LAC LA BICHE - Living to the ripe old age of 100 is a momentous milestone whether you’re a human or an historic building.
This year, the church at the Lac La Biche Mission celebrated its centennial.
The old church — christened Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church (Our Lady of Victory), was constructed in 1923 to replace the original church that had been on the mission grounds since 1890. The original structure was destroyed by a tornado that swept through the area in 1921.
According to Christelle Shepherd, administrator for the Lac La Biche Mission, while the original church building itself was beyond salvage, the altar, the church steeple bell, and seven small statues, were saved from the wreckage. The historic pieces are on display in the museum at the current mission site.
“The first church bell was thrown all the way by the lakeshore by the tornado and cracked on the rocks,” Shepherd said, explaining that the bell is a popular attraction inside the provincial and national historical site's museum. “Visitors can ring it when they take a guided tour.”
The museum features many artifacts from the 170-year history of the mission in Lac La Biche.
The 'new' church — the one that is 100 this year — has been in the care of the Lac La Biche Mission Historical Society for many years, and is one of the main buildings visitors can see when they go on guided tours.
Although this once prominent place of worship no longer hosts regular services, it is still used today on certain special occasions, including the annual Canada Day mass, a recent Truth and Reconciliation awareness event, occasional Christmas services, and weddings.
Those who enter the church will find a well-preserved wood building characterized by old architecture and a high ceiling that until 2014 was covered by metal. There is seating for 75 people. The altar at the front of the church was hand-carved more than 150 years ago by an ealry member of the site's clergy identified in records as Brother Bowes. Above the altar is a statue of the Virgin Mary, the Mission’s namesake.
In preparation for the centennial of this piece of local history, staff of the Lac La Biche Mission Historical Society gave the church a new roof a few years ago. This year, the building's façade was renovated.
Until the 1950s-when the building was properly wired and light fixtures added- lighting consisted of candles and oil lamps. The foundation is comprised of rocks, while the church itself is built of wood. The church has a brick chimney and there are some metal rods inside to support the structure.
“We keep to the same kind of materials used originally when doing renovations, so for the roof we used cedar shingles and for the façade, wooden hand-sawn planks,” Shepherd said.
This church, Shepherd says, is invaluable historical resource, helping to give people a sense of place and connection to the past.
“In this church many people were baptized, married…funerals were held,” she stated. “It’s rooted in the history of many families of the region.”
A formal celebration of the building and its anniversary has not been held, but the stories of its community significance has been highlighted in many of the events and the tours offered at the Mission site over the year.
