New Catholic church for Fort Simpson
Fundraising efforts continue on to see project come to fruition
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, February 4, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Plans to break ground on a new Catholic church for Fort Simpson could be implemented as early as June of this year.
Members of the Catholic church gathered in Fort Simpson on Jan. 29 for an update on how fundraising for a new church building has been going. Martina Norwegian, left, accompanies Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Darlene Sibbeston, Gail Villeneuve, Billy Villeneuve, Roland Norwegian and Father Joe Daley. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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Drawings for the building have been completed, thanks to Denis Bruneau Architecture, and the only task left is to close the fundraising gap.
During a public meeting on Jan. 29, community members and members of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese heard local fundraisers and the diocese have gathered between $350,000 and $375,000 for the structure.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen said the diocese has additionally received a pledge of $100,000 from the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton and a further $100,000 from the diocese of Hamilton, Ont.
The current fundraising gap, however, could be as much as $500,000. Hagemoen said he would like to see that gap at around $250,000 before the church is built.
Plans for the structure include seating for 100 people inside the two-storey church, with a two-storey apartment structure attached. One of the apartments will be for the local priest and the second will be rented out.
A bell will be installed as part of a separate structure next to the church.
Bruneau said during the meeting that 2016 is a good year to build the church - partly due to the quality of materials available in Canada and partly due to the country's economic downturn.
"The economy has slowed down a little bit. When (that happens), there are more resources available, there is a little bit more interest in a simple church project," he said.
The upcoming 30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Fort Simpson in 2017 could be used to generate fundraising interest, said Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jerry Antoine.
"It would be a good time to have something open up. We could use that angle in terms of our marketing and fundraising," he said.
Locally, fundraising committee member Darlene Sibbeston said she hopes to pick up speed again on the fundraising front.
"We're at a point right now where we're so close to realizing our dream of having a new church," she said.
"It's nice to depend on some national organizations to help us out, absolutely, (but) it would be nice if we had some momentum, some help in the community. We need new ideas," she said, adding with a laugh that "there are only so many bake sales we can do."
"It's time we get some momentum back into our fundraising goals."
Hagemoen said the church will be multi-purpose, designed to be used for community activities as well as church activities. He added the building's design was "fine-tuned" to make it cost-efficient while remaining energy and heat-efficient as well.
He said this will be the first time a Catholic church was rebuilt in the Northwest Territories.
"We've built many churches but we've never rebuilt a church," he said.
"This also represents the first time we've done it without the Oblates of Mary Immaculate - that's a significant issue."
In a short history lesson for community members, Hagemoen said the Oblates were the ones who originally came North to construct churches.
"They came up because it was a ... mission for them at a time the land was vast, communities were small and getting around was difficult," he said.
"The Oblates did what the builders down south do, what the carpenters and tradespeople do - they did everything."
Now, with members of the order having mostly left the North, Hagemoen said the diocese is in a unique situation.
It means the diocese will need to follow a tendering process in order to get the church built. Finding a builder within the diocese's price range may also prove difficult.
Hagemoen plans to attend the upcoming Tastes of Heaven gala in April, which he characterized as an important national fundraising event.
This year, the gala will collect money for Fort Simpson's new church.
"People in the rest of Canada are, I think, aware of the struggles in the North ... it's on people's radar, so if they can try to help I think they're wanting to," Hagemoen said.
As for local fundraising efforts, church member Martina Norwegian said even small donations add up.
"It doesn't really matter if it's $10 or $600 - it's just that everybody has us on their hearts and minds as we continue to build," she said.
The Tastes of Heaven gala is set for April 28.
