Steeple still not on St. Philip’s church

Resting on the ground in St. Philip’s is a church’s steeple. It’s been there a year and there are still frustrated people.

The frustrated belong to The Church By The Sea, Inc., an organization that has the money and manpower to help, but says it’s being left out of efforts to put the belfry back up.

“We just want to take some responsibility for getting the building back into shape” says group member Amy Tucker. “And everything we would do would be under the guidance of the parish. It wouldn’t be ownership (of the church). It wouldn’t be anything like that.”

Someone hacked the tower off the 117-year-old Anglican church early on March 31, 2010.

The vandalism made news around the world and was the source of huge controversy in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s.

The steeple was cut down the morning after the Parish of St. Philip’s application to demolish the building was denied. It hasn’t been used for worship in years.

The parish has a new church nearby and wanted to expand its cemetery onto the land where the old church stands.

To protect the old building from further vandalism, the town council called an emergency meeting and designated it a heritage structure.

The parish and Diocesan Synod of Eastern Newfoundland appealed that heritage designation and lost, a decision that ultimately prohibits future demolition.

The town and church officials have since started working together on a memorandum of understanding regarding the building’s fate. Apparently, the bishop has told the town the old church would be restored.

However, its spire remains on the ground, and with the anniversary of steeplegate passing a week ago, the Church By The Sea is concerned about the slow progress on restoration.

To read more, click here.