William Dale – Local Journalism Initiative
Published online August 26, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
FORT-COULONGE – As the Diocese of Pembroke prepares to suspend regular Sunday Mass at ten churches across the Pontiac, starting September 5, local clergy are offering insight into the practical operations and long-term vision behind the sudden reorganization.
Following the recent loss of two local priests, the Diocese announced an interim plan where
Sunday Mass will only be celebrated at four regional churches: St. Alphonsus
(Chapeau), Église Saint-Pierre (Fort-Coulonge), St. John the Evangelist (Campbell’s Bay), and Holy Name of Mary (Quyon).
Under the new pastoral appointments, Fr. Michael Smith will remain as pastor of Église Saint-Pierre in Fort-Coulonge, alongside his mission responsibilities for Waltham, Vinton, and Otter Lake.
Building upkeep and sacramental services
Fr. Smith emphasized that despite these changes, his day-to-day administrative responsibilities over all those physical buildings will remain largely unchanged. He noted that suspended churches are not formally closed and will continue to function for specific community needs, primarily funerals. However, for sacraments such as weddings and baptisms, couples will be asked to come to Fort-Coulonge.
To help maintain the physical structures, parishioners are encouraged to continue using their home parish collection envelopes when attending Mass at the open hub churches. “That will be a source of income for the upkeep of those buildings, which is of course necessary for the buildings to continue to function as churches,” Fr. Smith said, noting that funds will go directly toward heating, lawn maintenance, and winter snow plowing required for insurance and site access.
Demographics and sustainability
Addressing the wider demographic reality facing Western Quebec, Fr. Smith drew a stark comparison between the Pontiac and neighbouring regions across the Ottawa River.
“The city of Pembroke has four Catholic parishes,” said Fr Smith. “With roughly the same population as Pembroke, the Pontiac had 14. If all of them remain open, they are working against each other because money that could be spent maintaining one church is spent maintaining four or five.” When asked if any suspended churches might eventually reopen, Fr. Smith indicated that while a few might, maintaining the original setup is unsustainable over the long run.
“A Grieving Process for Priests as Well”
Recognizing the deep emotional connection local families have to their neighborhood parishes, Fr. Smith offered words of sympathy for residents grappling with the transition and emphasized the clergy share in this. “This is a grieving process for people and for priests as well, and the normal stages of grief will be worked through,”
He added that the original layout of the parishes reflects a bygone era. “They were founded in horse-and-buggy days when the ability to travel in the course of a day was not what it is today. Also, there were more families—large families with plenty of children. The demographics have changed completely, and therefore what we have is a situation which we could not maintain.”
