They established missions at Port Douglas and Skookumchuck Hot Springs, and encouraged the native people of the area to settle together in small villages.

Usually they came only once a year, and there are many examples of five or six couples all being married or a number of babies being baptised on the same day, when the annual visit of the priest took place.

Local aboriginal craftsmen laboured for years on the elaborately carved altar and finely worked wood details of this remarkable building, which was completed about 1905.

Many generations have been baptized, married and buried from the Church which continues today as a place of worship and ceremony for people in the surrounding communities of Samahquam, Douglas First Nation and Mount Currie.

The Church was designated by the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board in 1981 because of its unique Carpenter Gothic architecture and hand-carved interior features.

"Amha Lakwa Lamcalalhcw" Built about 1905 by members of the Stl'atl'imx Nation, the Church of the Holy Cross is remarkable for the beauty and originality of its interior decoration.

The craftsmanship of the cedar sculptures, altar, pews, and grave markers of this wooden Carpenter Gothic style building attests to the exceptional skills of the local artisans.

The following year, work on the foundations was started; completed in 2008, the Church is now supported by in-ground concrete footings, which replace the old river rock.

[2] In August 2009, the Society received notice from Parks Canada that the Canadian government is prepared to enter into a cost-sharing agreement, with funds of up to $202,060 for 'eligible' expenses.

The Ama Liisaos Heritage Trust Society is raising funds for the conservation of the building; total budget is expected to exceed $450,000 with about half of that coming from the federal cost-sharing agreement.