The end of an era

St. Vital

The next month, and beyond, will change the landscape at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church forever.

In the spotlight of its 100th anniversary, the St. Vital-based church, which is located at 3 St. Vital Rd., was set to close its doors for good at the end of June, at press time.

“As with many churches, we’ve seen a decline in numbers, especially more youthful members,” said Carey Isaac, St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church’s rector’s warden, recently. “Our parishioners are getting older … and not very many new, younger people are coming to replace them. This means reduced numbers, a reduced offering, and reduced individuals doing programs.”

Isaac said there was a period some years ago when attendance increased and the congregation grew, in part because of an influx of new Canadians coming to the church. Then COVID-19 arrived, and despite an imposed period of virtual church services, some people simply didn’t return physically as the pandemic subsided. As well, when former priest Val From — who had been with the church for some years, Isaac said — retired last year, a number of parishioners stopped coming because of this, as well.

“Expenses exceeded income, and as we looked at this trend, we realized that within five years we wouldn’t have any money left, even though we’ve looked at finding new groups to rent the space,” he said. “When push came to shove, we put it to the parish, and many people were OK with the idea of selling the building.”

The building has been sold to a local business owner, and more details will be announced in due course.

“A number of our parishioners have a relationship with St. Paul’s Anglican Church (in Fort Garry) and are looking at the possibility at attending that church. St. Paul’s has been very gracious and sensitive about the situation,” Isaac said.

“I feel an obvious mixture of sadness and thankfulness, and the church has had a major role of functioning in the community and supporting the community. One thing that has surprised me in the last year is the number of community members that have had a connection to the church. It makes me feel thankful and blessed,” he added, noting there may be the opportunity to continue some form of programming in the future. “We regret the church has had to close its doors. We’d like to continue, in some form, going down the road.”

There will be two significant events coming up this month. On June 14, there will be a barbecue and celebration of the church’s 100th anniversary after the 10:30 a.m. service, and on June 28 at 10:30 a.m., Bishop Naboth Mbongo will lead a service for the deconsecration of the building, otherwise known as secularization. That will be followed by a catered lunch. Community members who wish to attend one or both of these events are encouraged to call the church at 204-253-0555 to give organizers an idea of numbers.

Cathy Mondor is currently the people’s warden at the church, and has also attended as a parishioner for much of the last four decades. In the early days, it was “a place of worship and a place to bring up my children.” She then became involved with different aspects of the church’s culture, including co-ordinating a camp and an administrative role, as well as becoming involved with the church’s long-running garage sale.

“This made me realize the role the garage sale played in the community, as it was a pickup point that allowed people who couldn’t afford to buy certain things the opportunity to do so. We also had a food bank for a couple of years, which was extremely positive,” Mondor said, noting the church also collected dollars to buy items for students at Victor Mager School, including shoes, backpacks, and lunch bags.

“Some of our outreach efforts have had a huge impact. It’s been an incredibly wonderful experience,” she added, noting her gratitude that people in the church’s community have the opportunity to move to St. Paul’s.

Go online at www.stmarymagdalenewpg.org for more information.