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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2005-05-25, Page 9• v PTIS •SERVICE 8 REMOVAL removal & clean-up ket truck service sh chipping Grinding • ` awn Rolling Dan Bemard o . 519.482.3976 DAMES ACCOUNTING SERVICES ACCOUNTING & TAX PREPARATION Farm,Business, Personal & Corporate 527-1063 Van Beek CONSTRUCTION ¥Shingle Roofs ¥Steel Roofs ¥Vinyl Siding ¥Soffit & Facia ¥Windows and Doors ¥Decks ¥Drywall ¥Renovation) FREE ESTIMATES Call Glen Van Beek 527-2788 or 955-2788 Dr. L.J. Laplante OPTOMETRIST 527.1240 87 Main St., Seaforth HOURS Monday CLOSED Tuesday 9:00 - 12:00 1:00 - 5:30 Wednesday 9:00 - 12:00 1:00 - 5:30 Thursday 9:00 - 12:00 1:00 - 5:30 6:30 - 9:00 Friday 9:00 - 12:00 1:00 - 5:30 Sat. & Sun. CLOSED Beiija11111 i i\ 1u r( Pitt titers Pa tilt 8 Papel 1 , ,1„I I, \t„ Looking for a painter? CaII us for names of area professionals who use our premium quality products. 19 Main Street, Seaforth (519)527-1880 or 1-866-707-7670 j Elligsen ELECTRIC LIMITED FARM • NOME • COMMERCIAL • POLE LINES • STANDBY SYSTEMS M19)345.2447 R.R04 WALTON, ONT. VANDRIEL Excavatin., Inc. * Excavating • 1 ulldozing • Rackhoeing * Gravel *Seidler( * Complete Site Rork (:all us for your next project SEAFORTH CLINTON 527-0609 482-3783 NEED A LITTLE HELP AROUND THE HOUSE? Get help from the professionals In our business directory( News THE HURON EXPOSITOR, May 25, 2005-9 St. Columban church's final mass set for June 26 Parishioner says closure of church is not a celebration, and equates it to losing your whole family By Susan Htmderbinark Expositor Editor The final mass for St. Columban Roman Catholic Church will be held at 1 p.m. on June 26. "It's now certain that it's closing. We received the letter of intention last year and the decision is final," says Father Lance Magdziak, priest at both St. Columban and St. James Church in Seaforth "I hate to see it happening but we have to listen to what the bishop is saying," he says. A n d , while the S t . Columban community has begun to plan what to include in its final mass and what to do with its property, parishioners are still angry and grieving about the need to close the church. "It's a tremendous loss that you would equate with losing your whole family," says Mary Ryan, a member of the St. Columban parish. "People do not look on this as a celebration - they look at it as a funeral. I think people's spirits are rather low but we're doing what we can," she says. Catholic parishes throughout Southwestern Ontario in the London diocese are currently undergoing a "reorganization process" which involves churches clustering, amalgamating or closing. Declining numbers of clergy, the condition of church buildings and shifting demographics are issues causing the need to reorganize, says a press release from the London diocese. St. Columban parish has been fighting to keep its church open for close to eight years. The church has been undergoing an annual review since September of 1997 when the parish was shocked by an architect's report that said the church building was in danger of collapsing --111111111111F- `It's a tremendous loss that you would equate with losing your whole family,' St. Columban parish member Mary Ryan • because of unstable and warped roof trusses. The church building was closed for close to two years as the parish struggled with the knowledge the repairs would cost between $650,000 to $800,000. By September, 1998, the London Diocese was trying to convince the St. Columban parish that the costs of repairing the church were too high, even at a lower estimate of $398,000. In December of 1998, the parish learned it had been removed from the Dublin and Mitchell cluster of churches after receiving permission by the diocese to proceed with repairs to the church building. St. Columban was left without a priest for about a year. Until the St. Columban Church reopened in the spring of 1999 after $52,000 in repairs, masses were held in the gym at St. Columban School and at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Father Lance says the St. Columban community has formed a committee to plan "something nice" for the final mass and to dispose of property owned by the church in St. Columban. "Some people are kind of hurt by the closure because for them it's like closing their own home. The brokenness is going to be there for awhile," he says. "This process is always painful - I wish it could be easier," says Father Lance, who recently attended closures of Catholic churches in Blyth and London. Ryan, who's been charged with the responsiblity of creating the liturgy for the final mass, says she's gathering ideas of hymns the congregation would like to hear in their church one last time. "We have a very vibrant choir and a congregation that loves to sing. We have so much to be proud of in St. Columban," she says. St. Columban is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in the Huron Tract between Guelpk and Lake Huron. It was formed in 1932, building its first log church in 1858. Before that, services were held in a tavern on Highway 8 by a priest who would travel on horseback once a month from Guelph. The log church was replaced by a large elaborate church in 1864, which was destroyed by fire in 1909. The current church was built in 1911 to replace the one destroyed by fire. AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING SPECIALISTS �.1 I• �I�a"��ll Bill Holman & Sons Contractor License #0038931001 Sale rich`St. 527-0505 Licensed for Sheet Metal. Refrigeration. 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