There is a neat story behind how Alphonsus Carr was bestowed his given name over 80 years ago.
“When I was born, my mom thought that I wasn’t going to make it, so she called for a priest to come in and baptize me, because in those days you would do that,” reminisced Carr, who is better known by his nickname, Joe. “When the priest came, he said, ‘okay, I’ll baptize him. What’s his name?’ My mom said, ‘We haven’t picked one yet.’ And he said, ‘well, what parish do you belong to?’ Mom said, ‘St. Alphonsus.’ (The priest replied) ‘Well, what about Alphonsus?’ So that’s how I got my name.”
St. Alphonsus Parish in Edmonton has remained a treasured part of Carr’s life for the successive eight decades. It was fitting — perhaps divine providence — that he would play a poignant role in the centennial salute to his beloved house of worship.
While the diverse slate of activities — guided by Christine Pompei and Sandra Talarico — that included historical exhibits, a centennial dinner and a music and fellowship night, took place between 2023 and 2024, there was an emotional coda on Sept. 14. A group of parishioners reburied a time capsule they unearthed in August 2024, adding in new meaningful treasures of their own.
Pompei, a member of the St. Alphonsus congregation for over 47 years, recalled randomly musing with her fellow “sleuth for history,” Carr, outside the parish one day about the possible existence of a vault of meaningful artifiacts. He conducted the research and found a newspaper article detailing the initial installation of a time capsule into the parish cornerstone back in 1953.
“When we read the article it shared the location and some of the things that went inside,” said Pompei. “We thought, ‘well, do we go ahead and open this time capsule? Is it time? It’s our 100th anniversary and it would be fitting.’ So, we decided yes.”
Pompei’s husband Tino and a mason took charge of the excavation. The trinkets within, remarkably preserved, included prayer cards, pictures, a medal, coins and newspapers. Lea de la Paz, the Edmonton archdiocesan archivist, lent support in handling the old paper documentation.
Pompei said all who convened for the capsule opening were greatly moved.
“It was just a really deep feeling of connecting to our ancestors,” said Pompei. “They put it in there for a purpose that some day someone would open it, and we just had the privilege of being those people.”
Talarico, who attended St. Alphonsus throughout her childhood before transferring to the twinned parish of St. Clare, said she “became quite overwhelmed.”
“We weren’t sure that it was there,” said Talarico. “Then just to see the box and its contents and to know that people had taken the time to put in these things, in the hope somebody would find it one day. That is our hope too. We put information out there but who knows in 50 or 100 years whether that will ever be revealed”
The new items placed within in the capsule alongside the items from the 1950s included speeches from the parish centennial celebrations, a photo of the congregation, prayer cards, newspaper articles, a church bulletin, coins and a Redemptorist Cross.
The Redemptorist Fathers founded St. Alphonsus back in 1924. Presently, the parish is under the care of the Basilian Fathers.
While the original capsule contained many touching relics, Pompei noted it did not include a personal letter to connect the parishioners from the 1950s to the flock of 2025.
Carr was identified as the ideal man to pen this missive. He recalled key passages of the letter to the Register.
“We’re saying you’re part of us,” said Carr. “You’re part of what was in 1924 when it first started and you’re part of us today. And we hope that we will be part of you whenever you open the letter.
“We’re all in this together and the strength our religion is that the God of 1924 is the same God today, which will be the same God let’s say a hundred years from now,” continued Carr. “It’s that continuous line of faith and believing and having our God with us on our journey no matter what year we live in.”
Carr also emphasized that “the essence of St. Alphonsus is, and has always been, one of service.” He, Pompei, Talarico and others, under the leadership of Fr. Glenn MacDonald, honoured this core principle by answering the call to serve on the centennial celebration committee.
Saying “yes” has yielded manifest rewards.
Pompei said the centennial celebrations have drawn people back to the pews who drifted away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID did a really big number on our community,” said Pompei. “Our numbers went really low, as I’m sure most churches (did). Our church during COVID didn’t even sing so we did not have a song for communion. Now, our numbers are so full at Mass that we have three or four songs during communion.”
