Celebrating 60 years of parish life at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Saskatoon

By Danielle Mase, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish

Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners gathered in thanksgiving to celebrate the parish’s 60th anniversary during the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass Sept. 28, followed by a potluck barbecue lunch.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen celebrated Holy Eucharist with Our Lady of Lourdes pastor Fr. Daniel Yasinski and former pastor Fr. Geoffrey Young to mark the occasion.

Members of the Our Lady of Lourdes congregation gathered Sept. 28 to celebrate the parish’s 60th anniversary. (Photo by Danielle Mase)

During the celebration, members of Knights of Columbus council #11888 Mary Mother of the Church, presented a plaque honouring pastors and parish life directors who have served Our Lady of Lourdes from its designation as a parish in 1965 to the present day. The plaque was created by local Catholic artisan Alex Florizone of Ministro Woodworking.

Members of the Knights of Columbus presented a plaque honouring pastors and Parish Life Directors who have served Our Lady of Lourdes over the years. (Photo by Danielle Mase)

In his homily, Bishop Mark Hagemoen provided a short synopsis of the history of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, describing the situation in the early 1960s on the east central side of Saskatoon, when a construction boom brought a huge increase to the parishioner base served by St. Josephs Parish on 8th Street and Broadway Avenue.

To meet the growing need, in 1963 “the Chapel of Ease” or “Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel” was built and blessed by Bishop Francis Klein to be served by St. Joseph Parish priests. Very quickly it was determined that, because of the fast-growing community, the “chapel” needed to become a fully-fledged parish. Therefore, on Sept. 18, 1965, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was formed, with Fr. Donald Mcintosh, OMI, installed by Bishop Klein as the first priest of the new parish.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen provided a brief history of the parish during his homily at the 60th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Danielle Mase)

Through the years, many pastors have served the community, as well as Bishop Murray Catholic School, which is attached to the church. Fr. Donald McIntosh, Fr. Desmond Leeper, Fr. Leonard Morand, Fr. Michael Koch and Fr. Clair Watrin served consecutively from 1965 to 1993.

In 1993 it was determined that Our Lady of Lourdes Parish would no longer have a resident priest. Sr. Julianna Heisler, NDS, was asked to serve as Parish Life Director, a role she filled for 19 years. During this time a number of priests provided the parish with access to a rich sacramental life, including Fr. Ralph Kleiter, Fr. Gerard Dewan, Fr. Marc Mireau, Fr. Ron Beechinor, Fr. Michel Bedard, and Fr. Les Paquin, who served consecutively until 2012.

In 2012 then Bishop Donald Bolen determined that Our Lady of Lourdes would once again have a full-time pastor. Since then the community has been served by Fr. Phong Pham from 2012-2019, Fr. Geoffrey Young from 2019-2023 and currently Fr. Daniel Yasinksi since 2023.

Bishop Hagemoen accepts the gifts brought forward during the Mass Sept. 28. (Photo by Danielle Mase)

Located near the University of Saskatchewan at the corner of 12th Street East and Wiggins Avenue, Our Lady of Lourdes has parishioners attending from across the city and surrounding area, with all welcome to join the community to pray and worship our Lord Jesus Christ, under the mantle of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Filled with young families, seniors and many newcomers to Canada, the parish has a vibrant liturgical, spiritual, and social life. There are opportunities for young families with youth ministry, sacramental and catechesis preparation, for young adults with faith formation and discernment programs, in addition to adult faith formation and weekly faith studies.

Weekday masses are held Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday at 8 a.m., and weekend Mass is held Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Eucharistic adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are celebrated Thursday nights at 7 p.m., and confession is also available 20 minutes before every weekday Mass and 45 minutes before every weekend Mass. For more information, visit the parish website at www.ourladyoflourdessaskatoon.com