Shutdown a burden for Quebec’s churches

MONTREAL— Rev. Jean-Luc Laflamme knows that Thetford Mines has seen better days. The “golden age” in the workingclass community in south-central Quebec, best known for its now-closed asbestos mines, was in the 1950s and 1960s, he said.

But life has changed in the town of over 16,000 residents, and many of the area’s Roman Catholic churches, which Laflamme said once numbered five in Thetford Mines alone, have gradually been forced to shut their doors.

Today, just one remains open: Saint-Alphonse, a towering, grey granite building with a white steeple that was built in the early 1900s.

Normally, the church would host three weekend masses, said Laflamme, the head priest in the Thetford Mines area: one on Saturday and two on Sunday.

But services have not been held at Saint-Alphonse in weeks, as the church is among thousands across Canada that have suspended all in-person services to stem the potential spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

In Quebec, where the Catholic Church historically played a central role in society but has in recent years struggled with low attendance and a lack of revenue, the closures have made an already difficult situation worse.

“We’re not in peril,” said Laflamme, but the economic impact of COVID-19 is already clear.

Without weekend mass, the collection plate does not go around, and that typically brought in between $5,000 and $6,000 every month, he said. Funerals were also a place where donations could be collected, but they too have been cancelled.

Meanwhile, it costs approximately $25,000 per year to heat Saint-Alphonse, Laflamme said, and the church has other expenses, such as insurance and building maintenance costs.

He said some part-time, parish support staff have been temporarily let go until in-person services can resume.