St Adolphe Parish to hold second auction to keep up with repairs

The St Adolphe Parish will hold an online auction for the second time in its history as a way to keep up with the maintenance of the church.

The auction will be held in lieu of the annual fall supper. President of the finance committee David Boisjoli said the fall suppers were too stressful to organize. The last time the church held an online auction was in 2020 where it raised just under $13,000.

“It was something they did back then, which worked really well,” said Boisjoli. “And we’re wishing to kind of work with that and do it all over again. And we can achieve some successful numbers to pay down some debt, some maintenance costs that keep on increasing with an older church like we operate out of.”

St Adolphe Parish is 129 years old. It was established as a mission in 1893, with the first church being built three years later in 1896. A new church was built in 1913, and that’s the structure still in use today, serving parishioners in both English and French.

Boisjoli said since the pandemic, there have been lower attendance numbers, and that there are about 70 families that attend services at church. He said the church is “on the cusp of rebuilding the congregation.”
Boisjoli hopes this online auction will raise between $8,000 and $10,000.

“Money is going to be used for the maintenance, increased costs outside of just operating. We desperately need to regrade our entire driveway parking area…to kind of upkeep our leaky windows and the envelope of the church will also need to be (redone). I guess have attention to (the maintenance) so that (the church) can be there for another century.”

The auction will have many items for sale such as a big screen TV, Winnipeg Jets tickets, meat packages from Harvest Meats of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, a pressure washer, and donations from Smitty’s Restaurant.

Boisjoli said the church is important to the community as it is the hub of where people come to celebrate weddings, mass, and attend funerals.

“It’s an integral part of the fabric of St. Adolphe for not just for parishioners or Catholics, but for all faiths to celebrate.”

The finance president said the auction is all about keeping the church going in the community for another 100 years.

“For future generations, they’ll continue celebrating mass and having a close relationship with Christ is what the whole goal is for. It’s nice to go to a church and you feel the Holy Spirit there. And it’s not decayed or falling apart,” he noted.

The auction will be held from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. The auction website will launch on Friday. To get the link to the website to bid, visit the parish’s Facebook page, Paroisse Saint Adolphe Parish.