Keep Our Church for Our Community

This fundraiser was created by Paula Hawkins to help the Cape Broyle Church Committee in their efforts to buy Immaculate Conception Church. All funds raised will be transferred to the Committee.

Immaculate Conception Church was built in the 1940s by the people of Cape Broyle and surrounding communities, using their funding and labour. Since then, it has been cared for and maintained the same way. Community members have been baptized, wedded, and had final goodbyes with loved ones here. It is a place for our community to come together, celebrate, and connect. On July 29th, we were informed that our church and surrounding property would be put on the real estate market on August 1st as part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese's effort to raise money to compensate abuse victims. We acknowledge the horrific abuse victims were subjected to and empathize with them and their families. Three known and later convicted sexual abusers were sent to our parish. We wholeheartedly agree that the victims deserve compensation, to which we want to contribute. But when we have not been given sufficient notice of what is planned for the future of our church, it is difficult for our small community and church committee to gather the means and resources to do so.

With funds raised, we, the Cape Broyle Church Committee, plan to buy back our church and contribute to its future maintenance and upkeep to ensure that it will remain a central part of our community, as it has been since its construction. Our mission for our church is to have it used as a multifunctional space, and we want it to continue to be our spiritual gathering place where we can practice our faith together. We also envision it as a place where our community can gather and celebrate our heritage, as was demonstrated during our Come Home Year 2022 celebrations. A quilt display by local artists, a youth concert, and our regular Saturday evening mass were all hosted in our church during that week. The overall turnout and feedback from these events proved how important it is that our church is kept for our community's use.

If you would like to learn more about our situation and the history of our church, please refer to the links below:

Heritage NL - Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church and Grounds Municipal Heritage Site

CBC NL - Article

The Telegram/SaltWire - Article

Cape Broyle Church Committee - Facebook Page

Cape Broyle Community Bulletin Board - Facebook Group