Edmonton's holy history: A look back at the city's first Papal Visit

As Edmonton prepares to host Pope Francis during his visit to Alberta, a few locals remember the last time a Holy Father flew into town.

Pope John Paul II was the first pope to come to Canada, touring the country for 12 days and arriving in Edmonton on Sept. 16, 1984.

John Kirk was 22 at the time, and he said the visit changed the city forever.

St. Joseph’s Cathedral became St. Joseph’s Basilica after Pope John Paul II gave a mass there, and Kirk was part of the papal motorcade to the then Cathedral. There had been an assasination attempt on the Pope a year before, and Kirk and his wife were working as volunteers, monitoring the crowd for suspicious behavior.

Kirk said the energy was electric and the sidewalks were three or four deep with eager spectators. It felt festive, he said, like a parade. It’s an experience he treasures.

“It was a big moment for our whole archdiocese and we were, in a small way, a part of it. So it’s still a fond memory.”

Retired Brigadier-General Bill Buckham also remembers the visit, though he had a more official role in the event.

Buckham was working at the Namao Air base where Pope John Paul II landed, handling security and caring for the aircraft during the visit. Buckham, like Kirk, remembers the visit being a positive one.

“It didn’t matter whether you were Catholic, Protestant or nothing at all, he was really– had a personality that just radiated.”

“Having the Pope come was just as exciting as having the Royals.”

Buckham said the Pope brought an excitement that flowed through the base and the massive crowd that gathered in the nearby fields where he addressed an estimated 200,000 people underneath a gigantic white dove.

The dove was a massive structure built on the airbase, offering shelter from the elements for the papal address.

Eddie Williams is the architect behind the giant dove. He said it was a symbol of peace, and something he and his family remain proud of. Williams is Irish and he said he was inspired by the struggle in Northern Ireland - though peace is always on his mind, he said.

The dove cost around $130,000 to build in 1984. This year, it’s getting a massive makeover, with the City of Edmonton spending $441,000 to refurbish the structure for Pope Francis.

Williams was surprised by the cost to spruce up the dove, but he said the re-emergence of the symbol for the upcoming visit means a lot to him. He said peace is something we need now, more than ever.

While Pope John Paul II’s visit is remembered as a jovial celebratory moment in the city’s history, some see Pope Francis’ visit as more somber.

“It’s an entirely different purpose, and one has to look at it from that perspective. And I think the focus has got to be on the Indigenous people that he’s coming to see,” Buckham said. “I hope it’s a step in the reconciliation that we hear about.”

Kirk also said he’s happy to see Pope Francis keep his commitment to Edmonton, even after cancelling other parts of his tour due to poor health.

“Obviously there is a lot of, well, reconciliation that has to be done,” said Kirk. “He seems to be bent on coming to Edmonton to keep this going - the momentum that he had when the First Nations went to visit him. It will be really big for important reasons.”

Crowds for Pope Francis are expected to be smaller, but many, like Kirk and Buckham will be able to watch from afar this time as he gives his address at the Commonwealth Stadium on July 26.