Parishioners who attended a historic church that was razed down by a fire congregated last Sunday to celebrate and mourn together.
The church, an icon that was completed in 1907, went down under suspicious circumstances Wednesday. Police are investigating arson as a potential cause.
This was one of many churches that have burnt down of defaced in the past few weeks in a wave of destruction since the recent discovery of graves at the site of former residential schools.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the wave of violence against the catholic church under whose charge the residential school were, noting that its not the solution to the trauma they caused.
Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney also issued some harsh against perpetrators of the violence when he visited Morinville Wednesday. He said the destruction is motivated by hate, and hoped that the perpetrators would be arrested.
Nearly a kilometer away from the Sunday service at Morinville high school, the remains of the church were fenced off and heartfelt notes left pinned on.
Joseph Gibeau attended St. Jean Baptist each week as a child. He came to the site of the church lasy Sunday to see what was left of it.
For others like Dryden, this was the first time bac to in-church service, which wasn’t the case the past few months because of COVID-19.
