Future of Halifax church in limbo again as HRM orders building closed for safety reasons

Blair Beed walked around the ornate interior of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Halifax on Friday fearful that it might be for the last time.

Small groups of glum-faced parishioners trickled in as the afternoon light filtered through the church’s century-old German stained glass windows, many of them replacements for the ones destroyed in the 1917 Halifax Explosion.

Beed and his family have been involved with the 140-year-old Barrington Street church for generations and he has been its devoted caretaker and historian for decades.

On Thursday night, Beed learned that Halifax Regional Municipality’s building standards office had issued an order saying the building was unsafe and had to be vacated no later than Friday.

The order says the building must remain empty until a structural assessment report is submitted to the municipality for review and approval.

“Today is the last day we’re allowed into the building and we don’t know if there’s a future re-entry,” Beed said.

“They were going to close us soon and this just sped up the process and made it a bit of a hurry and a shock without a celebration of the life of the building.”

Beed said city workers had already posted the notice of closure on the doors of the church and erected a safety fence around the entrance by 7:30 a.m. Friday.

For parishioners, the closure, whether temporary or otherwise, is the latest in a litany of setbacks for the building.

Prior to the municipal closure order, the archdiocese had announced that the last mass at the church would be held on June 30, after which it would be closed.

In a letter to parishioners dated May 10, Archbishop Brian Dunn said after consultations with parish leaders and the membership, the decision was made to remove the church from sacred use.

According to the letter, the decision was based largely on the estimated cost to repair and restore the church.

A news release from the archdiocese on Friday, after the municipal order was issued, said once work has been done to make the structure safe, the parish would arrange for a final mass and the removal of sacred objects.

Aurea Sadi, communications officer for the archdiocese, said in an email that a recent report from structural engineers advised the archdiocese to remove the church’s steeple.

St. Patrick’s, which opened in 1885, is designated as both a provincial and municipal heritage property, and should be protected, the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia said in a news release Friday.

The release said the church also contains an organ built by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., that is registered as being of historical significance.  

According to the trust, cabinet approval is required before any substantial modifications or demolition can be carried out to a provincially registered heritage property.

The trust is not aware that the archdiocese has obtained permission to conduct any modifications and until permission is obtained, no permits can be granted, it said.

In an email response to inquiries from CBC News, Susan Mader Zinck, spokesperson for the provincial Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, said the department has not received a formal application for substantial alterations to the church.

Zinck said the archdiocese has asked about the process.

“Structural condition of a heritage property is a consideration in any application for substantial alteration or demolition,” she said.

While the future of the building remains in limbo, some parishioners are fearful its closure will affect the work the church has been doing for the wider community.

Patricia Walsh says the church has been home to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul since it opened.

Walsh said church committees have been helping the community with food vouchers, school supplies and even heating and medication bills.

“Above all else is the sense of community that the parishioners have at St. Patrick’s,” she said. “We are family.”

Beed said it was heart-wrenching to have to leave the building so suddenly with no certainty he’ll ever be able to return.

“It’s very difficult to say goodbye to a place you really love,” Beed said through tears.

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