Canada: Religious heritage in peril
According to a study carried out by La Fiducie Nationale, an organization that defends Canadian heritage, four religious buildings in Canada, including two churches, appear on the list of the country’s most threatened sites.
Published May 26th last in Heritage, the association’s publication, this alarming report exposes the case of the church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Windsor (southeastern Canada), built in 1842, which makes it the oldest Catholic parish of Ontario. “The amount of money needed to carry out required work is estimated between 10 and 15 million dollars,” states Heritage, who regrets that the diocese has decided to close the parish in November 2014. A renovation plan in 7 steps has been developed, but work can only begin once 70% of the funding has been assembled—which is far from a given.
The second church mentioned on the list is located in Sackville (eastern Canada). This building dates from 1875. Long dedicated to Protestant worship, it has been sold to a promoter whose current plan involves destroying the building.
In eastern Canada, on Prince Edward Island, Heritage calls attention to the case of the Belcourt Spirituality Centre in Rustico. This former convent, founded in 1882, “is an important symbol for Acadians.” The nuns of the Congregation of Our Lady taught the Acadians in French there for over 80 years. The Catholic diocese of Charlottetown acquired it in 1977 but today it is considering demolishing the convent, officially because of the “poor condition of the construction.”
Lastly, the Hospital of the Misericorde in Montreal was listed in the report. The Sisters of Mercy originally used this location as a maternity ward for single mothers. “This vast convent and hospital complex built between 1853 and 1940 recalls the essential role that religious congregations in Montreal in the 19th century,” says the magazine. The building has not been used for two years since the hospital centre that rented it moved, and now it is empty and falling inevitably into disrepair.
(Sources: kipa-apic.ch – heritage Canada – DICI no. 318, 10/07/15)
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