Father Doug Jeffrey received a discordant message at 7:28 a.m. Thursday: it included an image of a beloved church he pastored for the past three years in flames.
“The text only alerted me to the fact that the church was on fire and that it was mostly destroyed,” the Catholic priest said of the church of Our Lady of Smiles, one of three he administers.
He said the text surprised him and he thought “No, not our little church.”
Now that it’s sunk, this shock has turned into sadness.
Just over an hour earlier, the RCMP at Meadow Lake had been called to the church located at Waterhen Lake First Nation, about 200 miles north of North Battleford.
The RCMP’s initial investigation determined the fire was suspicious and police have asked anyone with information to contact them.
The Church of Our Lady of the Smile in the first nation of Lake Waterhen was photographed before the Thursday morning fire. (Meadow Lake Catholic Church / Our Lady of the Smile)
Although no one was injured, Jeffrey says the entire community suffers from the loss of the church, which he says was built in the early 1950s.
He says the community has felt a lot of frustration, anger and sadness, and wonders “and why would they do that in our church?”
Some have told Jeffrey that after so many years in church he feels “like losing a friend.”
Despite this, some members of the community with whom he spoke said that one must pray for the one who started the fire.
“Whoever did this had to be very angry or upset or frustrated to do something like that,” he said.
On Monday, the parish was expected to meet as part of a process of the Synod driven by Pope Francis: to meet and discuss what the world needs right now.
In Waterhen, Jeffrey says he is praying for reconciliation, people with health and family issues, and those suffering from addictions and violence.
Jeffrey says she has not been to church since the fire ravaged her, but plans to go to the site and pray for healing and reconciliation.
“We don’t know who did this and we don’t know why … whenever there is a lack of information there is a lot of speculation and therefore we expected people not to do it, just to wait until the facts come out before of us. to make any judgment or accusation, “he said.
At this time, he is unsure about the future of the parish, but says that since the building was owned by the first nation of Lake Waterhen, the parish will have to talk to them.