The church of Attawapiskat (Ontario) was destroyed by fire
In northern Ontario, the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Attawapiskat, an Indigenous community (First Nation), was burnt down on the 21st of April. It had been closed since 2019 because of structural faults.
“The church is completely destroyed. It is a great loss for the people, a great mourning,” laments the Archbishop of the Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee, Bishop Terrence Prendergast. The century-old wooden church was to be torn down and replaced with a new one.
Since 2019, the faithful have been meeting in a nearby small house, which they had converted into an oratory. The stained glass windows designed by the locals in 2012 were removed, as well as the sacred vesels and ornaments, and the two priests had been relocated.
In the same diocese, the church of Fort Albany which was in very poor condition was not rebuilt until a fire destroyed it completely.
Source: radio-canada.ca
