It was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1844 and was their first mission in Northern Ontario since their suppression in 1767.

[1] The mission played a significant role in increasing literacy in Canada of the Ojibwe language.

Jean-Baptiste Proulx, was asked to come to the island to serve the local Catholic population, marking the first Jesuit mission to Northern Ontario in the nineteenth century.

They built a school, a residence, a sawmill and an agricultural training centre for the local people.

Also, over the course of the 19th century most of the written Ojibwe texts were produced by non-Native people, usually missionaries and linguists, such as the Jesuits, so a burgeoning Nishnaabe literacy movement emerged.

Since the company's creation, every summer, between July and August, the theatre group use the empty space enclosed by the external walls as a venue to show theatrical productions.

During the Good Friday Mass, the theatre group stage a production of the Passion of Christ for the parish community in the Holy Cross Mission Church.