At St. Gerard’s Catholic Church in Wildwood, the last mass has been celebrated, followed by a barbecue on the church grounds, to give the building a send-off before the real estate signs go up.
At the June 30 celebration, Father Patrick Tepoorten said there was a farewell liturgy to “say goodbye to this beautiful St. Gerard’s church in Wildwood,” which had been open since 1957.
“It was built by volunteer labour from the men of the community here in Wildwood; most of them Italian and many of them Dutch, also,” said Tepoorten. “It was a labour of love and the church was very filled with people in the early decades. The population has changed over the course of almost 60 years, so the usage of the church has been diminished in terms of the population.
“It’s a very sad thing for us to say farewell to part of our history, but it is a very good thing that we will use the proceeds of the sale of the property to seismically retrofit Assumption School. Some of the Wildwood people who are greatly devoted to the church are grateful that the school will benefit from this property and it will strengthen our school community.”
Tepoorten said the church has a duty to seismically protect the children. He added that there is good coming out of the sadness of losing such a lovely prayer space.
He said the church has had an interesting history. For instance, the downstairs was host to a lot of music, including the popular Canadian musical group The Poppy Family, of which former member Susan Jacks recently died. Tepoorten said the downstairs space was known as the dugout.
“It was like a drop-in folk music place,” he added. “It became a kind of a happening place for the young people.”
Tepoorten said the church and its downstairs are inviting spaces and known as very friendly, welcoming and informal places.
“In keeping with the Italian flavour of the community, there was a friendliness and an openness that was remarkable here,” said Tepoorten.
The parish took a vote to shut down the church in 2015, he said.
“Most people felt the population had moved on and many of the people here in Wildwood do go to Westview, so it was a reality we knew we would face,” said Tepoorten.
Future use unknown
It is likely that the church will be on the market at the end of July. Tepoorten said his hope is that, when it is sold, the church will be maintained. He said in Sechelt, where he spent a lot of his youth on weekends, the old catholic church became a lawyer’s office.
“I love seeing that building in a good and practical use. It looks great,” said Tepoorten. “It’s predicted that the church will be a dwelling of some kind and people buying it would be turning it into some kind of home – quite a large home. It would be interesting to see how it could be transformed. It’s a pretty place.”
Leading up to the sale of the church, Tepoorten said the wooden pews will be sold, so if anyone wants to purchase some, they can contact the Assumption Church office.
In his homily during the final mass at St. Gerard’s, Tepoorten said in the past few years, there has been amazing volunteerism and dedication at the church.
“It is very painful for us to be losing a beloved part of our catholic heritage in Powell River, but this is the situation we have been given, and we know the spirit and love of those who have served will continue in other ways,” added Tepoorten. “Today’s mass is fundamentally a mass of thanksgiving for all the dedicated people who have cared for St. Gerard’s and who have worked to maintain it. Most have left us and gone to our Lord.
“As much as this is a sad day, we are thankful for the community’s faith that brought them together, and for the spirit of working together that has made the Wildwood church so special. May God bless you all.”
