Quebec congregations rally as Catholic church plans more closures
MONTREAL — For more than 150 years, the church in Sainte-Sophie, Que. has stood in the heart of the village, its steeple like a beacon summoning the faithful through its doors.
But with so few answering the call each Sunday, the small town northwest of Montreal is one of many facing what once would have been unimaginable: a churchless future.
As the Saint-Jerome Catholic diocese north of Montreal contemplates whether to dramatically slash the number of buildings it maintains, parishioners say they won’t accept the closure of their churches without a fight.
While the committee studying the issue won’t confirm how many churches could be closed, Montreal La Presse and a local newspaper have reported that as many as 33 of the diocese’s 54 churches could be on the chopping block as of this summer.