West Chezzetcook parishioners protest abrupt church closure

Parishioners at a church on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore spent Sunday afternoon protesting the closure of their church in West Chezzetcook.

Recently, they formed a registered society to advocate for more answers from the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

St. Anselm's Roman Catholic church closed abruptly last Remembrance Day. The parishioners say church leaders told them there was a "toxic mould" problem that forced an immediate closure.

"It was a shock because there had never been any talk of this whatsoever," said Beverly Hugli, a lifelong member of St. Anselm's.

"I mean, the church is old, it's 125 years old. And I suppose like in many older buildings like that, there is some mould. But this had never been considered to be of any danger to anyone's health."

Hugli said they have not received any word since then when repairs will start or when the church will reopen. 

The doors of the church, the parish hall, the rectory, and the glebe house have been locked. Hugli said parishioners were also told that going onto the church grounds could be considered trespassing. 

"There has been a number of letters written by different organizations or members of the community to the archdiocese asking questions and there has never been any answers," she said.

"There are more questions than answers, which make people even more anxious to know what is really happening to St. Anselm's church." 

In a statement, the archdiocese said the church closure was because of serious health issues caused by mould.

It said the archdiocese has been discussing since last year how to restructure the parishes on the Eastern Shore into a single parish. But the statement said it is a coincidence that this happened at the same time as the mould was discovered.

Madeline Oldham, the chair of the Friends of St. Anselm's Church Society, questioned whether the archdiocese is attempting to keep St. Anselm's closed in order to save money. 

Her society is asking for the church to be reopened and to stay open as long as the 500-member parish is able to support it.

She said she last heard from the archdiocese by letter in late May, but she was not satisfied with the answers in the letter.

"This is another smoke-and-mirrors ploy and it's not an answer that we're prepared to accept," she said. 

Bernard Baker was the volunteer caretaker at the church for 20 years. He said the church has a new roof, new furnaces and new oil tanks.

He also said he has noticed mould over the years on the exterior walls and in the choir loft, and that after last November's announcement he hired an independent inspector to assess the mould. 

Baker said that inspector said the mould was not toxic and not a significant health hazard, but that it would cost about $90,000 to clean up.

"Definitely surprised," he said. "It almost knocked me down. I couldn't believe it at that time and I can't believe it today.

"That they've actually took and closed our church for something that didn't have to be. And it's the way that they've done it. That's the big thing: they just came in and ran over us and said, you're done, we're closed."

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