St Joachim church celebrates completion of first phase of renovations

The Catholic Parish of St Joachim celebrated the completion of the first phase of its renovations last Wednesday with much fanfare.

“It feels pretty darn good to see this accomplished. You know, I had a vision in my mind and nobody can really see what’s in my mind and it turned out to be pretty close to what I was seeing. So I’m pretty proud of the accomplishment we did,” said Lucien Grenier, president of the 125 Committee of Saint-Joachim Parish, which is the fundraising arm for the renovations. The committee was established in 2024 when Grenier and committee vice-president Ron St Hilaire began organizing and selecting volunteer staff.

Community members, politicians, church leaders, and members of the 125th committee were in attendance to mark the event with speeches praising the work of the committee, contractors, donors, and the community of La Broquerie.

Renovations began last summer with the demolition and rebuilding of the church steps and accessibility ramp, followed by the replacement of the front doors, installation of insulation in the roof, installation of a new furnace and an air conditioning unit, and cleaning of the two chimneys.

The project is estimated to cost between $1.3 million and $1.5 million with the first phase costing about $500,000. So far, the committee has raised about $700,000 for the renovations through grants, donations, a GoFundMe campaign that has raised almost $4,000 of a $25,000 goal, and through local fundraising.

One of first major donors to the project is Russell Edwards, owner of WGI Westman Group Inc., as he has ties to the community. Initially, he donated $10,000 to the church, which he used to go to for mass every Friday as a child with his family. His daughter matched his donation, and then Edwards doubled that.

Donors have also came from unexpected places such as a $5,000 donation from a Mennonite organization, The D. F. Plett Historical Research Foundation, and an undisclosed amount from Quebec nuns, the Sisters of St Joseph in Sainte-Hyacinthe.

“We were uneasy at the beginning. Like, how are we going to realize this is a huge number? And now, like (St Hilaire) said, people see that we are serious. We’re not joking around. We spend our time wisely and it’s moving,” said Grenier, noting constant communication with the public and donors was key to getting support.

The second phase of renovations will encompass foundation work (with engineering plans already drawn and sent to tender), insulation in the walls, repair of the brick-and-mortar walls, remediation of the stained glass windows, repairs to the two chimneys, new LED lighting, and replacement of the 100-year-old windows.

“The second year is a pivotal year,” said Hilaire. “I want to get past the halfway mark. I really want to penetrate. I want to get stuff done.”

To help with the committee’s renovations, Loewen Windows has given it a discount on 18 custom-made windows, some of which will protect the stained glass windows. Some of the windows will have wood frames, which can last a 100 years, and others will have an exterior aluminum cladding. Most will be maintenance free, and it will take about eight to 10 weeks to build, according to Fran Harder, Loewen sales professional for Manitoba, Western Ontario, and Saskatchewan, who has been working with the committee.

“I think that we’re honored and privileged to be able to contribute to not only the history of this project, but just to have a presence in our local market,” she said.

Completion of the project is set for 2028.

St Joachim was built in 1898 but consecrated on July 1, 1901. The church was built by volunteers from the parish and was supervised by the local priest, Father Alexandre Giroux. The bricks were all made by hand from nearby clay deposits and the wood was cut locally. St Joachim was named a Manitoba municipal heritage site in 2000. It is the oldest building in La Broquerie and the oldest known historical building in the Southeast that is still used for its original purpose, according to Grenier.

The importance of the project to the community was not lost on Father Serge Buisse, who has been the head of the parish for the last three-and-a-half years.

“I think it’s staying in line with the heart of this community. Not being from La Broquerie originally myself, that’s probably the first thing I came to recognize is how special this community is, this La Broquerie, this town. They have a spirit of family, and so the people are connected, the people are strong, and they have roots.

“And so the work of this project, of this restoration, just gives testimony to the specialness of this community.”

Archbishop Albert LeGatt likened the importance of the church to the people of La Broquerie as being as important as the Notre Dame Cathedral is to Parisians and the St Boniface Cathedral is to Winnipeggers, especially after fire razed both churches.

“Now, I’m going to say, and I’m not a prophet of misfortune at all, but imagine La Broquerie without this church. It would be terrible. It would be absolutely terrible,” he said.

“So, we have a building, a place, yes, the House of God, the House of the People of God, but above all, the place of the gathering, where community life is nourished again and again and again.”

Church choir members Celine Gagnon and Louise Balcaen said the committee should be commended for its renovation work. They both welcomed improvements to the heating and cooling of the church.

“The heating system, it was very, very cold here, especially in the minus 40. But it is much better (now), we don’t take our coats off when we come. And in the summer, it is hot in here. Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebration, I mean, you wear skirts and you got to tug at them because they stick to you,” said Balcaen, who has been a town resident and a member of St Joachim for 55 years.

Balcaen, who is originally from Richer, noted St Joachim is the “nucleus of the community” and the renovations have caused a lot of curiosity from residents outside of La Broquerie, some of whom have made donations to the renovations.

Gagnon, who was born and raised in La Broquerie and has been attending St Joachim since she was a child, said the church was an integral part of her life.

She praised the committee’s decision to keep the historic details of the building, such as its woodwork.

Gagnon said she is always there to give back to the church, such as returning the $500 she won during the 125th committee’s 50/50 fundraiser.

“And every time (the committee) (does) something for the church, we always, we want to be the first to have a ticket, you know.”

The church and the committee will be hosting a number of events this year to celebrate the church and raise money for renovations.

In March, a sold-out social will be held and on March 20 during Francophone Week the committee will hold activities at the church, such as an escape room, and it will host a live band and showcase a mural artist’s reproduction of a painting by artist Henri Julien.

On July 26, a special mass will be held at 11 a.m. with LeGatt as the main celebrant. The date was chosen as it is close to the date of when the church was consecrated and the day is also recognized as St. Joachim’s Day.

On Nov. 7, the committee will host a gala to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the church.

For tickets to the gala or for more information, contact Grenier at 204-981-7549 or ljgrenier@icloud.com. Donations for the restoration project can be e-transferred to paroisse@pstjoachim.ca.