Bishop Legal

The town of Legal and the St. Emile Church were both named in honor of Bishop Legal. Emile Legal was born in 1949. He was ordained priest by the age of 25, then moved to Canada in 1979. He joined the Oblate brothers and offered his service to the Piegans and the Blood Indians of southern Alberta.

In the top left corner of the mural, Father Legal stands next to a tent. He lived in a tent much like the people he served. At the bottom left, another picture of Father Legal shows him in a field, baptizing the First Nation people. In 1897, Monsignor Vital Grandin conferred Father Emile Legal to the title of Bishop and asked him to be his successor. Bishop Legal was a modest man and was unsure of the responsibilities of being head of the St. Albert Diocese, but eventually accepted his position, as it aided him in his task to help spread the word of God. He spoke many indigenous languages and wrote books on the First Nation’s culture. He was also an architect. He helped design floor plans and construct churches, including Legal’s first church. The image in the top right shows him standing in front of St Emile church, which he helped create. After many years Bishop Legal was named head of the newly created Diocese of Edmonton. He was also a strong advocate for catholic schools, and pursued funding when Alberta was made a province. The bottom right picture contains Bishop Legal standing next to the Knights of Columbus, the organization that sponsored the mural.

“I wanted him to come alive, and the rest snapshots of his life,” says Karen when asked about the mural. “I discovered that I don’t have to be complicated for a mural to look good.”