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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
On July 30, the congregation of Sacred Heart Catholic Church was given the opportunity to formally say goodbye to their church building.

On July 30, Bishop Murray Chatlain of the Roman Catholic diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith held a mass to decommission Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Fort Simpson. - photo courtesy of Martina Norwegian

Bishop Murray Chatlain of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese held a special mass to decommission the church. Approximately 25 people attended the service, which was held on the lawn beside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

The condition of the church, which was built in 1923, is deteriorating. Three years ago, the congregation stopped using the building. Sunday mass is currently held in the gymnasium at Bompas Elementary School.

"It was really sad to say goodbye to the building," said Dolly Tsetso.

Tsetso has attended Sacred Heart her whole life. She was married in the church and all 10 of her children were baptized and took first communion there.

"It's a holy place," she said.

"It's held a lot of different sacraments."

Tsetso, who helped organize the decommissioning mass along with Father Wes Szatanski, said it provided a fitting way to say farewell to the building.

The mass was part of the formal process to officially close the building so a new church can be built, said Martina Norwegian, a member of the Sacred Heart parish council.

Although no concrete plans have been made yet, at some point the current building will be demolished to make way for a new church, she said. The parish council has looked at a number of options, including building a new church or installing mobile units to act as a church building. The council will probably meet in the fall to decide on a plan, said Norwegian.

Fundraising ongoing

Fundraising, which began even before the current church was closed, is ongoing. Individuals and organizations have made donations toward the cause and the diocese said it will assist the congregation, said Norwegian. Norwegian didn't know the exact amount that has been fundraised to date.

Norwegian was one of the members of the congregation who attended the decommissioning mass. She said because the service was held during the summer on a holiday weekend at short notice, not many people attended.

"I think a lot more people would have wanted the opportunity to take part in the service," she said.

Those who did attend went into the church following the mass and formed a circle. Norwegian, Tsetso and Nick Sibbeston took the opportunity to share memories about the church.

Norwegian talked about her first service as a lay presider in the church in 1997.

She can still remember in detail how she felt as she stood before the congregation.

Norwegian also shared about her mother and how she always sat in the same section of the same pew each Sunday. Norwegian said she continued to sit there following her mother's death.

Norwegian said the service felt like a finale for the church building. Everything, including the pews, altar and stations of the cross, has been removed from the inside of the church and stored, leaving only an empty shell.

The mood during the service and inside the church was sombre, she said.

"I think everyone was just in their own memory," said Norwegian.

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