Diocese confirms several Cape Breton churches to close
The Diocese of Antigonish has announced it will close another seven Cape Breton churches, and monitor the situation at several others.
Letters from Bishop Brian Dunn to parishoners and priests said the churches are struggling with a shrinking population, a declining number of priests and financial shortfalls.
The following eight churches in Glace Bay and the North Sydney/Sydney Mines area have either closed or will close:
Saint John the Baptist, Glace Bay - closed Nov. 3, 2012
St. Leo's, Glace Bay - to close Apr. 14, 2013
St. Anthony's Church, Glace Bay - closure TBA
Holy Family Parish, MacKay's Corner - to close June, 2013
Saint Eugene's Parish, Dominion - to close June, 2014
Immaculate Conception, Sydney Mines - to close June, 2013
Saint Stephen, Florence - to close June, 2013
Saint Barra's, Christmas Island - closure TBA
According to the letters, St. Anne Parish will remain open and merge all parishioners from Saint John the Baptist and St. Leo's by April, 2013.
Holy Cross Church will take on parishioners from St. Anthony's Church.
Pius X Church will be used as a church for the closed Immaculate Conception and Saint Stephen churches.
The letters state that other churches will remain open but will be monitored and in some cases asked to consolidate resources with other parishes or reduce the number of services they provide:
Saint Gregory's, Donkin
Saint Mary’s, Port Morien
St. Joseph’s, Reserve
Immaculate Conception, Bridgeport
Saint Michael's, Baddeck
Saint Andrew's, Boisdale - to open only during the summer
Saint Joseph, North Sydney
Saint Joseph, Bras d’Or
Saint Joachim, Boularderie
Saint Ann, Alder Point
Saint Peter, Ingonish
Saint Margaret of Scotland, St. Margaret's Village
Saint Joseph, Dingwell
Saint Gregory’s and Saint Mary’s will remain open and will be served from Holy Cross Parish, with services scheduled on a rotating basis.
Saint Mary's, Frenchvale will remain open, as will Saint Columba's which will take on parishioners from Saint Barra's.
There are a few reasons for the closures but Father Donald MacGillivray, who speaks for the local pastoral planning committee, said the closures are largely driven by a dramatic decline in population.
"You know, from 1961 to 2011, there was a 26 per cent drop in the population in Cape Breton Island — and so that's kind of what we're going at," said MacGillivray.
"We have 43 places of Roman Catholic worship in Cape Breton County, not Cape Breton Island, Cape Breton County. It's just hard to maintain that — the cost of oil, the aging of parishioners — all of those are factors."
Bishop Brian Dunn wrote that the diocese spent nearly a year examining the best ways to move forward. He said this has been a tough decision, but important for the future of the diocese.
Last year, the diocese announced several church closures in the Sydney area as well.
MacGillivray said while these are difficult decisions, the church must live within its means and find new ways to reach out to parishioners.
