by Greg Layson
A 143-year-old church, literally in the middle of St. Joachim, is poised to once again become the figurative centre of town, too.
The St. Joachim Church, at the end of French Line Road (also known as County Road 41) is undergoing renovations, 24-years after the Roman Catholic Diocese of London closed its doors and moved the congregation to a new church in Comber.
Woodslee resident, Paul Mullins, and around a dozen fellow volunteers are leading the efforts to restore — and repurpose — the historic house of worship, which has designated heritage status in Ontario.
They have spent the last two-and-a-half months gutting the church to its bones, repairing two side entrances, and enhancing the basement that found itself under two feet of water every time it rained.
“These guys have just dug in and so many of them are direct ancestors of the people who built the church in the first place,” Mullins said. “So, there's a lot of excitement about the possibility of creating a community centre.”
A $30,000 donation from an anonymous donor got the project — and what will eventually be a not-for-profit ownership group — off the ground. The money was used to assess the structural integrity of the building.
Mullins was prepared for the worst-case scenario; that only the belfry or steeple or the front facade could be saved. But, he said the church, which the diocese sold for a dollar, “is in incredibly good condition.”
Although, it does need washrooms, heating, and new lighting.
“If we couldn't do anything else, could we at least keep the facade to keep this landmark?” he asked. “Well, we're going to be able to do much more than that. It’s a church that's going to be here for the long haul.”
Volunteers on November 19 will ask Lakeshore Council for some financial support.
The Town of Lakeshore previously said it is willing to work with residents when it comes to the future of the church.
Approximately 200 people passed through a pair of open houses over the November 2 and 3 weekend, many offering up suggestions for the church’s new life. Ideas included a yoga or dance studio. Someone suggested it be turned into a theatre and added to a circuit of shows throughout Ontario.
“One of the neatest ones we had was from a couple of Grade 8 students from the French school [École Élémentaire Catholique Saint-Ambroise] next door. They wanted to know if they could have their graduation there and they were really excited by that possibility,” Mullins said. “But there are a lot of desires for a community centre.”
Mullins said volunteers filled 13 dumpsters with material. St. Joachim resident and former parishioner, Marcel Belisle, was one of the volunteers. He was born in the house across the street and still lives there.
“I keep my eye on this church every time I cut the grass,” he said.
He was one of nine boys in his family that were altar boys “and got all our sacraments” at the church, he said. He, too, envisions a community centre.
“When they closed us down in 2000, you could feel the community falling apart,” he said. “It's a very important building to us, to the village, to the ones that were born and raised in this town. To lose this historical monument, it would have been a big deal.”
According to the Ontario Heritage Trust, the church was first built in 1881 and “predates the laying out of village lots in St. Joachim” and is “central to the history of the village.”
Belisle said the number of people that showed up on the weekend was overwhelming.
“You can tell there's love in this idea, in this town, in the building. People are concerned,” he said. “I’m very happy that the church — the building — is staying and won't be demolished. That's the biggest thing.”