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An over 90-year-old deconsecrated Catholic Church in Saint-Romain, Que. burned to the ground on the evening of April 13. Nearly 50 firefighters assembled from six different crews protected neighbouring structures from the blaze—the house of worship was too far gone to be saved—and salvaged religious artifacts from the wreckage.
April 17, 2026
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An April 13 fire has destroyed a deconsecrated church in Saint-Romain, Que.
The Archdiocese of Sherbrooke is lamenting the fiery destruction of the former parish in the village of Saint-Romain, east of Sherbrooke in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
“The Archdiocese of Sherbrooke is saddened by the loss caused by the fire at the Church of Saint-Romain,” wrote Dorothée Perron, the archdiocesan communications manager, in a statement to The Catholic Register. “The church was sold to the municipality a few years ago, and the building had been deconsecrated, it remained an important landmark for the local community.
“Our thoughts are with all those who experienced significant moments of their personal or family history there. We assure them of our prayers.”
According to a Quebec cultural heritage directory, the parish was built in 1934 and 1935 by architect Joseph-Aimé Poulin.
The online newsletter Pulse of the East Townships received the details about the fire from the local fire department. The blaze began around 6:30 p.m., and the Saint-Romain firefighters were joined by crews from Lambton, Courcelles, Nantes, Disraeli, Lac-Mégantic and La Guadeloupe in responding to this emergency.
Just under 50 firefighters were on the scene, but the fire had already progressed too far to save the house of worship, which had been used as a general community space in recent years. A library was established in the former sacristy and a performance hall was in development.
According to the news publication, “a partial roof collapse occurred at 7 p.m. and was followed by the collapse of the steeple at 7:30 p.m.”
Michel Fillion, the director of the Lambton fire department, said “we wanted to keep the heat from spreading and damaging nearby buildings.” Fillion said the focus was “on protecting the remains and trying to recover items like the bells, the steeple and the Cross.”
This effort was successful as structures in close proximity, including a day care, primary school and youth residence, avoided damage. Civilians were also unharmed, though one firefighter sustained minor injuries fighting the blaze.
Saint-Romain Mayor Amélie Isabel characterized the loss of this cultural and spiritual landmark as “obviously painful.”
"Yesterday, it was a scene we see in the movies, a disaster scene where you see the first responders arriving and helping each other. It was almost surreal, but that wasn't the case, that's what we were experiencing," she told media.
An unnamed resident in this village of about 700 people told Pulse of the East Townships that “It’s extremely sad for all the families who contributed their meagre resources to build it.”
The cause and motive of the fire are yet to be determined, and Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is investigating. SQ spokesperson Louis-Philippe Ruel said the fire is currently not deemed suspicious.
Nevertheless, this latest house of worship fire sparked more lamenting on social media about the over 120 Christian churches that have been vandalized or burned since the announced — yet unproven — discovery of 215 graves near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on May 27, 2021.
The Christian Heritage party stated in a social media post: “Canada’s Christian heritage is being erased. We must not only pray but stand and defend what God gave this nation.”
(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)
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Photo courtesty Scriptorium Foroiuliense Foundation
