Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops

Corporate body

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops

1945-present

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops administers parishes under its jurisdiction. Created from the Archdiocese of Vancouver (formerly the Diocese of New Westminster until 1908 and the Apostolic Vicariate of British Columbia until 1890), the Diocese of Kamloops had a long history of interacting with Indigenous populations. Even before the Archdiocese was created in 1863, Catholic missionaries had been interacting with Indigenous communities. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have been involved in the region since 1842 with the arrival of Modeste Demers. The Oblates wanted a diocese of their own to minister in without the interference of the local bishop. Thus, when the Apostolic Vicariate of British Columbia was created in 1863, it was headed by an Oblate.

During the Residential School System, Kamloops Residential School and Cariboo Residential School operated within diocesan boundaries. These schools were run by the Oblates, with religious sisters acting as teachers. Catholic entities operated the school until 1969, when the Government of Canada took over administration of all residential schools.

During the 1990s, the public became more aware of the impacts of residential schools. This led to an increase in litigation against the Government of Canada, which culminated in the creation of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) in 2006. IRSSA outlined the process by which residential school litigation was carried out in addition to creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).

The function of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops is to administer regional parishes.

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