July 19, 2023

The Québec government will contribute $115,000 to the steeple renovation of the St. Regis Mission Church.

Quebec’s Minister Responsible for First Nations and Inuit Relations Ian Lafrenière made the announcement on June 19 at a Press Conference at the St. Regis Mission Church.

The funding will come from the community infrastructure section of the Indigenous Initiatives Fund IV, a financial assistance program for Indigenous communities in Québec. The renovation will focus on certain structures of the church, especially the stone walls and wood finish elements on the façade and the steeple that have been tested by the passage of time.

The government funding represents half the total cost of the project. The St. Regis Mission Church will cover the remaining amount. The St. Regis Mission, which manages the site and organizes religious activities in the church, will supervise the work. Most of the workers hired for the project are members of the community of Akwesasne.

Built in 1795, the St. Regis Mission Church is one of the oldest buildings in the region. It has considerable historical value in view of its ancestral character, archaeological potential, and deep-seated ties with the development of the community of Akwesasne, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Communications note.

“NIAWEN:KOWA (thank you) to everyone involved in this undertaking especially MCA Grand Chief Abram Benedict, the Chiefs of the MCA and Quebec Minister Ian Lafrenière,” St. Regis Mission said in a release. “Also, to the Diocese of Valleyfield Church Restoration Committee, Bishop Noel Simard, Father Jerome Pastores, the Mission Communications and Liaison Ministry, the Mission Finance and Parish Councils, as well as the many parishioners who contributed to our Steeple Repair Project Fund. God’s Bless to everyone!

Work is being performed by CLeroux Renovation Ltee, a highly respected expert in the field of Church restoration, roof and steeple repair, masonry repair and sealing. They are located in Casselman, Ontario, Canada. The company started work on Phase II of the Steeple project on June 19.

The company has a long standing relationship with the St. Regis Mission Church.