the hill overlooking the city of Vancouver was barely developed. This area, known as Vancouver Heights, commands a magnificent view of the city, the north shore mountains, and the sea. During the first decade, there was just a handful of people willing to brave the inconvenience of living in a remote area to dwell in such splendour. Among them were 10 Catholic families. They dreamt about establishing a Catholic community, a church, and perhaps even a school of their own. They knew it would take hard work and sacrifice to realize their dream. In 1912, the Second Narrows Bridge and several industrial plants were built in this area. Archbishop Neil McNeil, recognizing the potential for greater development, requested aid from Toronto's Catholic Extension Society, to help purchase property at the corner of Pandora and Ingleton to build a small church and home for the priest. The $6000 construction expense was donated by Mr. Justice Kelly, who requested that the church be named Saint Helen in memory of his daughter, Helen. On August 11, 1912, Saint Helen's church was blessed. 12 years later, in 1923, a second dream was realized with the construction of Saint Helen's School. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul would staff the school for over 50 years, dedicating their lives to the education of thousands of children. 1936 began an era of unprecedented growth under the leadership of Msgr. Daniel Carey. In 1948, despite post-war hardships, he was able to inspire his community to build a new school. He then turned his attention to the over-crowded church and, in 1956, to the delight of the parishioners, the new Saint Helen's Church was blessed. By 1973, the demographics of Saint Helen's Parish had experienced a dramatic change. From the Anglo-Irish parishioners of the early years, Saint Helen's was experiencing a huge increase in parishioners of Italian descent. Archbishop James Carney, realizing the need to better serve these immigrants, asked the Scalabrinian Congregation to take the parish under its care. The second era of physical growth and development in the parish would come under the direction of these missionary priests. The 1970s, with Father Joseph Ponti as pastor, would see the construction of a new rectory, a state-of-the-art hall/gymnasium, and a fully renovated school. Father Joe's dream was the construction of a church, with this in mind, he began to purchase the necessary land. Succeeding pastors Father Angelo Calandra and Father Peter Sordi continued to work towards this dream, accumulating land and initiating the process. Father Claudio Holzer, upon assuming the responsibilities of pastor, took a firm hold of the dreams of his predecessors and shaped them into the reality of the new Saint Helen's Church. From the beginning, St. Helen's Parish has been an active community participant in this area of Burnaby and continues to enjoy this participation not only here but in Metro Vancouver as well. On August 11, 2012, St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish celebrated its 100th anniversary. -Information contributed by M. Tesan has been combined with information from the official website of the church.

Media Type: Textual Record

Creator: St. Helen's Catholic Church

Notes: Title based on contents of fonds; MSS174

St. Helen's Parish / Celebrating 100 years / 1912-2012

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription77956

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 0.5 cm. of textual records.

Scope and Content: Item is a book describing the history of St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish from its beginnings in 1912. This book was created to commemorate the parish's centennial year.

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Physical Description: 0.5 cm. of textual records.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: MSS174-002

Accession Number: 2013-10

Scope and Content: Item is a book describing the history of St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish from its beginnings in 1912. This book was created to commemorate the parish's centennial year.

Media Type: Textual Record

Notes: Transcribed title

St. Helen's Parish Centennial Celebrations

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription77947

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 0.5 cm. of textual records.

Scope and Content: File consists of posters, post cards, a medallion and a 2012 calendar created as part of the Centennial Celebrations for St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish.

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 2012

Collection/Fonds: St. Helen's Parish fonds

Physical Description: 0.5 cm. of textual records.

Description Level: File

Record No.: MSS174-001

Accession Number: 2013-10

Scope and Content: File consists of posters, post cards, a medallion and a 2012 calendar created as part of the Centennial Celebrations for St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish.