“My sisters and brothers got married in church,” he said. “My little brothers and sisters were baptized in that church. They were really a big part of us.” With declining population, declining visitors and a building in need of many repairs, these community deliveries will end on Sunday as the landmark church is rebuilt. The purpose of the restoration is to make the building unusable as a church or for blasphemous use. LeBlanc said it was expecting a flood of memories on Sunday. “I will definitely look at where our bench in the church was and where my whole family was sitting and thinking, you know, it’s the passage of time,” he said. Louise LeBlanc grew up around the church and says it was an important part of her family life. (Denise LeBlanc) “I think for us Akkadians, we do not want to see the church leave, but we are also very realistic and understand that there is no way a community of our size can keep the church afloat.” The idea for the church was conceived by the local Edouard LeBlanc, who became a parish priest in 1907. The top of the gothic roof rises 21.5 meters above the floor. (Vernon Ramesar / CBC) According to Louise LeBlanc, the priest had a “magnificent” idea to build a church that would resemble European churches and have the community behind him. The foundation stone was laid in 1910 and the community spent the next 32 years completing it. An ecclesiastical pamphlet reported that over 8,000 pieces of granite were transported by ox from Shelburne to the site for 20 years and cut with hand tools. The imposing building is 65 meters long, 28 meters wide in the transverse shell and the top of the gothic tower roof rises 21.5 meters above the ground. The imposing construction was completed in 1942 after 32 years of work by members of the Akkadian community. (Vernon Ramesar / CBC) Despite the ancient appearance of the building, the walls are supported by steel beams and what appears to be a stone roof is, in fact, plaster over a metal grid. “I guess there is such a sense of pride in this church … because people built it,” LeBlanc said. “My grandparents who were fishermen, farmers and other things, actually came and did the masonry and, and the hard blood, the sweat and the tears to build this church.” During his heyday, LeBlanc said there were two events on the weekends with over a thousand people in attendance. By the time COVID-19 arrived, he said about 35 people were watching the weekend. In the years just before the pandemic, the events took place in the basement because it had become too expensive to heat the entire building, LeBlanc said. He told CBC Radio Information Morning on Friday that the small church simply could not afford the heating and repairs needed to keep the church running. Today there are areas where the plaster that covers the slats that make up the roof collapses as water enters the construction. Water enters the roof and causes damage to the plaster roof. (Vernon Ramesar / CBC) LeBlanc said it would cost millions to restore the church to its original glory, and the decision was made in consultation with the Halifax-Yarmouth Archdiocese. Describing the church as a “community center,” Reverend Robert Doyle, a deacon at the Archdiocese of Halifax, said it was a sad day and that the restoration of the church was not an easy decision. Doyle said there would be a service that people in the area could watch. In the end the people will leave and the doors will close. “Any religious objects that can be removed will be removed,” Doyle said. The Akkadian flags appeared in a prominent position inside the church. (Vernon Ramesar / CBC) “The altar itself will not necessarily be removed during the service, but immediately after, it will be removed from the church or destroyed. If it is a fixed object, it will be destroyed and can not be used again.” He said sacred objects such as statues would be removed. LeBlanc accepts the fate of the church. “You can not think of the church as a religion,” he said. “The church is a building. Just bring your religion to this church.” MORE TOP STORIES
