INHERITANCE. The restoration of the right tower of the church of Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover will begin next week.
Initially, construction was supposed to begin in the spring. The work was postponed due to the search for materials. “We have to change stones and cement blocks in the right tower. We want to maintain our heritage church. It is important to respect heritage. We wanted to find materials identical to those available. We realized that it was impossible,” recalls Normand Dupuis, president of the Saint-Luc parish factory, specifying that the sun’s rays changed the color of the original stones.
After careful consideration, the factory team opted for similar materials.
In March 2022, L’Express learned that the façade of the Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover church was in poor condition, as stones were falling from the building. Major cracks appeared in the right tower, weakening the structure. The engineers discovered that the problem was the lime that was disintegrating between the stone of the interior structure and that of the storefront.
As part of the works, the masonry of part of the right tower will be restored. Starting Monday, a steel structure will be installed to support the building. During the week, the bricklayer will begin his work for a period of four to five months.
The cost of the work is approximately $400,000. The parish factory of Saint-Luc mobilized to raise funds. An organizing committee was formed to organize fundraising activities. Last June a spaghetti dinner was held in the church basement. An amount of $4000 was raised.
A second event will take place on September 24. This is a family celebration on the church grounds from 11 am to 3 pm Scavenger hunt, group raffle, pocket race and ball game: various activities will be proposed for young and old. A food truck will be on site to sell poutine for the church repair.
In addition, a raffle is organized to win two trips. No less than 600 tickets are on sale at a price of $100 each. For additional information, call the rectory at (819) 397-2344.
When the right tower is repaired, Normand Dupuis wants to renovate the interior of the church. “We want to turn it into a meeting place for community activities,” he says.
The main mission of the factory is to preserve the building built in 1903. “The church is part of the heritage of Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover. Without a church there is no longer a town.”
