By Mark Squibb
A volunteer committee is raising money to erect a storyboard to commemorate the former St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Petty Harbour.
Bonita Ryan of Blackhead, who sits on a committee largely made up of members of the former St. Joseph’s parish council and operated through St. Kevin’s Parish, said the idea for a storyboard commemorating the church arose when the building was put up for sale two years ago.
“It was very much a community building, and a part of the fabric of the town’s history,” said Ryan, who allowed the completion of a storyboard will hopefully serve as a sort of catharsis for parish members and the community at large.
The group also hopes to raise enough funds to buy a bench and pay for some landscaping work, so as to make a nice rest area for people to enjoy.
The group is still working to nail down a location within town. Ryan said it’s unlikely it will be at the site of the building itself as the property is now considered private property.
“Even if we got permission from the owners, the property could change hands so quick,” said Ryan. “So, we’re thinking a more public area within Petty Harbour.”
The committee had initially set a goal of $10,000 for the storyboard, bench, and beautification of the area, but have since surpassed that mark.
“Now that we know we have the money, and we can commit to a company, we said we would go and get a hard and fast estimate and pick a company,” said Ryan. “So, now we have the design we know we want, and we’re in the process of going back to the companies we have dealt with and get a firm estimate of what the sign will cost. If we end up with money left over, we’ve told people that we will put that into the cemetery in Petty Harbour.”
Ryan said the committee has hosted a number of different fundraisers — volunteers raised over $3,000 alone from a single kitchen party — and a number of people and businesses have donated, in addition to a few sizable anonymous donations.
Ryan pointed out there are already a number of storyboards scattered throughout the community commemorating the likes of the Power Station, the Bidgood’s property, and the Port Authority.
The history of Catholicism in Petty Harbour dates as far back as 1794, when clergy celebrated Mass in the Kieley home, as there was no church building.
Petty Harbour’s first Roman Catholic Church was built in 1835 and boasted stained glass from France and a bell from Germany. The church was dedicated to Saint Joseph.
The congregation at that time numbered over 700.
As the building began to suffer wear and tear over the years, the Diocese granted permission to build a new church in 1962.
The church in Blackhead, meanwhile, closed in 1990, and so Ryan had been faithfully attending Mass at St. Joseph’s in Petty Harbour up until it’s closure in 2022.
After its sale, the St. Joseph’s property was proposed first for use as a film studio, and later as a potential site for a new microbrewery, although those plans have not yet come to fruition.
The building is one of 43 properties approved for sale by the Supreme Court in 2022 to help settle compensation claims for victims of sexual and physical abuse by some Irish Christian Brothers and priests in Newfoundland dating as far back as the 1940’s.
