In the early days of the 1900’s, the Parish of All Saints, now the Cathedral parish, included all of West Edmonton north of the North Saskatchewan River. While there was not much settlement west of 109th Street, many new homes were in the building or planning stages, and by the winter of 1908-09, members of the Anglican Church in west Edmonton felt that the time had come for the erection of a new parish in that area.
As a result of informal discussions, a meeting was held on March 26th, 1909, at the home of Mrs. F. S. O’Connor on 114th Street. Out of that meeting came a request to the Bishop of Calgary, whose Diocese then included the Edmonton area, and by deed dated April 1st, 1909, the Bishop established the Parish of Christ Church, Edmonton, consisting of that part of the City of Edmonton north of the river and west of the lane between 110th and 111th Streets to the city limits.
The first church building was erected at the northwest corner of 116th Street and 102nd Avenue and was opened by the Bishop of Calgary on Sunday, November 7, 1909. The current church building was built in 1921 and the hall added in 1925.
Through the years the congregation has been an active parish in the Diocese of Edmonton, supporting missions, outreach, providing leadership in both the Diocese and the community and being a founding parish for the Canterbury Foundation which provides housing for seniors.
In the year 2009, we have delighted in many happy celebrations and events to mark the centennial of our parish. After a year of looking back to our roots, we are now ready to look to the future and new ways that we can be faithful disciples of Christ in our neighbourhoods.
"A Time To Plant" - 2005
In 2002 the congregation decided that it was a "Time to Build". The church would be celebrating its 100th birthday in 2009 and the foundation and the roof were showing signs of age and we needed more space as a result of our continued growth.
Once the construction was completed, we were left with a Memorial Garden and a lawn that had more ruts and weeds in it than lawn. The congregation decided that since we were blessed with so much space around the church that we should develop an oasis in the middle of Oliver that could be enjoyed by the church members as well as the community as a whole. It was a "Time to Plant".
The final piece of this phase of our development was completed in October 2005 and the Memorial Garden has become the very oasis that we dreamed of. Neighbours and friends pass through the garden every day and this place of beauty has become a labour of love for those who plant and maintain it each year.
