A sign put on land next to a church in Timberlea, Nova Scotia is turning heads and attracting a lot of attention in the community.

The sign reads "church land belongs to our community we are being robbed!"

Sacred Heart Church is being sold and the money will go toward building a new church in a nearby community, but that isn't sitting well with many community members, or the woman who donated the land back in the 1960s.

"This is very deep felt with me, and it is not something I'm going out to…make a pest of myself to do this…this is down deep within me," says Helena Poirier, the original owner of the land.

Poirier says her mother left her the land when she died, and she then donated the property so a church could be constructed in her mother's honour.

She is also the woman behind the controversial sign.

"I would never ever have given it to them if I thought they were going to sell it and build a church 17 kilometres away with it," says Poirier.

Poirier says there was no written agreement at the time of the transaction and that it was done in good faith, but she never imagined the property would be sold.

She also says she has been writing letters to the priest and archdiocese for the past five years and has received little response.

But she says the sign has brought in plenty of attention since she put it up.

But Marilyn Sweet, a spokeswoman with the Archdiocese of Halifax, says it won't be changing its plans.

She says three churches in the area, including Sacred Heart, are amalgamating and there are plans to build a new church in nearby Tantallon.

"It's always hard when there's change and it's particularly hard when there's change that affects something so close to your heart," says Sweet.

But Sweet says the area is growing, and the current churches can't meet its needs.

"So the work that we're doing and the reason for this is to provide a good, strong parish for the larger community," says Sweet.

She also says the gift given by Poirier will continue to serve her community, as proceeds from the sale will go towards building the new church, but Poirier sees it differently.

"I've been here 75 years and I've watched it try to struggle to meet up with other communities and always be last in line, and I said the one thing we did have was our church," she says. "And now they're taking it away from us."

Community member Catherine Klefenz was married in Sacred Heart, and she too is upset at the thought of losing the church.

"It would really take away from our community," says Klefenz. "As an active community member, I really feel they're making a big mistake in taking this church away. We are viable people; we can take care of the church."

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster