The first Mass in Arvida is celebrated on 29 November 1925 by Father Joseph Lévêque. It takes place in a construction camp which serves as a refectory. Thereafter, religious services are held in the basement of the company's office until the opening of the new church.
It is after discussions between Msgr. Michel-Thomas Labrecque, bishop of the Diocese of Chicoutimi, and Harold R. Wake, property manager, that the company cedes land and donates $40,000 for the construction of a church and a presbytery. Construction starts in September 1927, and the church of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus is inaugurated on 24 December 1928.
Commissioned by Alfred Lamontagne, the building is characterised by an imposing concrete vault, which makes the building fireproof. This technique, still little used for church construction, is due to the interventions of Montreal engineer Y.-M. Guay, Armand Gravel and Ernest Cormier. The church of Saint-Clet, located in the Montérégie region and built in 1926-1927, is quite similar.
In 1948, a second phase of construction begins under the direction of Ludger Lemieux. The interior is completed and it is on this occasion that the nave is furnished with stained glasses by Guido Nincheri. The bell tower is also modified.