Introduction

On the western shore of Lake Winnipegosis stands a beautiful stone church, massive in size and strong in its structure. This notable landmark has been visited by people from all over the world. The church can be seen miles from various points along the lakeshore. Many a time it became a welcomed beacon for the homeward bound fisherman of the area.

The catholic church of this area had very humble beginnings. The first original Our Lady of Seven sorrows Church was a wood frame building located across from its present site. This church was built under the auspices of Father Camper, OMI (stands for the religious order he belonged to oblates of Mary Immaculate). He was the driving force behind the first permanent mission. In 1906 Msgr. Langevin made his first pastoral visit to the community and he recommended that a larger church be constructed in order to accommodate the rapidly expanding congregation. Construction began that fall and it was completed in 1910. The church was officially blessed on July thirteenth 1912.

Recognition for such a fine achievement must be given to the extremely devoted people from Camperville and Pine Creek, Father Adelard Chaumont, OMI and other outside specialized tradesmen who together were responsible for completing this grandiose task. This church was a marvel in its day due to its immensity and the tremendous difficulty in obtaining the building materials, namely the field stones. Determination and hard work prevailed and within four years the great stone church was completed.

Description

(Exterior)

The style used in the building of this church was a French Canadian influence, using classical and baroque ideas and forms. Characteristic of this influence is its cathedral architecture and the cross shaped form with the altar located in the east and the entrance located at the west.
From the ground up to the rooster weather vane it stands 130 feet. It is 144 feet in length and is 51 feet wide. As mentioned previously the walls were made of local fieldstones and measure a few feet in thickness.
This unique façade of the building reflects its eastern origins particularly with the original two-tiered steeple which juts out beyond the nave (the middle part of the church length-wise.)
The windows were given special attention mainly in the front. The large rose (round) window and the two arched windows immediately beneath it is in keeping with the trinity theme, as planned by the designer.
In 1930, on the twenty-ninth of September, there was a devastating fire in the church which succeeded in completely gutting its interior. The walls and the foundation however remained intact and this enabled the workers to reconstruct the interior. This was completed in 1931 and it was definitely noticed that there had been many alterations to the church. It became nonetheless a remarkable and unique endeavor with splendid results. The two interiors could not be compared in fairness since the seconds interiors’ financial resources were quite restricted. This ambitious two-tiered steeple was replaced by a single steeple. This rare feature of the original structure was sadly missed.
The bells of this are of significant importance. The first bell was imported from France. It was named and given a special blessing ceremony. On the fourteenth of July 1912, the thousand pound bell was named Marie Joseph Adelard (in honor of Father Adelard Chaumont, OMI) and the service was performed by bishop Langevin of St. Boniface. Unfortunately, the bell could not be saved during the great fire and in 1935 a second bell was obtained from the same company in France. This bell was Maria Teresia and the blessing service was on December the fifteenth 935 by Bishop Sinnott. A recent photograph captures the engraving on the bell. The task of raising the bell was quite a memorable event itself. It was recounted by a few residents that the first and only large truck (owned by a local store owner) in the community was fully loaded with people and fish to create weight. This is what hoisted up the bell from the front steps of the church.
Approximately 200 feet south of the church is a grotto made of local stone which was erected under the guidance of Father Brachet, OMI in May 1923. It has become a traditional location for taking wedding pictures. Another approximate 150 feet south of the grotto stands a large cairn (monument), a tribute to Father Edouard Darveau. This young priest was one of the very first missionaries to work in the Pine Creek and Duck Bay area from 1842-1844. His life came to a tragic end seven miles North of Duck Bay. Since this location was not accessible to the public, his monument was erected near Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Church which was a more favorable site. Father Darveau’s biography is very noteworthy and should be told to its own merit.

(Interior)

The church interior of 1910 was greatly cherished because of the ornate and elaborate work involved. However, after the devastating fire 1930 a more simple interior was chosen.
The original interior had a vaulted ceiling with wonderfully hand painted biblical scenes. This was the work of Brother Schumacher, and he was also responsible for the master carpentry work. He took many months to complete the painstaking and detailed work involved in building the altar alone. Brother Fafard was the one in charge of obtaining the exotic wood required for the ornate carpentry woodwork. Brother E. Gauthier and Joseph Dorais (Layman) assumed the task of fabricating the detailed columns, the pulpit, the communion rail, the balcony, and the priests chair on the altar. It was not an ordinary church, it was a masterpiece.
The reconstructed interior of 1931 was restructured newly enclosed areas behind the altar. On the left side enclosure is an entrance (foyer) area commonly referred to as Ste. Anne Hall. This entrance leads to the larger area that occupied the whole width of the church. This hall was quite versatile in the past. It served as school and adult education classrooms, meeting rooms, banquet room, health clinic and it even served as a theatre for showing movies. The name of this functional hall was named in honor of a much respected hardworking missionary whose untiring devotion benefited the growing congregation. It was named Chaumont Hall after Father Adelard Chaumont. This hall was officially blessed on July tenth, 1932 and the ceremony was performed by Father Brachet, OMI. Plans are underway for the hall to house a mini-museum.
The ceilings of the nave and the aisles are flat with the exception of the arched niche area directly above the altar. The niche holds the statue of the Pieta, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the patron saint f the church. The statue is posed in front of a painted sky=like background with a large wooden cross which is draped with a white shroud. This area is only accessible through the sacristy staircase leading to the attic.
The South side entrance leads to the sacristy. It holds a beautifully crafted wooden wall-to-wall cupboard which enclosed an array of church vestments that date as far back as the early thirties.
There is an extraordinary large oil painting in the sanctuary which was donated to Father DeBretagne in 1948. His friend and colleague Bishop Maillard of Gravelbourg was the artist.
The entire church floor is made of hardwood. The elevated curved and richly designed choir lost at the rear of the church displays a grand pipe organ. The organ was donated by the Sacred Heart Parish of Winnipeg in 1957. It was built by Brother Sylvestre, OMI.

DESIGNATION

On April twelfth, 1991, this building became a Provincially Designated Heritage Site and led to a series of new developments. The designation allowed Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Preservation Committee to obtain financial assistance to help restore and preserve the buildings original state. The funding obtained from the government, along with an Ladies Auxiliary and other related members provided the church to undergo extensive renovations, a process which lasted two years (1991 and 1992).

Acknowledgements

Official recognition must be given to the two government funding agencies: Culture, Heritage and Recreation (Heritage Building Grant) and the Manitoba Heritage Federation, INC. (Building Preservation program).
Numerous hours of local volunteer work from the Preservation Committee and Ladies Auxiliary organization helped achieve this goal.
The actual restoration work itself was a major accomplishment and the credit must be given to the local Richard Construction Company for undertaking this two year project.

 

A personal invitation is extended to anyone wishing to come and visit. We would love to have you share the beauty of the CATHEDRAL OF THE NORTH, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church, Located 71 miles North of Dauphin.