An outdoor mass this Sunday will provide parishioners and visitors with the opportunity to truly appreciate the restoration project at Palmer Road’s Immaculate Conception church.
For many years the church was painted white with black trim but the major restoration, started in the fall of 2014, has restored most of the building to its original Milwaukee Cream colour.
While most of the trim is white, the bottom section of the walls as well as the ornate detailing is now painted blue. Fr. Albin Arsenault is proud of the restoration project completed on Palmer Road’s Church of the Immaculate Conception. The work will be on full display during this Sunday’s outdoor mass, which is being held in conjunction with the annual parish picnic.
The newly painted Immaculate Conception Church with the Pastor Fr. Aubin Arsenault
“It stands out and it is a matter of being proud of our own heritage. It is a legacy of our ancestors. It’s a way to respect them and it is our responsibility to preserve such a monument.”
It’s a good thing they did, Fr. Arsenault noted. Floor repair was needed to the niche where the statue of the Immaculate Conception was displayed, Extensive rot to the floor was discovered when the statue was taken down for touch-ups and repainting..
“If it would have fallen down (through) it would have gone into the basement and it would have done damage,” in addition to the likely destruction of the statue, said the parish priest.
“The statue was placed in 1893 and, according to seniors and historians, it was the first time that it ever came down.”
The floor of the niche was reinforced with metal.
Immaculate Conception Church; an affirmation of faith in wood and glass.
The colour scheme for the Palmer Road church was so warmly received that when it came time to paint the church in Miminegash this year, which is also part of the Palmer Road parish, parishioners opted for the same colours.
Sunday’s outdoor mass is being held in conjunction with the annual Palmer Road parish picnic, a tradition since 1994.
There will be games booths, lotteries and entertainment on the church grounds all afternoon, and meals will be served in the hall.
— BY ERIC MCCARTHY The Guardian, Charlottetown 19 Aug 2016