Ten Catholic churches in western Quebec will be without Sunday mass this September because of a shortage of priests. In a letter to parishioners published on Thursday, Bishop of Pembroke Michael Brehl said that two priests serving in the central and lower Pontiac region are no longer available for ministry. One, Father Michael Goring, is on health leave and the other, Father Kakule Christian, left the diocese on Wednesday. Brehl says retired priests and priests from other areas have stepped up to conduct mass through the month of August, but this solution is not sustainable. “We are very grateful to both the priests and lay collaborators who have made this possible. However, with the beginning of September and the full schedule which will engage all the active priests, it will no longer be possible to count on their generous assistance,” Brehl wrote. As a result, Brehl said Sunday mass will be temporarily suspended at the following churches starting in September: Mass will be able to continue at St. Alphonsus Church in Chapeau, Église St-Pierre in Fort Coulonge, St. John the Evangelist Church in Campbell’s Bay, and Holy Name of Mary Church in Quyon. Brehl stressed that the affected churches are not closing. “This is an interim schedule while we continue the consultation necessary. We urge parishioners to continue to attend and participate in the Sunday Mass in their ‘cluster,’ to use their parish envelopes to support their parish, and to participate in the consultation process as we prepare a long-term proposal to be presented to the Diocese and to the Bishop,” Brehl wrote. Father Michael Smith, the parish priest of Fort Coulonge, Waltham, Vinton and Otter Lake, says it is unlikely the parish will be able to go “back to the status quo” of celebrating mass at all 14 churches. “Some people will say it’s long overdue. It doesn’t make any sense to be trying to maintain 14 buildings with some, in some cases, very small congregations,” he said. Smith has been the Priest at the Fort Coulonge cluster since 2022 and also served in the area for two years in the 1980s. He says it would have been “humanly impossible” to maintain 14 churches with the current personnel, which brought on the sudden reorganization. While Smith says the hope is that the diocese will be able to find more personnel, it can be difficult to find priests fluent in both French and English. According to Smith, the goal of the reorganization was to ensure most people would have either an English or French mass to attend within a 30-minute drive; however, Smith says the challenge for most parishioners will be emotional, and not logistical. “It’s not so much distance that’s going to be a problem for people. It’s their connection to the history of their place, the history of their church, and that is going to be difficult, and it will it involve a grieving process,” he said. Smith says he is more than happy to speak to anyone who may be struggling with the adjustments. “We’ll take this one day at a time,” Smith said. “I really am convinced that the deanery and also the diocese will eventually end up in a better place. We may have fewer parishes, but we’ll have more vibrant parishes, and that’s the goal.” Brehl said the priests who will be appointed to provide the pastoral care of all 14 parish communities will be announced as soon as possible. ‘Long overdue’ While nothing has been decided yet, Father Michael Smith, the parish priest of Fort Coulonge, Waltham, Vinton and Otter Lake, says it is unlikely the parish will be able to go “back to the status quo” of celebrating mass at all 14 churches. “Some people will say it’s long overdue. It doesn’t make any sense to be trying to maintain 14 buildings with, in some cases, very small congregations,” he said. Smith has been the Priest at the Fort Coulonge cluster since 2022 and also served in the area for several years in the 1980s. While Smith says the hope is that the diocese will be able to find more personnel, he notes that it can be difficult to find priests fluent in both French and English. He says it would have been “humanly impossible” to maintain 14 churches with the reduced personnel, which brought on the sudden reorganization. “It’s possible to find priests from other places, but over a period of perhaps six months to a year, especially if they come from other countries,” he said. “Finding a priest from one week to the next to replace someone who’s suddenly gone is an impossible task.” According to Smith, the goal of the reorganization was to ensure most people would have either an English or French mass to attend within a 30-minute drive; however, Smith says the challenge for most parishioners will be emotional, and not logistical. “It’s not so much distance that’s going to be a problem for people. It’s their connection to the history of their place, the history of their church, and that is going to be difficult, and it will it involve a grieving process,” he said. Smith says he is happy to speak with anyone who may be struggling with the adjustments. “We’ll take this one day at a time,” Smith said. “I really am convinced that the deanery and also the diocese will eventually end up in a better place. We may have fewer parishes, but we’ll have more vibrant parishes, and that’s the goal.” With files from CTV’s Kimberley Johnson.
