ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
The Holy Family Catholic Church
The beginning of Holy Family can be traced to 1896 when Father John Welsh , an Oblate attached to the St . Eugene ’ s mission of Cranbrook , was sent to the Fernie area to administer to the spiritual needs of the railway workers and the miners , a large proportion of whom were Catholic .
Construction of a church began in the same year , to be completed the following June . The church was dedicated to the Holy Family because of the devotedness of the Cape Breton families who arrived in the spring of 1897 . They pledged a day ’ s pay per month . The first resident pastor , Father Meleux , assisted by Father Meissner , fluent in six languages , succeeded in forming a cohesive parish in a population comprising many ethnic groups .
The church survived the first fire of 1904 but was destroyed in the conflagration of 1908 . A provisional frame building located at the site of the present Family Center , served as the church between 1908 and 1912 , until a larger and more substantial church was completed .
Romanesque in style , the church has a total seating capacity of 500 . The ash pews came from Ontario , the original organ from Germany , and the stained glass windows , installed at a cost of $ 200 each , from France . The donors reflect the cosmopolitan composition of the congregation . The stained glass window in the tower depicts the institution of the Eucharist . The rose window above the entrance displays the coat of arms of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate , whose members served this parish from its beginnings until 1930 when the diocesan clergy assumed charge . The Catholic Church remains Fernie ’ s largest congregation .
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