There have been some efforts to save the old church that we have not updated everyone on:
A new Bishop, Geoff Peddle, started with the Anglican Diocese in January, and the CBTS has had many meetings with him. Although the meetings were always cordial and the Bishop has listened to our concerns, he has not implemented any action. The CBTS was successful in getting the Newfoundland Historic Trust (NHT) interested in moving forward to help restore and preserve the old church. However, when they approached Bishop Peddle to gain access to the church to see its condition, he could not get this access from the Rector. Thus, the NHT was understandably discouraged from helping the cause.
Bishop Peddle hears regularly from some parishioners who want to demolish the old church. Although the CBTS is speaking with him, he also needs to hear from others that they would like to see the church restored and preserved. Otherwise, he won’t know how much support is out there.
Bishop Peddle is open to receiving your input, so please take a few moments and let him know how you feel. He can be reached at [email protected] or 709-576-6697, or by writing him at 19 King’s Bridge Road, St. John’s, NL A1C 3K4.
We can’t go into another winter with the steeple still on the ground, and if this happens then the Diocese and Parish will be intentionally demolishing the church by neglect. There is a Vestry meeting this Monday, September 15th, so feel free to get in touch with the Rector and Vestry as well with your concerns.
You can see the letter I emailed to the Bishop below:
Dear Bishop Peddle,
I’m writing regarding St. Philip’s 1894 Church. As I mentioned when we met, this church is part of my heritage, and I am very interested in saving it for future generations. I understand that you are in a difficult situation as the leader of this Anglican Diocese. You are trying to move forward in peace with two very distinct sides of this issue: the side that wants to demolish the church and the side that wants to restore and preserve it. Although others do have a say, ultimately the decision is up to you, and a decision has to be made at some point. I’d like to just provide my vision of the outcome of both options.
Option 1: Demolish the heritage church
In order to demolish the church, you would need to obtain permission from the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s to do so, which would also require the rescinding of the church’s municipal heritage status. If a majority of the Council agreed to take these actions, you would also require the permission of the Provincial Archaeology Office, as there are likely gravesites under the old church. A detailed and acceptable plan to protect those graves would be needed. If the province approved the demolition, then the Parish and Diocese would also have to provide significant funds to dismantle the church, while protecting the graves under and around it. If all of this happened, and a wrecking ball came to knock down the old church, my question is: Who would watch this demolition and be happy about it? Who would smile, cheer and feel a sense of pride in knocking down a piece of our history? Even most of the parishioners who want the church demolished have memories in that church and have family ties to it that go back generations. I would assume they would feel sadness watching it be torn down piece by piece. The only person I can think of who may feel happy about it is the current Rector, as it is just a building to him, and something that he has made his mission to get rid of. Demolishing the church would also garner negative provincial, national and international attention, as the tearing down of the steeple did. If this option is taken, there would be no going back. Once the church is gone, it’s gone forever. Any other plan to preserve Parish history will pale in comparison to actually keeping the church.
Option 2: Restore and preserve the heritage church
If you as the Bishop got the Diocese, Parish, Church by the Sea, and other supporters of saving the church on the same page regarding restoration and preservation, it could once again become a vibrant part of the community. There are so many options that could be beneficial for all involved. Maybe the church could be used as a parish or church architecture museum, meeting or event space, columbarium, gallery, wedding chapel, a combination of these, or many other options. Any use of the church could be of benefit to both the community and the Parish. In this scenario, there could be multiple winners, and it could end in a happy outcome. Imagine the community working together to restore the church, finding the best possible use for it, and having a grand opening for the public. This would be met with smiles, cheers and a sense of pride by many people provincially, nationally and internationally. Money for this could be raised from public sources (such as Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; Heritage Canada Foundation; Heritage Foundation of NL) as well as private sources (such as corporate sponsorship and personal donations). It could be ensured that any donations intended for the new St. Philip’s church would not be taken for the 1894 church, while there are possibilities to generate money for the new church as well. There are also many volunteers willing to provide time, skills and materials to this cause, which would decrease the cost of restoration. Although the Church by the Sea has attempted to discuss these positive options for preservation with the Parish, its Rector and Vestry have consistently refused to do so.
Of course, there is also a third option, which you are currently taking whether you mean to or not. This option is demolition by neglect. The steeple of the church has been on the ground for over 4 years, while the church has been left unventilated and unheated. The current state of the church is not useful to anyone. Right now the steeple-less church is just a sad reminder of the struggles that have happened in our town, and no one wants to see it in this shape. But my hope is, that instead of seeing this as a reason to give up and tear it down, we all see it as an opportunity to make the church useful again. If the church is left for another winter as-is, I would consider that you have made your decision: demolition by intentional neglect. This is also a very real possibility in this scenario, which is no better than active demolition.
When looking at the options of demolition versus preservation, it is just beyond my comprehension that we wouldn’t at least get all sides speaking with each other to try to move forward to keep this important piece of our heritage. We do not have many heritage buildings left in St. Philip’s, and it would be such a shame to lose this one. Whatever you decide moving forward, you’re not going to make everyone happy. I just don’t know why anyone would want to go with the finite choice of demolishing the church (either by neglect or active demolition) without even giving other options a try.
I am coming at this in a very genuine way, as I have nothing to personally gain from saving the church, other than preserving my family’s heritage. I would do everything in my power to work with the Parish to come to a resolution to restore and preserve the church, which would benefit them as well. Although I have never been a parishioner, I grew up next door to the church and always had a very strong appreciation for it. When I found out the Church by the Sea existed to try and save the old church, I jumped at the chance to join. Just a few short months later, the steeple was torn down, and I found myself tangled up in all of the chaos that followed.
Unfortunately, within all of this, personal egos have gotten in the way of both sides working together. We need someone like you to bring us together. Someone who can get us talking about the issues, so both sides can explain where they are coming from, and the other can respond to concerns. There are so many misconceptions regarding saving the church, that it would be great to be given the opportunity to try and clear them up, especially with the Vestry and other supporters of demolition. My hope is that a compromise can be made, which starts us going toward the path of keeping the only heritage icon left in our community. I also hope that you keep this letter in mind if you are preparing to attend the St. Philip’s Parish Vestry meeting next Monday, September 15th. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Feel free to share this letter with anyone who may be interested.
Sincerely,
Amy Tucker