Chairperson Denise Elliot and Fr. Petronilo Ligtas. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

milestone

‘There’s a bright future’: La Ronge’s St. John Vianney Catholic Church celebrates 70 years

Aug 21, 2020 | 2:04 PM

For 70 years, the St. John Vianney Catholic Church in La Ronge, which currently includes a congregation of more than 100 families, has been a place of worship.

“If there’s nobody here, then things can easily slip away, but my personal view, I’m optimistic,” said Parish Council Chairperson Denise Elliot about what the future holds. “I don’t see no reason why we wouldn’t grow. The pandemic is just kind of a suspension of things, I hope. Some day, we’ll have some normalcy again and I think there’s a bright future.”

Members of the Church have been celebrating the history of the parish for two months, which has occurred entirely online due to social distancing restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus.

The Church was founded in 1950 by Fr. Vianney Bélanger and was originally located in a retrofitted building along La Ronge Avenue. In 1959, a new church was built at the current site at 123 Cuthand St. until it was replaced in 1991 with the present building. Aside from the main area of the Church used for worship, the building also includes a hall on the opposite end.

St. John Vianney Catholic Church, which is named after the patron saint of parish priests, has been led by Fr. Petronilo Ligtas since July 2019. He spends two weeks of his time in La Ronge and the other two in Southend, but he provides at least one daily mass and Sunday services when he’s in town. On Sundays when Ligtas is away, members of the Church arrange a Celebration of the Word, also known as lay service.

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“Collectively, I know there are a lot of parishioners who are active volunteers and on many committees throughout the community,” Elliot said of the congregation. “We promote as much as we can in the community within the church.”

The exterior of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in August 2020. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Since the arrival of social distancing measures in March, Elliot explained there’s been a huge impact on the Church in terms of attendance. While groups have been able to expand from 10 people or less to 30, there’s still a number of steps that need to take place to ensure people remain safe. For instance, pews have been sectioned off, additional cleaning is done, hand sanitizer is available, the use of specific entrances and exits is enforced, members register when they arrive and more.

Aside from Elliot who serves as chairperson, others on the parish council are Treasurer Gisele Boyer and Secretary Jan Senik. Others who are on council are Bryce Herperger, Warren Kelly, Linda Mikolayenko, Aubree Pajunen and Diane Robertson.

“We’re a bit of a seasonal community,” Elliot added about the attendance rate. “I can only assume other parishes experience the same thing – in the summer the attendance drops off. It’s holiday time, people are out on the lake and using their vacation.”

Fr. Ligtas served in The Philippines for 23 years before coming to Canada. He said La Ronge is considered a missionary community, however, he noted the parish council was very mature compared to others he’s experienced in this country.

Reflecting on the last 70 years, Fr. Ligtas explained the Church has been a place for members to talk with their God.

“Rest-assured, the more we pray here, the more blessings will come,” he said.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno