An anonymous donor has stepped up and offered to pay to restore the historic Église Sainte-Marie in Nova Scotia, so long as it resumes services as an active Catholic church.
The church was built more than a century ago in Church Point, N.S., but closed earlier this year after repair costs ballooned to an estimated $10 million.
The committee that has been raising funds to save it now says an anonymous donor has offered to pay for the repairs, as well as future maintenance.
Pierre Comeau, president of Société Édifice Sainte-Marie de La Pointe, says the group was “ecstatic and overjoyed” when they heard the news and it felt like the “offer came down from heaven.”
“The building is unique. It was built over a hundred years ago. It’s the largest wooden church in North America, possibly in the world,” he explained.
“To the Acadians of Clare, it’s a part of our heritage because it’s an existing monument to the ingenuity and the perseverance and the faith of our ancestors.”
When the preservation committee first formed, the original repair estimate was only $3 million. However, that figure grew over the nine years the committee was active, due to inflation and further deterioration of the structure.
“Obvious necessary repairs include re-shingling the roof completely, it leaks in places. And it’s an expensive proposition because you can see pictures of it, it’s quite tall,” said Comeau.
“The wood shingles on it has to be refashioned, scraped and repainted. Most of the windows will need replacing and painting, other other items that need to be to be replaced and repaired.”
Last fall, the committee announced it had exhausted all efforts to save the church, which has both national and provincial heritage designations.
With this possible injection of money, Comeau says the community is hopeful once again.
“To us, it’s a church and hopefully it will continue to serve as a church for years to come. But it’s also a testimonial or a monument to what our ancestors did. So as such, we are very we have great pride in it,” he said.
He admits work to repair the structure will take a few years, and it’s unclear how turning the building into an active church will affect the three other Catholic churches in the area that have active services.
Negotiations with the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth are ongoing, and three public meetings are scheduled for Friday and Saturday that will be chaired by the archbishop.
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