- Two Acadian groups bought St Bernard Church in southwestern Nova Scotia
- The church was listed at $250,000
- The groups want to convert it into apartments
- They aimed to raise $2.5 million for repairs
A landmark 80-year-old church in southwestern Nova Scotia has been bought by two Acadian groups who want to turn it into apartments, The Canadian Press reported in July 2023.
St Bernard Church, deconsecrated after attendance fell to as few as 40 people in its 1,300-square-metre building, was listed for $250,000 in March. The Diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth ratified the sale agreement with Nation Prospere Acadie and la Societe Heritage Saint-Bernard.
The buyers set a fundraising goal of $2.5 million by the following June for repairs, including modernising the heating system and fixing water damage.
Jean LeBlanc, president of the Societe Heritage Saint-Bernard, said he wants to “see the church converted into apartments because there’s a shortage of housing in the rural area.”
St Bernard shows how a closed church can help meet a rural housing shortage while staying a local landmark. Jamaica’s rural parishes face both housing shortages and closed churches. Community groups, diaspora associations and denominations could work together to turn large empty churches into homes instead of leaving them to decay.
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