The St. Joachim Parish Church in La Broquerie is nearing its 125th anniversary. And, to ensure that the church building is around for many more years, a fundraising campaign has started that will help with some much-needed repairs.
Luc Grenier is President of the 125th ad hoc committee. He says the church along Principale Street was constructed in 1901. Grenier says it was a handful of parishioners that moved to the area, along with their priest who decided that a church building needed to be constructed. He notes almost all of the material was sourced locally.
Larry Tetrault, who sits on the fundraising committee and also serves as Councillor for the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, says the church was built large enough to seat 550 people. Yet, at the time, only about 50 people lived in La Broquerie.
"They had a dream and a vision," says Tetrault. "They had a dream that La Broquerie one day would become a city."
Tetrault says when you consider that 2,400 people live in the town today, plus another 5,500 live in the rural area, the visionaries of the day were bang on.
"And we can learn from our ancestors that you have to have a dream and vision and then hard work and determination," says Tetrault. "And that's how they built this church because it was all free labour."
Tetrault says that today, the church building is well-used on a daily basis. He notes there was mass last Sunday and the place was full. He adds it is the only heritage building in the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie. Tetrault refers to it as a landmark in the middle of the community that attracts people from across Canada and around the world.
"In Manitoba, it's rare that we have a beautiful building like that that's almost 125 years old," says Tetrault. "So, we're proud of it, people love this building and it's a heritage building."
Larry Tetrault, Luc Grenier and Ron St. Hilaire
As mentioned, parts of the building are starting to show their age. Grenier says the main part of the church is in very good condition and only needs a few minor tweaks to the foundation. However, the east end of the building is an addition, which Grenier says was built with errors. He notes though the situation is not dire, they need to secure the foundation to support the building's weight. Grenier points out that as of today, this is not a safety concern.
"There is no need to be concerned, there is no safety hazard," he assures the public. "We just had the engineer here (Monday) and he just assured me there are no safety hazards to speak of right now."
Ron St. Hilaire, who also sits on the fundraising committee, says there are a few priorities for improvements including the foundation, roof, windows, and insulation. He notes that depending on how much funding comes in, they can also tackle some less critical repairs if their budget allows. St. Hilaire says when you consider all that needs to be addressed, they will require well over $1 million, and possibly as much as $1.5 million.
According to Tetrault, their committee is hoping to generate half that total in grants and the other half through donations.
"I think $750,000 is not out of reach within this year," suggests Tetrault, noting that the generosity of La Broquerie residents is the envy of a lot of communities in Manitoba. "I'm optimistic and I think we will find out how generous we are and the people of La Broquerie are."
Tetrault says back in 2015, they raised $750,000 in two weeks for the arena expansion.
"I think the heritage building here and the church is as important as the arena," he says.
Tetrault says the St. Joachim Parish Church in La Broquerie has been the location of many pivotal moments in the lives of residents. He notes it is the site of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals.
"It's very important, people have done everything in their lifetime in this church," he adds.
Meanwhile, St. Hilaire says they will apply for grants, target foundations, and rely on donations from the community.
"Later this month we are actually working with a bigger group to rally behind us and really get going and get started," he adds. "And hopefully we can come up with some money to give this project a boost right out of the gates."
St. Hilaire adds they envision the total project being completed over four years.
St. Hilaire says they are now accepting donations. Cheques can be made to Paroisse Saint-Joachim and state that the money is for 125 projects. E-transfers can be sent to paroisse@pstjoachim.ca