Historic church in Clare wins $50K in ‘Next Great Save’ contest
Église Sainte-Marie in Church Point has won the National Trust for Canada’s ‘Next Great Save’ competition out of 12 finalists.
The church will receive the grand prize of $50,000 to go towards repairs.
A Facebook group working to save the building from demolition called ‘Sainte-Marie héritage et développement’ announced the good news on Saturday morning.
“We’re proud to share that Association Sainte-Marie héritage et développement has placed first in the Next Great Save,” said the post. “With the grand prize, we’ll be repairing the steeple so Sainte-Marie’s bells can ring once again.”
The 120-year-old structure’s bell system has been out of operation since 2012. Group member Stephanie St-Pierre said that system and emergency steeple repairs are the focus.
RELATED: Historic church in Clare a finalist in ‘Next Great Save’ contest
They thank everyone who voted, shared, and supported the cause, and recommended people check out the other finalists that were in the running.
“Stay tuned for upcoming public events and keep sharing your ideas. Your voice will help shape the future of Sainte-Marie as a gathering place for our community once again,” the post concluded.
