CHURCH POINT, N.S. — A local society has until September 2021 to raise $3 million to purchase and repair the Église Sainte-Marie church building in Church Point, Digby County. Otherwise the structure, one of – if not the – tallest wooden churches in North America could be demolished.
One thing is certain, however, even if the funds are raised, the building will not serve as a church again following that 2021 date.
The last church service inside Église Sainte-Marie was held on Christmas Eve. The last church service of the parish took place days later in the basement of the rectory building, where weekly services have been held in recent years. It's been too costly to use the church itself for weekly services.
Until the September 2021 deadline, the church building can still be used for special services such as funerals or weddings. But regular church services are over.
“We are now closed as parish,” says André Valotaire, speaking on the parish’s behalf. He says the parish closed Jan. 1 and the rectory is being prepared for sale.
While inside Église Sainte-Marie pews can seat up to 900 people, in recent years very few people attended services, including in the rectory building.
“We were lucky to have 35 people on any given weekend in the last year or two,” Valotaire says.
The church building has been operating as a museum – some summers attracting in upwards of 7,000 people – and it will continue to do so during the effort to raise the $3 million.
But the majestic structure is showing its age, and that is the problem.
Any revenue has paid heating, lighting, telephone, insurance and other bills. Over the years there hasn’t been any money left over for maintenance and repairs. Structurally the building is sound, but it’s been said the roof needs replacement, along with wooden shingles and some windows. Buckets inside a section of the church capture water that leaks from the ceiling and roof.
“We’ve got more and more buckets on the floor all the time,” Valotaire says. “There is plywood on about, I think, 11 or 12 windows. After a windstorm we pick up shingles on the ground. I’ve picked up broken glass from windows on the ground. It’s dangerous for the public and it’s getting worse.”
AN ICONIC LANDMARK
There is a lot of history associated with this building, which is an iconic part of this rural Acadian community's "skyline," hence the effort to purchase and repair it.
This massive wooden structure stands 185 feet (56.4m) tall from the ground to top of its steeple. It measures 190 feet (58m) in length and inside 63 feet (19.3m) in height from floor to ceiling. It opened its doors in 1905 following two years of construction that started in 1903 and was carried out by more than 1,500 volunteers. When the steeple was first built it was actually 15 feet taller, but it was struck by lightning in 1914. Fortunately the rain started to fall, extinguishing that fire. Divine intervention, perhaps?
Inside the church the grandeur is forever impressive. Even when standing on a balcony inside the church, you're nowhere near the ceiling. There are 41 stained glass windows. The frames of the stations of the Way of the Cross were hand-carved by Italian-born sculptor Stefano Genette. Large pillars in the church are Norwegian Red Spruce, covered with plaster. They are around 70 feet high and extend from a foundation in the basement to the rafters. The paintings on the ceiling were done by a man named Louis St. Hilaire, who, incidentally, was scared of heights.
Indeed, the architecture is a feast for the eyes.
The Société Édifice Sainte-Marie de la Pointe is the group that has taken on the task of raising the $3 million so the building can continue to have a future. But what that future would be is unknown. The society has an agreement with the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, which has agreed to give the society time to try to raise the money. The bishop of the Archdiocese has said, however, if the goal can't be met, the future for the building could be grim.
"If it looks like it’s not going to be feasible at that time, he’s going to close the church and start making plans for demolition," Valotaire says.
Many hope it won't come to that.
Society president Pierre Comeau says as they work to raise funds, they are also seeking ideas for a new use for the structure. “The day we take it over is the day it ceases to be called a church in any shape or form,” he says.
The society has hired GATN Consulting. “They will assist us in developing a plan for the fundraising and a plan to determine the future viability of the structure, assuming we can raise the money,” Comeau says. The goal is to ensure that on an ongoing basis the building can generate funds.
There is a survey underway, which can be found online. The survey seeks opinions on potential uses. Ideas thrown out include apartments, an Airbnb, a hotel, a concert venue, a storage facility or a brewery and retail operation/restaurant.
The survey also asks respondents if they have a business idea, as well as seeking opinions from the public on other options if a long-term income stream cannot be identified.
Comeau admits the task that lies ahead is monumental in scope.
“To raise that kind of money you need, what I call, a national campaign. You’d have to get it from the three levels of government and the public,” he says. “It’s a very large sum of money. I’ve never been involved in a project that’s required us to raise this amount of money.”
TIMES HAVE CHANGED
After decades and decades – spanning two centuries – of services, weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc. that have happened here, there are endless connections to this church building within the community and well beyond. Université Sainte-Anne also holds its annual convocation ceremonies here.
But in recent years fewer people have turned to the building as a church as congregations in many churches dwindle, including here in the Clare region.
On Jan. 1 the six former parishes in Clare combined into one parish called Notre Dame d’Acadie. Churches in this one parish include ones in St. Alphonse, Meteghan, Saulnierville, Concession and St. Bernard.
“There’s all kinds of reasons why the congregation dwindled,” Valotaire says. He says sexual abuse cases within the Catholic church caused a lot of people to leave the church. Attrition is also a big issue. “People getting older, no new people coming, no younger people coming in. People going off to nursing homes or passing away, it just keeps going down and down,” he says.
“The congregations in all churches of all denominations are decreasing,” Comeau adds. “People practise religion less than they used to.”
Even church weddings aren’t something everyone wants. Civil unions are common. Outdoor weddings and destination weddings have become popular.
Asked how he feels about the rectory being sold and church services no longer occurring in an Église Sainte-Marie parish, Valotaire says it’s almost a relief.
“We were out of money for the last couple of years,” he says, and that has caused a lot of stress in wondering and worrying about how bills would be paid. Any remaining bills now will be covered by the museum income until its known what will happen with the structure.
When it comes to the $3-million campaign Valotaire says the right group is tasked with the job. “If the society can’t raise the money, nobody can. If they can't find it, nobody can."
Comeau says the society is up to the challenge.
Does he think the society will reach its goal? Not sure whether to call the society and its members optimists or dreamers, Comeau says, “If we felt there was no hope, we wouldn’t be here, let’s put it that way.”
Good luck, he’s told during an interview, to which he says, “We need luck and hard work.”
MORE ABOUT THE SURVEY
The Société Édifice Sainte-Marie de la Pointe has retained GATN Consulting to explore alternative uses for the Église Sainte-Marie.
In a survey people are being asked their opinions on the future preservation, historical and iconic importance, and significance of the Église Sainte-Marie to the community.
“The goal of this effort is to find an economically sustainable use for the Édifice Sainte-Marie. If the Société is not able to find a viable use, the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth will decide the building’s future which may include demolition,” an introduction to the survey reads.
The survey can be found online.
Other information will be coming out within the next couple of months, included the fundraising plan.
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