Whitehorse, Apostolic Vicariate of

WHITEHORSE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is located in the Northwest of Canada and is entrusted to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

It was erected on 14 Jan. 1944 by division of the apostolic vicariate of Yukon and Prince Rupert and comprises the entire Yukon region and the northern part of British Columbia. It lies in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and has an area of more than 500,000 sq km, but only 10,783 inhabitants, of whom about 9000 are whites. Of the 2550 Catholics, 1443 are whites, 973 Indians, 134 Métis. The greater part of the whites came to the territory as miners and soldiers after the construction of the famous road that crosses the vicariate and leads to Alaska. The Indians belong to two different tribes. The 1200 Dini live scattered in small groups, each of which has its own dialect, and devote themselves to hunting in the mountains. The 400 Klinkets speak the same language, having come from Alaska with the whites. English is the language understood and spoken by almost all of the whites and Indians. The vicariate has 25 priests, 3 brothers and 23 sisters in 2 quasi-parishes, 11 principal stations and 20 secondary stations. There are moreover 10 schools for Indians. Between 1944 and 1952 the number of Catholics, both Indians and Métis, almost doubled, because of the beneficial influence exercised through the schools.