Promised $10M donation falls through, putting landmark N.S. church in jeopardy again

A potential $10 million donation to repair Église Sainte-Marie in Church Point, N.S., has failed to materialize, leaving the landmark wooden church facing an uncertain future, yet again.

Pierre Comeau, the president of Société Édifice Sainte-Marie de La Pointe, said he he was "in a state of shock or stunned" when he got the news last week that the anonymous offer fell through.

"We were overjoyed when we got this offer, which I suppose in a sense sounded too good to be true," Comeau said.

"Now that the offer has been withdrawn or disappeared, we're back to square one and looking at some options that are very, very discouraging for the community."

Church was facing destruction

The century-old wooden church was facing destruction or sale earlier this year after the community was unable to raise enough funds to repair water damage.

In April, an anonymous donor came forward offering to put $10 million toward repair and refurbishment on the condition that the building become an active church again.

The building has not been an active church since 2019. 

In  a statement to CBC News, the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth said it was surprised there was "no response" from the person who made the initial offer.

"We understood that the offer and the conversations were being conducted in good faith," the statement said.

Reconsidering options

It said parish leadership and the community will now have to reconsider options for the church including its sale.

According to a news release from the archdiocese, it tried, without success, to contact the person making the offer several times in August and has concluded the offer is no longer available.

Comeau said the community has already had informal discussions on the structure since getting the news and serious discussions will take place in the next two weeks.

He said the estimated $10 million needed to refurbish the church was beyond the capability of the community. The pipe organ inside has been covered by tarps and the roof has a leak, which is the most serious structural problem.

According to Comeau, before the offer was made the community was looking at approaching the private sector and all three levels of government for funding.

In the meantime, he said, the building is structurally sound but is now looking increasingly "shabby."

The St. Bernard Church in nearby Digby County was also facing the prospect of sale or demolition earlier this year but was saved by Acadian community groups.

The groups finalized a purchase agreement for the St. Bernard Church building with the archdiocese in July.

Nation Prospère Acadie

Michel Cyr, président of the New Brunswick-based Nation Prospère Acadie, one of the groups involved in that purchase, said he understands that the fate of  Église Sainte-Marie will be on the agenda of his organization's next meeting.

Cyr said both the St. Bernard Church and Église Sainte-Marie show how small Acadian communities expressed their pride and commitment to their religion through architecture.

"These are both very important buildings not only for the local Acadian community," Cyr said. "But I would go so far as saying the entire province of Nova Scotia and let alone the Acadian community throughout the Maritime Atlantic region."

He said Nation Prospère Acadie is a small organization with limited resources but it has the community at heart and tries to get people together to raise money for worthwhile causes.

Cyr said in the next 50 years he expects that many historically significant churches and community buildings in Acadian communities, and Maritime communities in general, will be in jeopardy for various reasons.

Heritage Trust saddened

In a Facebook post on Monday, Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia said it was saddened to learn that the negotiations had ended.

Emma Lang, the executive director of the trust, described Église Sainte-Marie as one of the most important structures in the province in terms of its cultural and architectural significance.

Lang said once a building is gone it can't be rebuilt from a pile of rubble. 

She said the value of the church building and similar heritage structures is that they have more life left to give to the community through a variety of uses.

Lang said the building tells the history of the Acadian community in  Church Point and its commitment to their church.

She said the church is connected to the broader Acadian diaspora and its history with connections to the United States and France.

"We can hope that there are new funds available, there is new interest, that it is able to last another winter," Lang said.

"Because to lose it would be a local tragedy, a provincial tragedy, a national tragedy and an international tragedy."

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