St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church

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Topped by a distinctively ecclesiastical A-frame, St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church (along with its neighbour, St. Anne’s Anglican church) is notable presence at the corner of Burrin Avenue and Aikins Street. St. Anthony’s was opened in 1961, with a solemn blessing held at the church on Sunday, November 5. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Plumpton, Mipper and Associates Ltd., who were hired in 1960. A cornerstone was blessed and placed on Sunday, August 20, 1961 by the Reverend N. J. Chartrand, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, with delegation from the Archbishop of Winnipeg, Most Reverend George Bernard Flahiff, C.S.B., D.D. The original design of the church featured a composition somewhat reversed from that now found on the building’s facade, with a wall of brick at ground level surmounted by a wall of stained glass on the A-frame chapel’s end. The current look of the Aikins Street (front) elevation was arrived at following renovations from 1994, which installed new doors, lighting, and carpeting and which extended the building eastward with a small addition. Though recent in appearance, the history of this church dates back over a century. As of 1915, masses were held for West Kildonan area Catholics, first at the Good Shepherd Home on Scotia Avenue. Later, masses were then held in the basement of Centennial School (240 Royal Avenue) prior to 1925. That year a one-room church building was erected at Semple Avenue and Aikins Street, one block south of the current church. A Building Fund and Budget Canvass Committee was formed in 1957 to raise funds for the new church.