Cooler temperatures and a high amount of precipitation are forestalling wildfire season from fully taking shape in Western Canada for now.

Constant vigilance will ultimately be required, particularly in Alberta as that province has experienced at least 1,000 blazes in each of the past four years.

Tragically, the town of Jasper and Jasper National Park was devastated from July 22 to Aug. 7, 2024: more than 25,000 people evacuated; 96,000 acres of land burned; 358 townsite structures destroyed. A 24-year-old firefighter also lost his life.

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One of the casualties was the St. Mary and St. George Anglican Church, burned to the ground on July 24. The house of worship, originally established as a place of formal mission in 1914, existed for over 100 years.

Fr. Anthony Narisetty, the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Jasper, told The Catholic Register he and the Archdiocese of Edmonton offered their parish as a space for the Anglican community to host liturgical services. The offer was appreciated, but an arrangement was ultimately reached with Jasper’s Masonic Lodge.

Both the exterior and the interior of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish were spared from harm, but a number of its parishioners were not as fortunate as their homes were destroyed. The parish and the archdiocese sought to be there for those members.

Now, 10 months post-emergency, Narisetty said the town wants to write a new chapter.

“I think we are almost ready to enter another phase now,” said Narisetty, who also ministers in nearby Hinton, Grande Cache and the Indigenous community of Susa Creek. “The one phase of the wildfire hitting the community and so much damaged was caused. Now most of the cleaning is done. It's like every dark has a brighter light a day. So, I think that's what happening now.

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“People are feeling like coming back to the community,” continued Narisetty. “Because of the duplexes (Parks Canada) brought in, people were able to stay in (Jasper).”

Slowly and surely the Mass numbers are creeping upward. Recent Saturday services are attracting 60-65 people and over 50 people have been in the pews for the Sunday morning liturgy.

The parish is also restarting its sacramental celebrations. First Reconciliation and Holy Communion services are being hosted early this month.

Alluding to a new wildfire season, Narisetty said “God forbid those things to happen to us once again,” but if Jasper does again face tribulation, “it is God's will and I'm sure He would be there to help us to move forward.”

Banff, Canmore and the Bow Valley Provincial Park to the south of Jasper have been fortifying against mounting wildfire threats. There is concern these picturesque mountain communities and landmarks could experience calamity similar to what Jasper was hit with last year.

Fr. Pilmaikén Lezano of The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore said the community is taking heart in the fortification work being completed.

“Since October of last year, if I’m not mistaken, (labourers) have been working on a barrier all around the town to prevent the fire from affecting the town itself,” said Lezano. “Hopefully that will help us maintain.”

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The shrine church itself was built with beams that are basically steel and Lezano added that “most of the artifacts inside the church are meant to last even to resist fire.” However, he acknowledged that some relics would be vulnerable to a blaze.

Ideally, Lezano wants The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies to be a place that can shelter and support evacuees fleeing wildfires in other nearby communities. He said the parish was ready to receive people from Jasper, but the highway connecting Jasper with Banff and Canmore was closed so other communities were used for sojourns.