Wedgeport buys historic Acadian church, converts it to community centre

Nova ScotiaA southwestern Nova Scotia community is hoping its successful purchase of a historic Acadian church will serve as a template for other communities to follow.Heritage society hopes purchase can be a template for other communitiesVernon Ramesar · CBC News · Posted: Dec 07, 2025 5:25 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The community gathered at the St. Michel Community Centre on Saturday for a family Christmas event. (Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society)A southwestern Nova Scotia community is hoping its successful purchase of a historic Acadian church will serve as a model for other communities to follow.The Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society bought St. Michel Church from the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth for $75,000.It is now working on transforming the deconsecrated building into a community centre for the area.The building can hold over 1,000 people and features spectacular stained-glass windows.St. Michel traces its roots back to 1822 and features spectacular stained-glass windows. (Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society)Curtis Doucet, the society’s president, says he hopes the process they followed can be a template for other communities facing the loss of historic landmarks.”The way we did it can show other villages that there’s a process in doing this,” he said. “I tell everybody down here, it’s like we have a blank paper and we can show the rest how it is done.”A church was first built on the site in 1822 and later expanded in 1867 and 1914. It was closed after its final mass in December 2023 and deconsecrated in February of the next year.Curtis Doucet is the president of the Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society. (Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society.)Doucet said a small group formed a committee in March and created a non-profit society to negotiate with the diocese.A key step was commissioning a $34,000 feasibility study, with grants from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Minister of Acadian and Francophone Affairs, he said.”It’s not putting the cart in front of the horse,” he explained. “The archdiocese wanted to get to get rid of buildings like this. It was to our advantage to make sure that everything was lined up to work to our benefit.”The feasibility study by a Halifax agency confirmed the project was viable, he said. The next step was securing a small mortgage for the purchase price. The church was closed after its final mass on Dec. 24, 2023. (Google Maps)According to Doucet, the community had little choice, as the destruction of the building would have been a terrible loss.He noted the church has been the site of a Remembrance Day service for more than 110 years. “It’s so important to save our heritage and our culture and to showcase this building for generations to come,” he said. “It’s not only for Wedgeport; it supports southwestern Nova Scotia.”He said the society’s plans for the centre to include weddings, festivals, workshops and community events. A Christmas-themed gathering was held on Saturday to share ideas with residents and give them a sense of uses for the space.Doucet said the community had little choice but to buy the church, as the destruction of the building would have been a terrible loss. (Wedgeport Acadian Heritage Society)Heritage advocates see the purchase as a positive example of what communities can do when they organize.Emma Lang, executive director of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, called it a refreshing and uplifting story.”It’s a real sign that there can be these good positive interactions … that the diocese can act in good faith in regard to these communities,” Lang said.”It’s good to see a positive story as opposed to so many of the negatives we’ve been seeing.”Lang said repurposed churches remain vital community hubs. “They’re touch points for people … and allow the stories to continue and be passed on to a new generation.”MORE TOP STORIES