Losing church would hurt Italian culture

Bert Pesano loves St. Rita’s Church.

The 88-year-old North Bay man was baptized in the Douglas Street house of prayer and has been a parishioner since 1918.

But if St. Rita’s is closed, Pesano says the city’s Italian community will suffer a tremendous blow from the loss of its spiritual and cultural centre.

A committee of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie has developed a plan to try to cope with dwindling church attendance in North Bay, a drop in financial support from parishioners, and the fact there are only five Roman Catholic priests to handle the parishes in North Bay.

“Unless there are radical changes in demographics, church attendance and financial support, the ultimate closing of St. Rita’s should be envisaged,” states Our Future in Faith, the committee’s report.
Church closures could occur over the next five years, according to the report.

What will happen?
St. Rita’s worshippers packed the church hall Thursday night to view a slide show based on the report and ask questions.

“My father helped build this church,” said Pesano, pictured here.

“If it closes what will happen to Italian heritage here? What will the next generation know about St. Rita’s in 20 years if it’s gone.”

If a lack of priests is the problem, said parishioner Julian Celebre, why not let the church recruit its own, as it once did.

“St. Rita’s brought in Father Frankie from Italy and he was here for 10 or 15 years and adapted well to North Bay,” Celebre said.

European priests often have an attachment to their countries, or to Jerusalem, Celebre said, “and you see a different perspective of it all and it gets people to come to church more often.”

Practically gone
As well, Celebre said, the Roman Catholic Church has got to have a stronger presence within Catholic school boards to try to encourage students to become regular churchgoers.

"My biggest concern is that they’re promoting the new way of doing things, but I honestly think they forgot how to do things the old way,” Celebre said.

“Ten or 15 years ago there was more about the church in the school system, but now it’s practically gone.”

Celebre, who had been an altar boy at St. Rita’s, said non-Italians also attend the church.

“So if it closes, a lot will be missing for a lot of people.”

Loss of church would be devastating
Hub Fedeli said financial problems certainly aren’t affecting St. Rita’s, which has always been in the black.

“We bought houses next door on Cedar Street, we built a park for $35,000 and the enclosure coming into the church for another $35,000 a year ago,” Fedeli said.
“So if we need more people to keep the church open, we do we’ll do our best to bring the Italians together to preserve our heritage.”

The loss of the church, Fedeli said, would be “devastating.”
“Our ancestors built it 90 years ago, so losing it would be like tearing a piece out of our hearts.”

Fedeli said a parishioner committee will be formed to look at recruiting priests and also to persuade Italians who don’t go to St. Rita’s to join the congregation.

Become more efficient
While that may help increase attendance, said Rev. Terry O’Connor, who also attends St. Rita’s, the key thing that must be dealt with is attracting more people to the priesthood.

O’Connor said he has his own theory about why the number of clerics is dropping.

“When I was young the pastors used to go visit families and sit down for supper with them, and the kids wanted to be like them,” O’Connor said.

“That’s not happening any more and it hasn’t happened for 30 or 40 years. They’ve become more efficient.”

The answer, O’Connor said, is not to close churches, particularly St. Rita’s.

“This church here is unique and the focus of Italian heritage in North Bay,” O’Connor said.

“People originally from this parish have married and live elsewhere in the city, and go to other churches, but when it’s Christmas time or Easter, they’re here. This is home to them.”