It’s been 100 years in the making, and from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, a special centennial celebration will be held at Venice Heritage Park to mark 100 years since the first church was established on the site.
The Venice communiy is located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Lac La Biche and was named by Italian settlers who arrived in the area in 1914.
Les Biollo, the president of the Venice-Hylo Heritage, Historical and Preservation Society, said the first parish – called the Holy Redeemer –was established in 1924 to serve the Italian immigrant families who had moved to the area 10 years before. Holy Redeemer was replaced in the early 1960s by the St. Anne’s Church that currently sits on the site.
St. Anne’s was closed as an operating parish within the Diocese of St. Paul in 2013, but is open for historical purposes.
When it was first built, Holy Redeemer was under the umbrella of the Archdiocese of Edmonton. The Diocese of St. Paul would not be established until 1948.
“We were part of the Archdiocese of Edmonton,” Biollo told Lakeland This Week.
To get the church built, a carpenter named Arthur Lemay was hired. However, most of the labour was provided by local residents. Lumber for the project, Biollo said, came from the former sawmill in the Venice community.
Prior to the establishment of Holy Redeemer, religious services for the Italian Roman Catholics in Venice were, as Biollo puts it, sporadic at best. Missionary priests from the Lac La Biche Mission would occasionally visit the community to baptize babies and celebrate masses, which were usually held in one of the congregation member’s houses.
“That’s how it was for the first 10 years,” he said.
By the mid to late 1950s, Holy Redeemer was beginning to show its age. As Biollo explains, the clapboard building was uninsulated, and heated by a big, old-fashioned pot-belly stove. During the winter months, he said, the inside of the church could be very cold, and on Sunday mornings, somebody would need to come in early to get a fire started prior to the service.
Preparations for a new building started around that time.
“It was time for it be replaced,” he said. “The construction began in 1960 on the present church.”
There were concerns regarding the procurement of materials as well as the necessary financing to make St. Anne’s – which took two years to complete – a reality.
Regarding how the name of the local Roman Catholic parish went from being Holy Redeemer to St. Anne’s, Biollo says a lady named Mary E. Kenny donated a substantial amount of money through the church extension fund for the project. As part of her donation, she requested that the name be changed to St. Anne’s, in honour of her patron saint.
“So, the new church was always known as St. Anne’s,” he said.
Over the past century, in addition to hosting regular services, the churches that have been on the Venice Heritage Park grounds were also a social hub for local residents.
According to Biollo, there was an old hall built nearby that hosted dances and other social events.
Historical significance
After St. Anne’s was closed for religious services just over a decade ago, people in the community tried to find a way to keep the historical church building as a local monument.
In 2022, the Venice-Hylo Heritage, Historical and Preservation Society was formed. The organization maintains the church building and puts on the Venice Picnic, which has been an annual tradition in the community since 1946.
100-year party
The centennial celebration taking place over the Labour Day weekend, Biollo said, will feature various events and activities. The majority of these events, he added, will be taking place on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1.
There will also be onsite camping. While there is a $20 registration fee for those wanting to camp on the park site, Biollo said the purpose of the centennial is not to raise money, but rather to highlight and display the Italian heritage of the area.
“This isn’t a fundraiser…it’s just a showcase of our heritage and history,” he stated.
The festivities include a bocce tournament, a display of vintage automobiles including tractors and farm equipment-as well as buggy rides. Saturday afternoon activities include a lunch featuring Italian food and a showcase of old-time violin music followed by an old-fashioned outdoor dance in the evening.
“Because bocce was an Italian tradition, there will be a bocce tournament for the weekend,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, the current bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul, Gary Franken, and former bishop, Paul Terrio, will preside over a special celebration mass inside St. Anne’s Church. Following the mass, there will be the official transfer of the site from the Diocese of St. Paul to the Venice-Hylo Heritage, Historical and Preservation Society, along with a ribbon cutting ceremony recognizing Venice Heritage Park.
Dignitaries are scheduled to speak at the event. Biollo said while this includes a representative from Lac La Biche County, organizers would also like to see a provincial and even a federal representative there as well.
Weather permitting, the historical celebration will wrap up with a fireworks show.
“This is a significant event,” he said.
