By TERRY PUGH
The second-oldest Roman Catholic parish in Saskatchewan is celebrating its 150th birthday this year.
Blessed Sacrament Parish, which includes Duck Lake and the surrounding district, was founded in 1876, nearly three decades before Saskatchewan became a province.
Duck Lake’s first Catholic church, built about 1879 near the site of the former St. Michael’s residential school, was destroyed by fire a few years later. A second church, located on land donated by a homesteader named Douglas Stobart, burned down in 1912.
The present Church of the Blessed Sacrament is the third and longest-lasting structure. Built in 1916 on the site of the second church, it’s been an important focal point for the community for the past 110 years, according to Denis Poirier, a long-time resident of Duck Lake and Chair of the parish’s 150th anniversary committee.
“This is where people with a connection to the area come to get married and to celebrate the major holidays like Christmas and Easter,” said Poirier. “This is where people bring their children to be baptized, to have their first communion and confirmation. This is where all the funerals for long-time residents take place.
“But it’s much more than just a religious gathering place. It’s also always been the centre for social gatherings. The church hall was where community meetings and fall suppers were held; and during summer sports days it was a busy place.”
It promises to be a busy place again on Saturday, June 6, 2026, when a special celebration is planned to mark the 150th anniversary of the Blessed Sacrament Parish.
A celebratory Mass is slated for 4:30 p.m. on June 6 at the church, followed by a walk to the town square in Duck Lake, and then back to the Belladrome Hall where a banquet is planned for 6:30 p.m.
While the details of the evening’s program are still not finalized, Poirier said a key attraction will be a display of photographs reflecting the history of the parish.
“We’ll also invite people who have connections to the Duck Lake area to come and share their memories of the church and the community,” said Poirier. (Additional information is available on the Blessed Sacrament Parish social media page or by phoning Denis Poirier at 1-306-467-2047 or Celine Perillat at 1-306-467-2057.)
The Blessed Sacrament Parish is part of the Diocese of Prince Albert. In addition to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Duck Lake, the parish also includes the log-structure Church of our Lady of Lourdes and Shrine at St. Laurent, the Church of St. Michael on the Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation, and the Church of St. Odilon in Rosthern.
AREA HAS DEEP ROOTS
For many centuries prior to settlement, the Duck Lake district was home to First Nations people. The shallow lake southwest of the present-day townsite was a significant stopping place for migratory waterfowl in the spring and fall.
In the late 1860s and early 1870s, Metis people from the Red River settlement (present-day Winnipeg) in Manitoba moved west and put down roots in the area, at first in a temporary settlement on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River called Petite Ville, and later at the permanent villages of Batoche, St. Laurent and Duck Lake.
The Shrine at St. Laurent was inspired by the shrine at Lourdes, France, and was erected in 1879 through the efforts of Fr. Fourmond and Brother Piquet. It is the site of annual pilgrimages July 15-16, August 15 and September 8.
“The pilgrimages are still popular,” said Poirier. “Usually there are about 500 people that attend. But back in the 1970s, there would generally be a couple thousand people.”
Fort Carlton, a short distance away on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, was the site of a Hudson Bay Company fur trade post from 1795 to 1885, before later serving as a post for the North West Mounted Police.
After the Qu’Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway was completed in 1890, many French-speaking Catholic pioneers from France and Quebec arrived in Duck Lake, where they registered their homesteads. Duck Lake was incorporated as a village in 1894 and as a town in 1911.
“This was the centre for immigration,” said Poirier. “ At that time there was already a school and a church. It was a thriving community with many businesses.”
BUILT BY VOLUNTEERS
Poirier said the church was built in 1916 largely by volunteer labour, and the fact that it’s still in excellent condition after 110 years is due to the efforts of parish volunteers through the decades.
One of the distinctive features of the Blessed Sacrament church in Duck Lake is the unique rooster wind vane that sits atop the cross at the peak of the steeple.
“People often ask about its significance,” said Poirier, a retired teacher who worked at Stobart School for 23 years (His wife Rachelle was also a teacher at the same school – she worked there for 33 years). “I questioned it myself when I first moved here in 1970. I was told by the gentleman who installed it that it’s not just a weather vane. It’s symbolic of the Bible verse that stated how Peter would deny knowing Christ before the cock crowed three times.”
In the early years of settlement, the Catholic church played a central role in people’s lives, similar to how things were in Quebec and France, said Poirier.
“The priest had a lot of influence not just in religious matters, but also in the affairs of the town and district,” he said. “Over time, that influence gradually lessened.”
Up until the 1960s, the language used in Mass services was Latin, noted Poirier. The priest also faced forward, with his back to the congregation.
In the 1960s, after the reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council, church services were changed so the priest now faced the congregation, and Mass shifted from Latin to vernacular languages.
“Even in the 1970s, there was a very large congregation,” said Poirier, noting the church held two Mass services on Sunday. “The first Mass in English regularly drew about 100 people, and then after that there was a Mass in French where the church was absolutely packed.”