Last December 24, we were able to see an increase in attendance in our churches. Three years of pandemic made our churches desert a little more and some were happy to find them.
Of course, we came to please Grandma before New Year’s Eve, or out of habit, or because the Christmas mass is so beautiful with its songs… But this renewed interest will not fill our churches at home. ‘year.
Montrealers are attached to their churches, even if they never enter them. They are part of the urban landscape. In Rosemont, for example, the Saint-Esprit church, under renovation for several years, finally removed the tarpaulins and scaffolding that hid its facade. And many residents express their joy at seeing “their” church again. We hear more and more about the sale of churches. And often people rise up against what they consider unthinkable.
The City cannot help this religious heritage which requires a lot of work. And parishes have suffered financial impacts as a result of the closures due to the pandemic.
We find ourselves as a society in front of a dilemma: how to continue to make alive this heritage dear to our fellow citizens when the churches are empty? And why should the leaders of these churches restore a Montreal heritage? Wouldn’t the solution be to “return these buildings” to the population?
The Saint-Esprit de Rosemont church, for example, has been present at every event in the history of the inhabitants of the district. First by accompanying them in the various stages of their lives (marriages, baptisms, funerals, etc.). But, for several years, the building has become more and more essential, as during “sidewalk sales” or during various cultural events… And it will be even more present after the renovations planned for rue Masson.
Under renovation for several years, the facade of the Saint-Esprit de Rosemont church was returned to the many passers-by on rue Masson. Work on this heritage church, which has a magnificent Casavan organ and splendid stained glass windows, should have been completed several months ago. But they were delayed because of the successive confinements due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all the “surprises” that we always end up having when embarking on this type of renovation.
However, it is not only the facade that will be returned to the population. The leaders of the church want, in a way, to give back the use of its premises to the inhabitants.
Several unused premises can be rented to community organizations. Nearly 6,000 square feet in the basement could also be used for a larger community or cultural project… And the church itself, which already hosts concerts, could host community activities or be the theater on weekdays. neighborhood…
In short, this is a “community and cultural center” project that could perhaps grow there little by little. Thus, the population would not only see a place of worship, but a building that is open to them in the heart of the district.
This project requires the collaboration of many partners. We will have to find financial aid, tenants, organizations ready to carry this project with us. But, above all, we are counting on the interest of the population of the district, of the users of rue Masson who will be able to appropriate spaces which, we hope, will be more and more lively.
And perhaps, under these conditions, the City could help not the place of worship, but the artistic and community pole.