The bishop of Bathurst, New Brunswick, says he hopes to have discussions with the city’s mayor about how to save the city’s historic Sacred Heart Cathedral, currently slated for demolition next spring.
Bishop Michel Proulx, O. Praem., told Canadian Catholic News he wants to meet with Mayor Kim Chamberlain to look for ways to prevent the loss of the cathedral, located in the city’s downtown core.
“We will see if any collaboration is possible for the preservation of the building,” he said in an email.
As winter approaches, Proulx said the diocese cannot afford to heat the 140-year-old stone cathedral.
“That’s why we are closing it before winter,” he said. “We don’t have the resources for another winter.”
What happens to the building after the final Masses scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, Oct. 10-12, remains unclear. No decision has been made on the building’s future, Proulx said.
“At this point, the decision is to close Sacred Heart Church.”
Proulx did not say whether the diocese was considering something like the situation in Quebec, where former parish churches have been transferred or sold to municipalities or community organizations while continuing to be used for Mass.
Sacred Heart Cathedral is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, a federal, provincial and territorial government registry of historic places that have contributed to communities.
The neo-Gothic church has stood in downtown Bathurst since 1886, the register says.
Designed by Saint John architect John Dunn and built by William and John Lawlor using local granite, its 144-foot steeple was added in 1896, and an expansion in 1949 added a transept.
The parish had already been established in 1881 after residents on one side of the harbour had difficulty reaching Holy Family Church. In 1938, when the Chatham bishopric was moved to Bathurst, Sacred Heart became the cathedral.
The building’s heritage features include its granite exterior, copper roof, Gothic arches, stained-glass windows, ash pews, and Stations of the Cross. A crypt beneath the cathedral contains the remains of former bishops.
Local Catholics are not ready to lose the historic cathedral yet. They plan a public Rosary crusade in front of the cathedral on Thanksgiving weekend.
James Risdon, a Bathurst Catholic and rally organizer, said a gathering will take place in front of the cathedral Oct. 10, as part of the 2026 Public Square Rosary Crusade across Canada and to pray for the revitalization of the Church in Canada.
“Storming the gates of heaven with prayer in the Name of Jesus and asking for our Blessed Mother’s intercession is needed now more than ever,” he said in a statement.
“We can’t just keep closing down church buildings, shrug our shoulders, and pretend this is normal and inevitable. It’s not.”
With evangelization outreach programs and public prayer, “we can and will bring the Good News of salvation to our communities, fulfill the Church’s fundamental mission of making disciples of all nations, and grow the Church,” he said.
Risdon challenges the belief that continual decline in church attendance is inevitable, pointing to reports of Gen Z attendance rising and growing numbers of adult baptisms and catechumens, particularly in the 18-to-25 age demographic.
“Young adults have a lot to teach us about the faith,” said Risdon. “We just have to hang on, say our prayers and keep the church buildings open and the Roman Catholic Church will thrive once again.”
A press release from the diocese said the decision to close the cathedral was made after consultation with parishioners, local church councils and diocesan bodies.
“Rather than investing significant sums into expensive and costly buildings, we believe it is more appropriate to support evangelization projects and to assist impoverished (people) or those in situations of need within our communities,” said the diocese.
The plan is for nearby Our Lady of Rosary Church to become the seat of the bishop.
Although a diocesan release said steps would be taken next spring to demolish the cathedral “unless there are major changes,” Proulx told CCN no decision has yet been made on the building’s future.
“Unless there are major changes, steps will be undertaken next spring to demolish Sacred Heart Church. All items of particular religious and artistic value (the stained-glass windows, for example) will be preserved,” according to the diocese.
