St. Patrick’s Catholic Church to undergo modernization

By Lethbridge Herald on February 12, 2026.

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman

Lethbridge Herald

After being closed for over a decade, St. Patrick’s Church re-opened in March 2023 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and almost 600 people filled its pews. 

Although, the church has been opened with limited usage, many have hoped one day the church will re-open for weekly Sunday mass and the celebration of various sacraments like weddings, baptisms and first communions, as well as funerals. 

Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary, William McGrattan says any increase in usage of St. Patrick’s church requires a modernization to ensure the long-term viability of the structure, and to provide safe, accessible, and code-compliant access to the church.

“The parish of All Saints has been going through a process of discernment and assessment, regarding the building of a new church, and looking at the necessary upgrades for St. Patrick’s to make it both safe and accessible,” says McGrattan. 

He says the idea behind it was, that if modernized there would be an opportunity to have the celebration of mass on a greater frequency than just twice a month. 

“I’m encouraged by the response of the parishioners from the community. I see that there are signs of the parish being unified through this approach,” says McGrattan. “Seeing an openness to raise the funds for both projects, I think it’s a real sign of the renewal and some of the pastoral life that parishioners are hoping will come as a result of, not only the renovation and upgrading of St. Patrick’s, but building the new parish church of All Saints.” 

Pastor of the All Saints Parish, Father Kevin Tumback, explains the process began in 2023, when St. Patrick’s Church was re-open for occasional use, when Bishop McGrattan came down to Lethbridge and put together a program called the East Lethbridge Catholic Parish assessment project. 

“In April of 2024, the bishop accepted the recommendations of that project. And one of them was repairs and maintenance on St. Pat’s to make it more accessible,” says Tumback. 

He says last year in the spring, they started one project – renovating bathrooms, and that project went grossly overbudget. 

“That’s when the bishop stepped in and said he wanted to know what it’s going to cost to do these renovations to St. Patrick’s,” says Tumback. 

He says in October of 2025 Bishop McGrattan gave permission to start fundraising for the renovations at St. Pat’s and for pledges for the new church. 

“We didn’t know at that time exactly what St. Pat’s was going to cost. Those numbers we finally got in the middle of January this year, and that came to us from Ward Bros. Construction,” says Tumback.  

A bulletin from Jan. 29, where Bishop McGrattan provides an update on the situation, it shows the estimate to be $3,325,000 which does not include the basement, the stained-glass windows, any alterations to the altar or sacristy, cosmetic work, the bell tower, or a front ramp, which will no longer be needed as they will install an elevator. 

Some of the cost included in the estimate include Electrical upgrades including new panels, lighting, sound system and fire alarm system. Mechanical which includes two new boilers, radiation cabinets and air units. Replacing the existing elevator with a new elevator big enough to fit a casket, with three stops, front and rear openings. 

Father Tumback says once all the funds have been raised, renovations can begin. 

“The bishop’s hope is that doing this, having that presence in the downtown and having St. Pats open for more than occasional use, will heal some of the riffs in the parish and create a greater sense of community within the parish,” says Tumback.