St-Étienne Church: The End of the Road?
By Patricia Lavoie
In the summer of 2023, mass was celebrated for the last time at the church in Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton. By September, the Parish Council announced that the building was officially for sale, no longer consecrated as a place of worship, and issued a call for purchase proposals.
The community was given 60 days to find a solution.
Three options emerged, depending on the funding available:
- Purchase the church to transform it for a new use
- Purchase the church to demolish it and repurpose the land
- Allow the Parish Council to sell to a third party
A Community Steps Up
A group of local volunteers with experience in engineering, project management, and community development came together:
Yves Fallu, Vincent Jarry, Joël Brulotte, Vanessa Sorin, and Jocelyne Veilleux. From their efforts, a non-profit organization was born:
Le Cœur de Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton (CDSEB).
On the October 31st deadline, CDSEB submitted a symbolic $1 offer to purchase the church. After negotiations, the Parish Council agreed to give the group six months to secure funding and evaluate the condition of the building. In the meantime, CDSEB committed to covering the monthly maintenance costs.
A Long Road
In May 2024, with no external financing yet secured, the Parish Council officially accepted the $1 offer, granting another six-month window to find a viable path forward. The CDSEB launched extensive research with the support of:
- Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec (CPRQ)
- Fonds Ruralité, Régions de la MRC (FRR)
- Municipality of Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton
Engineers and professional consultants were brought in to assess the structural integrity of the church and explore how it could be repurposed as a multi-purpose community centre.
Proposed uses included:
- Sports, cultural, health, and leisure activities for all age groups
- A community kitchen
- And, most importantly, the preservation of local heritage
The Stakes
The estimated budget to save and transform the church is $2.2 million. Even demolition would cost at least $500,000.
In December 2024, CDSEB presented its findings and requested another six months to complete the studies needed by potential funders. The Parish Council agreed to only six weeks—not enough time to finish the work.
Eighteen months of community effort had run into a wall.
A Legacy Worth Saving
The church was built between 1874 and 1877, with the help of local residents. Their descendants still live in the area—some of whom participated in its last major renovation in 1995.
Residents now ask: is four more months really too much to request, in order to preserve a vital piece of the community’s heritage?
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