Bern Will Brown stands out not simply as a priest who served, but as a builder of community, a recorder of northern life, and a bridge between cultures.
Father Bern was a remarkable and unconventional figure in the history of the Catholic Church in northern Canada. Born in Rochester, New York, in 1920, he came to the Canadian North in 1948 as a young missionary priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. His arrival in the Northwest Territories came at a time when the Church was expanding its outreach into remote communities, seeking to bring pastoral care, sacraments, and a sense of spiritual presence to Indigenous and settler populations across a vast and challenging landscape. In his first fourteen years in the North, he served in a variety of locations, including Fort Norman (Tulita), Fort Franklin (Délı̨nę), Goldfields in Saskatchewan, Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, Aklavik, Fort McMurray in Alberta, and Nahanni Butte. During these years, he embraced the life of the North wholeheartedly, learning local languages and adapting to the rhythms of travel, often by dog team, that characterized missionary work in the region in the mid-20th century.
Perhaps Brown’s most enduring legacy was at Colville Lake, a small community just south of the Arctic Circle in the traditional territory of the Hare-Skin (North Slavey) Dene. In 1962 he was assigned to Colville Lake, and there he undertook one of the most ambitious architectural and community-building projects of his life: the planning and construction of a log church named Our Lady of the Snows. With his own plans and with the help of community members and young volunteers, Brown oversaw the raising of massive logs, the installation of windows and doors, and the building of foundations and altar space. This church eventually became known as one of the most beautiful and iconic religious structures in the North, celebrated not only for its craftsmanship but also for the way it reflected the spirit and perseverance of the local people. In his meticulous journals and writings, Brown chronicled every stage of the project, giving future generations a vivid account of building a mission church by hand along the remote shores of an Arctic lake.
Brown was not only a builder of churches; he was also a storyteller, artist, and chronicler of northern life. He became a skilled photographer and painter, capturing landscapes, people, and moments with an eye that inspired later Northern missionaries. His artistic work helped bring wider awareness of the beauty and challenges of the North to audiences far beyond its borders, and his images were an important part of how the Church’s mission territory was remembered and appreciated.
In 1971, after nearly a quarter-century in missionary ministry, Brown made a life-changing decision: he left the priesthood. He married Margaret Steen of Inuvik, and the couple chose to make Colville Lake their permanent home. Even after leaving formal ministry, Brown remained deeply involved in the life of the community. He and Margaret established the Colville Lake Lodge, which became a local centre for hospitality, and they ran a small museum and art gallery that celebrated northern culture and history. Brown also published several books, including volumes of his Arctic Journal, which narrated his experiences in the North and provided a rich, firsthand account of life, travel, and mission work across decades.
Beyond his roles as priest, builder, artist, writer, and entrepreneur, Bern Will Brown embodied a profound connection to the land and people of the Northwest Territories. He served as postmaster, fire warden, storekeeper, newspaper editor, dentist, and dogcatcher at various times, reflecting the reality that, in small northern communities, spiritual leaders often wear many hats, meeting both spiritual and practical needs. His life was one of versatility and service, grounded in genuine affection and respect for the Dene and other northern residents he came to know so well.
Brown passed away on July 4, 2014, at the age of ninety-four. His death was widely mourned in the North, with local leaders and residents recalling his courage, creativity, compassion, and extraordinary life dedicated to both Church and community. For many, his legacy is inseparable from the enduring presence of Our Lady of the Snows, the church he built by hand, and from the stories, images, and writings that continue to speak to the deeply human, complex, and beautiful life of the North.
In the story of the Diocese of Mackenzie–Fort Smith, Bern Will Brown stands out not simply as a priest who served, but as a builder of community, a recorder of northern life, and a bridge between cultures. His life reminds us that missionary work in the North was never only about sacraments and structures, but about relationships, creativity, and a willingness to live fully among the people served.
Mackenzie-Fort Smith 