Replica of Medicine Hat church delivered by New York woodworker

Handmade with hundreds of hours of work, the model replica was delivered in person by Robert Paradis himself, the New York state resident who created it.

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“I would hate to think I drove all the way out here and no one was impressed by it,” he said Tuesday.

Robert Paradis made the drive from his home 33 hours away over the course of four days to present a special delivery of a wooden replica that’s been in the making since 2021.

Courtesy/Robert Paradis

A woodworker from Ogdensburg, New York, Paradis said the project initially began as a birdhouse — but took on a life of it’s own.

He said he eventually searched online for a structure that caught his eye to complete the changing piece.

“As I was making it, I wanted to make something a little bit bigger in structure. I usually do homes, so I started looking through churches,” he said.

Paradis happened to come across St. Patrick’s Church in Medicine Hat.

He said as soon as he saw it, he knew it was what he wanted to build.

“I was able to pretty much replicate the church itself, and I started with a sheet of plywood and a 2×4, and it ended up being this,” he said, gesturing to the model.

Paradis unpacks the carefully loaded model upon arriving at St. Patrick’s Church. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Paradis did a lot of research on the church online, and was able to communicate with Medicine Hat residents on the Facebook group Ask the Hat to receive all of the information he needed.

Paradis observes the original blueprints of St. Patrick’s Church, which finished construction in 1914. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

“There was so much interest from the people, from the parishioners, even from I think non-parishioners,” he said.

“[They] showed so much interest in wanting to see it, that I knew that it needed to come here.”

The wooden replica is a 1/70th scale of the catholic church, and includes details as intricate as a sign outside of the building reading its history.

Intricate detail was achieved through jigs Paradis created, along with chisels. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

The replica even includes a button that sounds the bells — a feature that Paradis was only able to accurately incorporate thanks to the help of Medicine Hat residents who recorded the sounds for him.

Father Roque Pereira, pastor of the parish at St. Patrick’s Church, said most people don’t even know the church has bells.

“So they can see the sound here,” he said, in reference to the replica.

“Not very often [do] we ring. Only when there is services or some other times,” he said.

“So there is these [other] historic things where people sometimes don’t know either.”

Pereira said features of the model such as the ringing bells can allow people to see the lesser known details of the historic building.

“This could be a small tour like a museum. That’s what I feel, kind of being the church is like a museum,” he said.

“It’s a place where people gather together to see and come together. So that will help also people to see this is a church- everything, in a miniature.”

Pereira said features of the model can allow people to see lesser known details of the historic building. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Paradis said what turned the project into what it became was the people of Medicine Hat.

He said so many people were willing to go out of their way to give him information to be able to complete the replica.

“They all gave me so many accolades online for building it, that I don’t think I had a choice but to bring it here for everyone,” he said.

The model replica will remain at St. Patrick’s Church until the fall, when it will circulate the Catholic Schools in the city.

Afterwards, the church said the replica will likely be featured at the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre periodically.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

Replica of Medicine Hat church delivered by New York woodworker

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