By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Roman Catholic Group Fighting For St. Patrick’s Future

Jan 5, 2017 | 2:47 PM

LETHBRIDGE – The Save Our Churches Association (SOCA), will meet this week, with a renewed spirit in their plight to save three Roman Catholic churches in Lethbridge which are scheduled to be sold for the construction of a new facility in the east end of the city.

The group has been meeting since August 2011, when the former Bishop Frederick Henry Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary informed partitioners of the eventual closure and sale of St. Patrick’s Church, St. Basil’s Roman Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Assumption Church to finance a much larger proposed new church.

Now former Bishop Henry announced that St. Patrick’s would be relegated to profane but not sordid use as of Jan. 1, 2017, followed by its sale.

Father Kevin Tumback, of St. Patrick’s Church told Lethbridge News Now that the Diocese has purchased 43 acres just off 43rd St. N. with 10 acres designated for the church, 8 acres plotted for senior development and the rest potentially allocated for residential purposes.

Despite $6 million raised for the new 1,200-seat church at the price tag of $21 million, SOCA Vice President Grant Alger noted that keeping the three churches open comes down to preserving history.

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“There are two other churches in the downtown core that have been there addressing the same issues with parking and facilities. We need to maintain our position here and not in the far east city. This is the center of the city,” he said.

SOCA submitted an appeal to the St. Patrick’s closure in Dec. 2015 and another appeal Oct. and Nov. of 2016. The group now awaits a response from the Vatican in Rome, which can rule against Bishop Henry’s decision.

In the meantime, SOCA will meet with the newly appointed Bishop Most Reverend William Terrence McGrattan, who is set for installment on Feb. 27. 

McGrattan, a native of London, Ont., was most recently the bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough.

“We have just been stuck and haven’t had the ear of Bishop Henry for sometime now and we are continuing our fight to preserve our heritage. I think someone knew in this position will bring a fresh viewpoint to the situation. We are hoping to have the opportunity to articulate our position and what our proposal is,” Alger said.

Despite SOCA’s plight, Father Tumback explained the grim outlook for Bishop McGratton to reverse the closure and sale of the churches.

“All of the reasons the closing of St. Patrick’s and merging for three parishes in East Lethbridge, all of the reasons are still there. St. Patrick’s continues to have no parking and is a building that needs upgrades and doesn’t have meeting rooms and can’t meet the needs of the people,” he said.

Father Tumback added that since his arrival to St. Patrick’s in 2012, attendance and collection has grown and to meet the needs of the catholic community the Diocese must invest in space for bible study groups and youth ministry programs.

Bishop Fred Henry who has been the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Calgary for the past 19 years asked the Holy Father for blessing in resigning before his term expired, citing health concerns as the primary reason for his departure from the role.

Henry, who oversaw 67 parishes and missions, was also at the center of the closure of two Roman Catholic thrift stores in Lethbridge in 2012.