The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sherbrooke announced on Thursday that it will be permanently closing the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix church in Johnville. This follows the news last week that the Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste church in Coaticook would also close its doors.
In both cases the reasons provided were financial. According to the statement issued by the archdiocese, the Johnville church had an annual operating cost of approximately $25,000, but less than $10,000 left to spend. In Coaticook, although the $32,000 left in the bank would just cover the costs of the coming year, a decreased capacity to draw new funds and fill important roles on church committees led to the decision to close.
Both also said that the decision was sped up by the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited the ability of church communities to gather and work together.
Church closures in Johnville and Coaticook
Record Staff
