UPDATE: A youth has been charged in connection with the fire.
KEHEWIN - A fire that broke out Friday evening has destroyed the Catholic church in Kehewin Cree Nation.
Bishop Paul Terrio explained that the church, known as Our Lady of Mercy, was not owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Paul, but rather belonged to the band. The church was built in the mid 1980s, but had been sitting empty due to mold and dampness in the basement of the building.
“It was standing there empty,” said Terrio.
He noted that due to the fire, “The church, I understand... would be a total ruin,” although he also affirmed he did not have any official information on the incident, yet.
Bonnyville RCMP are investigating the blaze. The Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) was called to assist in battling the fire at around 10 p.m. on Friday.
“When we arrived on scene, the Kehewin Fire Department was already there fighting the fire,” described BRFA Fire Chief Jay Melvin.
“The front part of the church, the roof structure was all burnt and some of it had already collapsed onto the main floor.”
The fire department assisted in trying to extinguish the blaze, which according to Melvin, took several hours.
“It was a difficult fire to work on,” Melvin said, adding the age, roof line, and construction of the church were all factors. The BRFA brought in heavy equipment and tore down exterior walls rather than sending crews into the building.
Melvin confirmed the church was condemned several years ago, and for the safety of their firefighters, the decision was made to battle the fire from the outside.
Parish still exists
While the church itself wasn’t being used, Father Jhack Diaz has been taking care of the pastoral needs in Kehewin for a couple of years. Diaz is also the pastor St. Jean-de-Brebeuf in Mallaig.
Father Diaz was notified of the fire at about 10:18 p.m. on Friday night. Speaking on Saturday morning, he said he had not yet been out to the church site, but had received some photos of the fire from a parishioner.
While he hadn’t been visiting the community as often due to the pandemic, Father Diaz said he had been making the trip to Kehewin monthly before restrictions were put in place due to COVID-19. He is also always on call for funerals and other events.
“I’m so sad. And I pray for peace,” said Father Diaz. He noted that when he did his morning prayer on Saturday, he looked to a piece of scripture found in Romans Chapter 12:14-15, which states, “Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same attitude toward all.”
Morinville fire
The fire in Kehewin comes less than two weeks after a fire destroyed another church within the Diocese of St. Paul. The Saint Jean Baptiste parish in Morinville will be celebrating its second Sunday mass at the local high school on July 11, following a June 30 fire that destroyed the historic building.
Bishop Terrio said results of the investigation into that fire are expected in the coming week. He noted that he’s made multiple trips to the community since the fire.
“The community is being wonderful,” said the bishop.
A statement from the Alexander First Nation chief and council noted the nearby First Nations community was saddened to learn about the Morinville fire.
“Our members pass by the church almost daily as we conduct our business, collect our mail, and buy our groceries. We even have members who practice their faith in the church as Morinville is home to many of our members due to its proximity to the Nation,” reads the statement.
“Neither community has much to celebrate on this Canada Day, we ask that you give us the grace to pause and reflect on the issues before us without speculation and rumour," added the statement.
More to come...
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