OMI Lacombe Canada – Grandin Province Archives
The Missionary Oblates are a Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of men that was founded in France by Eugène de Mazenod in 1815. In 1842, they arrived in Canada at the invitation of the Bishop of Montreal. From there, they headed west, first to St. Boniface in 1845 and by 1847, they had established their first mission in what is now Alberta at Ft. Chipewyan. Oblate Missionaries continued to arrive in Alberta and to establish missions, parishes and towns. By 1855, Oblates Missionaries had established themselves at Lac Ste. Anne and Lac la Biche. By 1861, they had built a chapel in Ft. Edmonton (St. Joachim) and established the mission community of St. Albert. By the last quarter of the 19th Century, they had established missions throughout the province.
The civil corporation now known as Missionaires Oblats – Province Grandin; Missionary Oblates – Grandin Province was initially established in 1883 by a federal statute – An Act to Incorporate Les Révérends Pères Oblats de Marie Immaculée des Térritoires du Nord-Ouest, S.C. 1883, Chap. 96. The corporation operated under three administrative branches, which were autonomous and which occupied a specified territory. In 1984, the Corporation was continued under the Canada Corporations Act. In 1986, the remaining three branches (sous-fonds): Alberta-Saskatchewan, Mackenzie, Grouard were merged and the name of the corporation was changed to “Missionnaires Oblats – Province Grandin; Missionary Oblates – Grandin Province”.
The fonds includes records from both the Civil Corporation and the Canonical Entity. It consists of Administrative records, Financial Records, Personnel Records, Institutional records, records relating to Indian Affairs, Published Materials, Personal Papers, Parish and Mission records, over 50,000 photographs, Audio and Film / Video Recordings, Cartographic materials and Architectural Drawings and Plans.
The Oblate Province of Alberta-Saskatchewan entered into an agreement with the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) in 1973. While the Oblates retained ownership and control over the material, it was processed, catalogued and made accessible through the PAA. In addition, the PAA was able to generate revenues from the reproduction of the material.
While the Oblate Archives is NOT a Francophone archive, it does include a few series / sub-series that have may contain material relating to the Francophone Community, including:
- Juniorat / Collège Saint-Jean – 1909-1976
- La Survivance – 1930-1970
- Imprimerie Canadienne Ltée – 1928-1964
- Educational Institutions
In addition, there may be documents, including manuscripts and published materials, created by individual Oblates that relate to the Francophone Community found in the following Series:
- Personal Papers
- Publications – Monographs – Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- Parishes and Missions
- Photographs – including images from the Collège Saint-Jean
While most of the material is open to view, there may be restrictions on reproduction.
Questions should be directed to the Oblate Archivist at:
- Tel: 780-427-0490 or 780-459-5072