Saskatchewan’s rural landscape is populated with remnants of abandoned church buildings and monuments to those that have been removed. It’s the sign of changes in the rural demographic landscape that have happened over time. In Watson, another church will sadly stand empty as the congregation of St. Bride’s Anglican Church has made the tough decision to close the church. The final sermon and the deconsecration was held on September 12.

A group of a dozen or so attended the service and ceremony that was met with tears by the four remaining parishioners, says Reverend Matteo Carboni of Humboldt’s St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Humboldt. 

“The four of them decided to close the church,” explains Carboni. “They reached that point naturally. There were some personal discussions amongst themselves, and they decided this is the right time following a congregation vote.

Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon Chris Harper and Archdeacon Alex Parsons were also in attendance for the deconsecration. The act means that the church has become a secular building, still owned by the church, but available to be repurposed for endeavours other than worship. The remaining church members have elected to attend services at St. Andrew’s Church in Humboldt.  

As for the building itself, the remaining congregants have not yet decided on the disposition. 

“We’re going to give it a few months, let things sink in, and then we’re going to start talking about what we want to do,” says Carboni. 

The idea is to take until January before those discussions begin. Carboni sees several possibilities, as with other abandoned church properties in the province. Some repurposing ideas in the past include art studios, residential spaces and homes, community centres, or even commercial spaces like a coffee shop. 

“In small towns, the church buildings have traditionally been the centre point for a community. So quite often they’ll be used for some community purpose even though it's no longer a church.” 

The closure has been a long time coming as the community has dwindled over the decades since the church’s establishment in 1905. While he didn’t have exact numbers, Carboni estimates that the congregation would have numbered at least 50 people in its heyday. Carboni says that decline is most likely based on the dwindling rural population and the shifting demographic over the years. The original settlers, many of whom were from England and representing the Anglican denomination, eventually were overtaken by settlers from other regions with their own faiths. 

“For European settlers on the prairies, the church was a centrepoint - a place where people would gather with those from their own country. There was not only the religious bond, but similar language and similar ethnicity. As generations have gone on and the longer families are in Canada, you don’t necessarily see that.”

Those factors, combined with a lengthy period of rural depopulation, have spelled the knell for many such churches across the prairies. 

Carboni confirms that in spite of the lengthy decision making process, emotions ran high when it came to the day of the final service.

“Even though we made this decision together, during the service, there were a lot of tears. When I got up to speak, I started tearing up,” confesses Carboni. “It was a very emotional thing.”