After more than a year of deliberation with the diocese of Antigonish, a group looking to save a historic church is still rallying together.
Melanie Sampson with the Stone Restoration Society says they’ve make two offers to buy the church, which is listed at nearly $50,000, but they were rejected.
“I was surprised it was rejected so quickly, that it was rejected within a matter of a few minutes,” she says.
The 99-year-old building is starting to show its age after sitting idle for more than seven years. But according to Sampson, the price tag is higher now than when it was listed by the diocese a few years ago.
“I was surprised because it went up a little bit from the last time it was for sale,” she says. “Especially with more deterioration being done. But to be fair to the diocese, I did look at other properties they have for sale for the same price, so I’m assuming they just set it at that price.”
If the bid is successful, the society plans to open the church to public functions and possibly as a wedding chapel.
The landmark holds a special place in the hearts of many former parishioners, like Derek Kennedy, who has a tattoo of the church on his right arm.
“I had it done because I have some people buried in [the church’s] graveyard,” he says. “When I heard they were going to take it down, I just wanted to have something to always remember them by.”
The society has been campaigning over the last year to raise money to purchase the building. Sampson says there have been a few bumps in the road.
“Sometimes you wonder if things could be more cut and dry, but I have faith that the diocese will do the right thing,” she says.
Sampson says there’s another group also interested in purchasing the church, but didn’t know who they were. The society has already raised more than $10,000 with donations still coming in.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore.
