Saskatchewan Community·Land of Living StoriesA 2024 storm damaged parts of the stained glass at Gravelbourg’s Our Lady of Assumption Co-Cathedral last year, but residents pitched in to pick up the pieces and fix the damage. Now, lovers of this historic work of art are working to raise $1 million to maintain and preserve the building into the future. Supporters of cathedral aim to raise $1 million to maintain historic siteJanani Whitfield · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoLocal artisan Dolorés Ferraton helped to fix and replace the stained glass parts of Gravelbourg’s renowned cathedral that were damaged after summer storms last year. (Janani Whitfield/CBC)CBC’s virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan. Reporter Janani Whitfield hit the road to Gravelbourg in search of inspiring stories of community spirit. This is the third of a four-part series from that community. Visitors to Gravelbourg are often blown away when they step into Our Lady of Assumption Co-Cathedral, feeling they’ve been transported to a church in France.“It’s like a little big town. It’s got things that you don’t expect in a small town like this,” said Louis Stringer, who gives tours of the cathedral in southwest Saskatchewan to roughly 1,000 people a year.He and others in this town about 150 kilometres southwest of Regina feel the onus is on them to protect and care for the cathedral, which was constructed in 1919. Every inch of its walls is a testament to the love of God and art of its early resident priest, Monsignor Charles Maillard.“He started to paint the cathedral in 1921 and it took him 10 years to do all the paintings, which is remarkable,” Stringer said. Monsignor Charles Maillard was the resident priest and painter who decorated the walls and ceilings of Gravelbourg’s co-cathedral. (Janani Whitfield/CBC)Maillard also hand-painted the windows of the cathedral. When they began to fade in the late 1970s, they were replaced by the work of stained glass artisans from France over the course of six years, which is “remarkable,” Stringer said.“It’s a place that inspires people.”When a vicious hail storm struck in June 2024, some of the protective pane glass broke on the outside of the building. A wind storm a month later pushed one of the stained glass windows out of its frame.From Radio-Canada: Le couvent de Gravelbourg, un patrimoine à réinventerFortunately, local artisan Dolorés Ferraton was able to step in to replace the broken glass pieces. She considered it a great honour, she said.“I knew about the cathedral since I was a child because I grew up in southern Saskatchewan as a Francophone and this was the centre of all Francophone activity,” she said. “Even before seeing the town, I recognized the steeples on the cathedral. So it’s been in my consciousness forever.”She worked through the winter on replacing the affected broken glass, ensuring the finished product was more sturdy than the old, flimsy glass that fell. The stained glass was reinstalled earlier this year.“I would do anything to help out… And if that’s my small part, I’m very, very happy that it could happen,” she said. Sask. town thankful Americans keep flocking here to hunt, amid Canada-U.S. tensions Read more Land of Living Stories features hereTo ensure the church’s survival, the Gravelbourg Co-Cathedral Preservation Endowment Fund has been set up through the South Saskatchewan Community Fund. Stringer said the hope is to raise $1 million, generating enough interest to preserve and maintain the cathedral; $250,000 has been raised to date. “It’s nice to own the Cadillacs, but you’ve got to have some money to put in the gas tank,” Stringer said with a chuckle.Louis Stringer, who gives guided tours of Gravelbourg’s co-cathedral, stands at the front of the building. (Nicole Lavergne-Smith/Radio-Canada)While he might compare it to a Cadillac, Ferraton says it’s like the “Eiffel Tower” to her. Then she looks around and corrects herself, in a quiet confession. “Actually, I like it better than the Eiffel Tower; it’s more interesting.”Maillard must have felt a similar sense of awe. Ill health forced him back east to be with family in his later years, but when he died, his body was brought back to the place that was the closest to his heart — Gravelbourg, home to an awe-inspiring cathedral. ABOUT THE AUTHORJanani Whitfield is a community engagement producer who also edits feature storytelling and First Person columns for CBC Saskatchewan. Contact her at janani.whitfield@cbc.ca.
After vicious storm, residents of Gravelbourg, Sask., rally to fix renowned cathedral
