By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – There wasn’t a silent or still pew as Celtic style fundraising rang out at St. Columban’s Church.
The Brigadoons, Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame inductees, performed for over 220 people.
The church’s 10-member volunteer committee, ‘The Patrons of St. Columban Foundation,’ held the Celtic concert as a fundraiser for their restoration and stabilization fund. They estimate $5,000 to $6,000 in overall donations from the musical event. A main priority is replacing the church roof.
“It’s part of our heritage,” said president of the Patrons of St. Columban Foundation Brian Lynch. “St. Columban’s Church is the first Roman Catholic Parish in Cornwall.”
The church was founded in 1829 and the current structure is the third building in its history. It was built in 1896.
Lynch and the foundation raise funds to properly maintain and preserve the church, which was designated a historic site in 1994 under the Ontario Heritage Act.
A few years ago, the church invested $320,000 into the steeple.
“There are many ways that we raise money,” he said.
Donations on a regular basis from parishioners of the church, fundraiser dinners, bequests and in Dec., a ‘Remembering Our Loved Ones at Christmas’ program.
Lynch said nearly 80 per cent of exterior repairs have been done, and since the foundation started seven years ago, nearly $500,000 has been raised.
“We still have more work to do, and that’s why the fundraising is ongoing for the St. Columban Foundation,” said Lynch.
For more information about The Brigadoons, click here.
For more details on the Patrons of St. Columban Foundation , click here.
