A recent announcement confirmed that the Church of St. John the Evangelist, commonly known as Red Roof Church, will be closing its doors. Thus, some Christians voiced their sadness upon receiving the news.
Church's Closure
The Reason reported that Father Keith Schmidt, the pastor of St. John's Church, said the parish is not exempt from the widespread fall in church attendance throughout Quebec. The church is having difficulty since there are fewer people attending services regularly.
This contrasts starkly with the surrounding neighborhood, which, in recent years, has witnessed a surge in the amount of new development that has taken place. For this reason, St. John's has been mulling over the possibility of redeveloping its hall into a new facility. The new structure would then be able to be rented out long-term, and the cash generated from this would be used to support the church's ongoing operations.
According to Schmidt, his church has done everything it can with its existing buildings to sustain its activities. It includes renting out its hall to musical performers and the church to film crews from movies. However, they should have addressed the more systemic and long-term monetary issues they face. The burden is only made worse by the financial resources for researching the possibility of redeveloping the parish hall.
A recent report from CBA News stated that the Red Roof Church, which has been around for 162 years and is known for its distinctive red roof, is now up for sale. Moreover, over the past twenty years, Abioseh Cromanty has been going to mass at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in the downtown area of Montreal. She is one of the people taking the news with a sorrowful heart.
"This is my home and I have not thought beyond its closing yet, I still walk in faith and still hope there will be some remedy, really," she noted. In addition, Father Schmidt asserted that they did everything they could to save the church, yet there was no other way than to close it. The church building has reportedly deteriorated into a dilapidated state. After nearly seventy years of conducting business within the walls of the historic church, one of these organizations, St. Michael's Mission, was ordered in December to move its operations out of the building.
As per Schmidt, the mission was forced to relocate because the congregation needed more financial resources to keep up the part of the building that belonged to the objective. Thus, its lease was not renewed.
The pastor explained that there are insurance-related expenses of over $30,000. The costs of maintaining the building are in addition to the expenditures of providing heat and electricity, which total at least another $90,000. Furthermore, the state government has provided the church with some financial assistance. Schmidt estimated it was around one million dollars over the past twenty years, yet more is needed to bring the building up to code.
Also Read: 12 Catholic Schools in New York Archdiocese to Shutdown Due to Financial Instability
About the Church of St. John the Evangelist
Since its founding in 1861, the Church of St. John the Evangelist has remained true to the purpose established by its founder, Father Edmund Wood, to defend all aspects of Catholic beliefs and practices within the Anglican Communion.
As mentioned, a strong sense of Catholic tradition can be found at St. John's University. It involves an orthodox and devoted religious and fundamental perspective, a caring and compassionate view of moral and humanitarian problems, a full liturgical calendar, a liturgy devoted to the Western Rite, and a rich and varied musical giving well as a spiritual life that is diverse.
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