Catholic church may open for Easter
Diocese hopes new church in Fort Simpson will be open in time for 30th anniversary of papal visit
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, December 22, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The foundation has been poured and the walls are up for Fort Simpson's new Sacred Heart Catholic church.
The church is currently under construction. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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During an update on the church, given on Dec. 11 by Bishop Mark Hagemoen and fundraising committee member Darlene Sibbeston, Hagemoen said he hopes to see a formal dedication, or at least a first use, of the church by Easter. That will be in time for summer celebrations, currently in the planning stages, to celebrate the anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Fort Simpson in 1987.
"Call it coincidence or a blessing - the church will be ready around the same time as the 30th anniversary of the papal visit," Hagemoen said.
The Village of Fort Simpson, along with the Fort Simpson Metis Nation and Liidlii Kue First Nation, sent an invite to Pope Francis for the anniversary. Although the Pope is not making any visits to Canada in 2017, Sibbeston - who is also mayor of Fort Simpson - said they haven't ruled out a possible visit in 2018.
The next steps are to get a bell tower erected and to work on landscaping the property.
"We couldn't address the bell until we knew what the church would finally look like - and, frankly, (until) we knew where we were financially as well," Hagemoen said. "There has been a lot of interest from the community expressed in the bell."
Hagemoen said the tower will likely be large enough to suspend the bell eight to 12 feet off the ground at the front corner of the church.
As for landscaping, the fundraising committee has chosen an option from a list of five designs, he said.
The landscaping, he said, has to be "thoughtful." To that end, the diocese will be pursuing relatively low-maintenance landscaping that still gives an inviting air for the community. The property will also include walkways that give easy access to the church for elders.
As work begins on the interior, Hagemoen said the committee is putting a lot of thought into what kind of lights it will install. The lights need to be dimmable, he added.
"Lighting is huge for a church, a sacred space," he said. "We want (the lighting) to be decent."
The interior will be decorated with a diamond willow theme and will include items from the old church building. That includes sacred items such as statues, tabernacle and crucifix.
"We're making a real effort to try to incorporate what was in the old church," Hagemoen said.
The new church will mark the first time the congregation will have a space of their own since the old building came down in 2013.
