Quebec congregations rally as Catholic Church plans closures
MONTREAL — For more than 150 years, the church in Sainte-Sophie, Que., has stood in the heart of the village, its steeple like a beacon summoning the faithful through its doors.
But with so few answering the call each Sunday, the small town northwest of Montreal is one of many facing what once would have been unimaginable: a churchless future.
As the Saint-Jerome Catholic diocese north of Montreal contemplates whether to dramatically slash the number of buildings it maintains, parishioners say they won’t accept the closure of their churches without a fight.
While the committee studying the issue won’t confirm how many churches could be closed, Montreal’s La Presse and a local newspaper have reported that as many as 33 of the diocese’s 54 churches could be on the chopping block as of this summer. The diocese says an announcement will be made in June.
The news isn’t sitting well with some residents in Sainte-Sophie, who have formed a group to try to save the church.
Thus far, their activities consist of trying to raise attendance at Sunday mass, and trying to show church authorities that the community is willing to work to find solutions.
While the church doesn’t want to close buildings, dwindling attendance and soaring maintenance leave them with few options, according to the diocese’s vicar general.
“There are parishes that are technically bankrupt,” Martin Tremblay said in a phone interview. “There are parishes that don’t have enough money to continue. We can’t continue to close our eyes to the problem.”
Tremblay points out that heating costs alone average between $20,000 and $40,000 per year for each church — and that doesn’t count insurance, maintenance, or major renovations, which can rise into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
He said the church may be better off concentrating more of its funds on salaries and activities that directly support its mission of spreading the word of God.
“We are not managers of old buildings,” he said.
The Quebec organization that tracks religious heritage says about 500 places of worship — representing 18 per cent of the total — have been sold, closed or repurposed since 2003. Since 2011, about 40 have closed every year, according to the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Quebec.
Alain Faubert, an auxiliary bishop with the Archdiocese in Montreal, says about 60 churches have been closed or sold in the city in the last 20 to 30 years — including several that were sold to other Christian groups.
He says authorities in Montreal always explore all other possible options before closing a church, such as sharing the space with community organizations.