THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - St. Joseph Cathedral in Fort Smith will celebrate its golden jubilee next month.

St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cathedral today is a landmark towering over downtown Fort Smith. - photo courtesy of St. Joseph Cathedral Parish Council

For the last half century – actually a little bit more – the landmark Roman Catholic church has towered over the downtown of the community.

"It is a major milestone," said Don MacDonald, chair of the St. Joseph Cathedral Parish Council, of the golden jubilee celebrations, which have been set for May 6 to 8.

MacDonald said the cathedral was built in 1958-59 and consecrated on June 12, 1960.

Of course, that means last year was the church's 50th anniversary.

However, MacDonald said the parish council and others in the church were just too busy with other commitments to celebrate.

"Last year, we were just so involved that we just did not pull it off," he said. "That's the honest answer."

Josie Weninger, a parishioner involved in organizing the half-centennial celebrations, explained last year's commitments involved upgrading the physical structure of the cathedral.

"Over the last couple of years I think it's fair to say that the parish has struggled with how do we pay for heating a huge building like this," she said, adding the church needed retrofitting. "So people in the parish were very, very involved in helping to bring the structure more to modern-day standards and do things like put in electric heating so the heating costs would come down."

Now the work has been done, the parish has turned its sights on proper celebrations.

On May 6, Bishop Murray Chatlain of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith will arrive in town to launch the celebrations, which that day will include a mass and a drum dance.

On May 7, the celebrations continue with an aboriginal mass, followed by a dinner and auction. The dinner will be hosted by a group of parish young people who are fundraising for a trip to Madrid, Spain from Aug. 16 to 21 for World Youth Day.

The celebrations conclude May 8 with a solemn mass and confirmation officiated by Chatlain, followed by a Knights of Columbus brunch.

Weninger said the celebrations are a culmination of work done by the parish council and parishioners in the last nine months, particularly since the arrival of parish priest Father Paul Payyapilly.

"I think it's an excellent lead-up to what's happening around the golden jubilee, because it shows a growing return to the Catholic Church and involvement from more people in the Catholic Church," she said.

Fran Funk, vice-chair of the parish council and a driving force in organizing the anniversary celebrations, said everyone in the community is welcomed to participate.

Funk said there will also be a number of special guests.

"We have invited past priests who have lived here and served here in our community," she said, adding former parishioners have also been invited.

One invited guest of special note is Father Camille Piche, the nephew of the late Bishop Paul Piche.

Father Camille Piche is now located at the Vatican, where he leads Development and Peace. That is an outreach program to the Third World by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Roman Catholic religious order.

At one time, Camille Piche was stationed in Fort Smith.

The parish council is also preparing a pamphlet to detail the rich history of the cathedral.

One notable fact about the cathedral is that four bishops are interred in a crypt in the church's basement. Those resting in the place of honour include Bishop Joseph Trocellier, the bishop at the time the cathedral was built.

According to Funk, Trocellier dreamed of a large cathedral in Fort Smith for the glory of God and to serve the growing Mackenzie region.

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