It sat empty for 24 years — and there was a foot and a half of water in the basement — but thanks to a $30,000 donation from an anonymous donor and the hard work of a handful of volunteers, the St. Joachim Church may get a new life. "This building has been reconstituted purely by volunteers from people here in town," said Paul Mullins, who is spearheading a project to save the historic building.
The church was built in 1890 and was a fixture and a landmark in the small community in Lakeshore until it closed in 2000. The congregation moved to a new church near Comber. The St.
Joachim Church has been a landmark in St. Joachim since 1891. (Dale Molnar/CBC News) The Roman Catholic Diocese of London, which owns the church, says it has been trying to sell the building but has been unsuccessful despite "some interest.
" "We have been in discussions with Paul Mullins about a future plan for the site and for the property to be repurposed," a spokesperson said. Mullins has put together a handful of volunteers who over the past two months have been ripping up carpeting, tearing down drywall in the basement and building new enclosures over the outside stairs leading to the basement. Mullins said the lack of those enclosures has led to water flooding the basement and mould building up, but he says engineering inspections over the last few months have confirmed the building is structurally sound and so a complete renovation is possible.
"We're having an appointment at the end of the wee.