Church prepares for Spring Concert
This year's Spring Concert will raise necessary funds for renovation and maintenance at the church. Eve Cable The Eastern Door
Every year, thousands of people stop by the St. Francis Xavier Mission, paying their respects at the shrine of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. With so much annual footfall, it’s understandable that the mission sees its fair share of wear and tear, and that’s why the Kakwitè:ne Karenniió:shon’ Karén:note’ Spring Concert is being organized to help raise necessary funds for repairs and maintenance.
“We have a saint, a Mohawk woman, the only Indigenous woman saint in all of North America, so we have a jewel here that we need to preserve,” said Beverly Delormier, a member of the finance administration committee at the church.
Last year, the church spent $150,000 that it had fundraised on updating the heating system, a necessary expense to modernize the out-of-date furnaces.
The building has since been assessed by an architect, who estimated that it will need in the neighbourhood of $2.8 million worth of repairs in the next 10 years.
Part of that cost will be covered by Patrimoine du Quebec, which will cover 70 per cent of costs related to the religious-related parts of the building, meaning they will assist in maintaining the windows, stonework, and related costs.
The church will have to fundraise the remaining 30 per cent, which this year works out to $135,000.
Other costs, such as those related to maintaining the rectory, will be covered by Heritage Canada at a later date, Delormier said.
Tickets to the concert, which will take place on June 7 at 2 p.m., cost $30 for adults and $10 for children. The list of performers is yet to be announced, but Delormier said there’s going to be a range of genres on show.
“We asked as many people as our committee knows, and we’ve got everything from opera to country music,” Delormier said.
Three hundred tickets are available, and Delormier said she’s hopeful that the event will attract people from all corners of the community, especially those who might be interested in joining the Mohawk choir.
“We really need some young blood in there, we’ve had some younger people joining in the last few years and it really warms my heart to see them there,” Delormier said.
Tickets can be purchased at the Kateri gift shop on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by phone at 450-632-6030.
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“We’ve been working so hard for it, and I hope we’re going to be very successful,” Delormier said.
