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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-10-12, Page 1(519)235-1115 www.hurontractor.com INHURONI TRACTOR A g, i St0 rico HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVING EXETER & SURROUND/NG AREAS For as low as $19.95/mo. (S19)236-4333 TIMES ADVOCATE Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, October 12, 2005 1 .25 (includes GST) Local churches face closure threat By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF MT. CARMEL — Two local Catholic churches are facing the possibility of clo- sure under the terms of a report on the Huron -Perth Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London released last month. Among the churches the report recommended closing are Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Peter's in St. Joseph. The purpose of the report was to look comprehensively at parishes in the Diocese under a number of criteria not used before. Although in the past parishes could be established wherever people wanted them, a policy released in the spring stated any parish in a rural area with mem- bership under 200 or in a rural area with under 400 is not going to be viable in the long term. Other factors in potential clos- ings are the proximity of a parish to others, the number of priests available and the finan- cial viability of the parishes. Under the terms of the report, Mt. Carmel, which was in 1887 after the parish was incorporated in 1860, would close June 30, 2008. The parish was planing on celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2010. From the 22 parish churches in the Huron -Perth Deanery, 12 will be left if all the recommendations are adopted. Mt. Carmel parish priest Father Ray Lawhead said the task for church leaders and parishioners is to prepare a response with more information about the parish that will be given to the Deanery team Nov. 1. The response will be taken back and added to the working plan on the recom- mendations. "The plan "It's not about trying to see how many they can close, and let's close them. It's a matter of seeing how many do we have to close...trying to keep open as many as possible and trying to meet the needs of whatever the future holds." MT. CARMEL PARISH PRIEST FATHER RAY LAWHEAD will be submitted to the bishop and we just have to play the waiting game then," said Lawhead who added by May of next year the final decision will be come back from the bishop. "It's not about trying to see how many they can close, and let's close them. It's a matter of seeing how many do we have to close...trying to keep open as many as possible and trying to meet the needs of whatever the future holds." One of the factors influenc- ing whether Mt. Carmel will close is the amount of renova- tions the church needs. Lawhead said the building needs around $1.5 million in repairs, "there is some ques- tion whether this parish is able to take on that big of a debt. And that's what we're going to be addressing...how the people feel. And I already know what their answer is going to be. Yes they do want to." Among the repairs other than the roof, which Lawhead said isn't leaking but is at the end of its life, there is brick work and internal structural repairs to be done. There is also a problem with mould, although it is not dangerous and not as bad as first thought, said Lawhead. Father Ray Lawhead stands in front of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church which has been recommended for closing in 2008 along with St. Peter's Parish in St. Joseph. (photo/ Pat Bolen) Grand Bend second season alive and well By Nina Van Lieshout TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GRAND BEND — Summer has come and gone but Grand Bend is still up and running. "We're just beginning what we call our second season," says Christine Bregman, a member of the Grand Bend and Area Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of The Health Nut. Although most people won't want to go swimming this time of year and some stores and restaurants have closed or cut back their hours for the season, many are still open for business. Different events and activities are scheduled, including the Farmers' Market, Craft Show & Spooky Weekend this month or the Grand Bend Winter Carnival in February. "It's really unfortunate people think nothing is going on here, now that the summer is gone," says co-owner of Huckleberries Cappuccino Bar & Cafe, Janet Carter. Carter has been the co-owner of Huckleberries for just a few months but has completely renovated the business, drawing in new customers. Along the Main Street of Grand Bend there are a few places needing a facelift. "I would like to see Main Street fixed up," says owner of the Saga Bound Bookstore, Henry Prange. "Some of the businesses that close after the summer should make sure their place still looks good, that's the key," says Prange. "I'd be nice to see a by-law come into effect that won't allow busted signs, paper covering the windows, cracked sidewalks and so on." "It's so tough to change the conception See GRAND BEND page 2 MORTGAGE INTELLIGENCE , Hj M SALE The SunCoast Mortgage Team Justin Christie, AMP • Keith Wolper, AMP 45 Ontario Street South • Grand Bend 519.238.HOME • 866.544.4001 Head office: 5280 Solar Drive, Suite 101, Mississauga ON L4W 5M8 • ©20 n5 as Consultan Tra L ofrtgti,�r to More Choices, Bigger Savings. SunCoast. ca ...Making it Easy elligence Inc. • ®Registered trademark of Mortgage Intelligence Inc.