Future unclear for mould-infested Halifax church

April marks six months since the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth was forced to close the historic St. Theresa’s Church on North Street because of high levels of mould in the building.

And since then, according to archdiocesan spokesperson Aurea Sadi, more issues have emerged.

The church shut its doors in October 2023, citing mould as the culprit. Moisture has leaked into the nearly 100-year-old building from rainstorms over the years.   

“Since that time a variety of environmental and structural assessments have been done and have found further structural issues,” wrote Sadi in an email. “Given the building is not in active use the parish decided to erect a fence around the building for public safety.”

The archdiocese is not in a position to definitively state if St. Theresa’s Church, which first opened on Christmas Eve 1931, will open its doors again to the public or if it will remain closed.

St. Theresa’s is a part of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi Parish, which was formed by uniting four congregations in northwest Halifax. The other member churches of this parish are in very close proximity.

St. Stephen’s Church on Normandy Drive, established in 2006, is just a six-minute drive from St. Theresa’s according to Google Maps. Travelling to St. Patrick’s Church, which opened in 1885 on Brunswick Street, only requires a four-minute commute. The distance between St. Theresa’s and St. Catherine of Siena Church, which launched in 1948 on Bayers Road, is two minutes.

Sadi stated that in January, “the parish leadership began a process of consultation and prayer with parishioners to determine the future of the parish’s resources — buildings and otherwise — and their ability to best serve their communities. This process is ongoing.”

It is fair to state that the future of St. Theresa’s is very much in doubt but the property is currently not up for sale.

Saltwire, an Atlantic Canadian news source, has already spoken to residents living in the neighbourhood around St. Theresa’s about their hopes and fears if the 92-year-old church does close. Pat White, who lives across from the church, said he would “like to be consulted about what’s going to go there as opposed to being told what’s going to be there.”