Nestled within Whistler, B.C.’s many snow-covered peaks, Our Lady of the Mountains Parish finds itself just months away from the grand opening of its newly renovated church, a multi-million dollar restoration project five years in the making, which is set to embrace the town’s historic alpine atmosphere. 

As the only Catholic church in the popular B.C. resort town in the Coastal Mountains north of Vancouver, Our Lady of the Mountains’ transformation will see what was once no more than a quaint multi-purpose hall become a fully functional sacred space for prayer, service and evangelization, as well as a visual testament to the community's steadfast faith and perseverance. 

The project was spearheaded by Andy Szocs, a parishioner since the late 1970s and fundraising lead for the project. Szocs took on much of the fundraising himself, leveraging his network and experience from renovating a 250-year-old church in Hungary in 2010 to contribute towards the project's $6.7-million target. 

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“I know the value of building a church up, and I saw this as a similar opportunity back at home,” the 85-year-old said. “It has been quite the challenge, and we had to rely on the Holy Spirit a lot.  I would go to bed at night with all these challenges about where I would find this money, and I said to the Holy Spirit that I needed some answers. It happened so many times, it has to be divine providence.” 

Pastor Fr. Andrew L'Heureux said issues such as unexpected soil conditions and design refinements contributed to increased costs, as the project’s original budget of $5 million would balloon to $6.7 million. After reaching the initial target, the parish urgently looked to raise an additional $2 million in a short time frame. 

Last month, the goal was reached with the help of a pivotal Canadian donor, making way for the completion of the renovations by this fall.

The $6.7-million price tag affords the parish a completely new interior, including sanctuary, 15-foot choir loft and custom design. The new spiritual home, including the use of the preexisting hall, will seat 500 people, more than triple Our Lady’s current capacity of 160. The church’s interior design committee is also finalizing the securing of 23 sacred elements, including a main altar, crucifix, statues, lighting and communion rail.  

Unique to the sanctuary’s design thought by Oberto Oberti Architecture is the 40-foot timber-frame ceilings, a design reflective of Whistler’s distinct outdoors ethos. A nod to Whistler’s prominent winter and ski culture, the interior is reminiscent of an old-school wooden ski chalet. 

“I don’t think you can help but connect to it and feel impressed. It’s what we set out to create, which is something sacred, attractive and reflective of that Whistler-style look and feel,” Szocs said. 

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He also shared that through donors' efforts, close to 90 per cent of the project was funded externally, with local pride in the world-class resort destination and a strong Catholic belief being the main draw for those involved. 

“This was possible with a strong fundraising strategy, but we knew from the start that we couldn’t do this without help from our major donors. Quite a number of them, like myself, had an attachment to Whistler,” Szocs said. 

“We have the lakes and the valley trails, the ski mountains. It’s just one of God's beautiful nature scenes. We raised the money with those donors strictly through the personal efforts of selling the vision. We used the motto: If we build the church, they will come.”

Still, Szocs knew the parish couldn’t solely depend on traditional methods.

“You can’t do something like this with bake sales and bingo,” he said with a laugh, emphasizing the importance of his continued targeted strategy for intriguing wealthy donors. 

With the grand opening of the new church slated for October, the Catholic community in Whistler continues to work amidst the anticipation. L'Heureux noted in the church’s latest newsletter that many parishioners have contributed both their time and labour by assisting in dry-walling, painting and donating needed tools. One parishioner donated pews, accounting for up to 250 seats in the new sanctuary. 

Beyond worship, Szocs sees the church as a beacon for evangelization, potentially hosting Catholic conferences inspired by the Napa Institute to draw Catholics to Whistler’s new spiritual appeal.

“It’s not just a church; it’s a place for people to find God,” he said. 

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Szocs said the project’s success comes from a balance of divine trust and devoted human action, as often expressed by Sts. Augustine and Ignatius. 

“Some would say, ‘Leave it to the Holy Spirit,’ but you can’t just pray and wait. It doesn’t always work that way,” he said. “God gave us gifts for a reason. So I like the saying, ‘Pray like everything depends on God, and act like everything depends on you,' ” he said.