Opening The New St Francis Xavier Church In Attawapiskat

I was happy to see my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast announce the opening of the new St Francis Xavier Parish Church on August 25. The community enjoyed the celebration together, filling the new church for the official opening.

The ribbon-cutting event began with a traditional drumming ceremony led by Danny Metatawabin and dancers led by Janie Kataquapit on the riverbank next to the new church. The gathering then took part in a Catholic ceremony to consecrate the new church. The ceremony was led by local parish priest Father Kingsley Njoku, S.M.M.M., of St Francis Xavier Church and was joined by Bishop Pierre Olivier Tremblay, O.M.I., Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee and Bishop Alan Edward Campeau, Diocese of Thunder Bay. The event was also attended by 17 regional priests from northern Ontario and northern Quebec, as well as representatives from the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre, based in Espanola, Ontario. As part of the ceremony, Catholic relics associated with St Kateri Tekakwitha also arrived with Father John O’Brien, a Jesuit priest with the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario. St Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) is recognized as the first North American Indigenous woman to be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church.

During the ceremony, Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin also addressed the gathering to thank the visiting Catholic leadership for attending and to speak for the community in expressing their appreciation for the opening of the new church.

This was a much-needed celebration for the community, as everyone was deeply saddened by the loss of our historic 104-year-old church. On April 21, 2021, the original historic St Francis Xavier Parish Church burned down in a rapid fire that easily spread because the building was filled with dried and aged timbers.

It was terribly sad for everyone, including myself. The old church had been condemned in 2019 due to structural issues and degradation. Serious work was needed to save the church but funds and plans were delayed for several years. The congregation then moved religious services to the local Parish Hall next to the old church. When church services began there, it was renamed the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel.

Thankfully, parishioners saved many special artifacts and objects when they moved them to the temporary chapel before the fire. I spoke to Elder Francis Hookimaw and she explained how the community moved the pulpit, the ceremonial tabernacle, statuary, the 14 Stations of the Cross and most of the wooden pews that once filled the church. The fire destroyed the old church bell but the tall iron cross at the top of the steeple was saved and placed over the entrance of the new church. She explained that the pews had been handcrafted by the people who built the church 104 years ago. She said it felt good to see these old wooden benches, marked and worn by so many people over the past century. These old benches came from our lands and were crafted by our grandparents and great-grandparents, guided and assisted by Catholic missionaries who provided professional knowledge.

I spoke to Elder Francis in our Cree language and it felt good to hear her talk. My talk with Elder Francis brought back so many memories of our church. She shared a childhood memory of how often her family attended services back then. On feast days like the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Benediction on Corpus Christi which takes place in the summer, parishioners would spend the entire day at church, then take breaks by sitting on the riverbank overlooking the water. Back then, everyone took part in these services in our traditional Inineemoon (Cree) language. I was happy to hear that Elder Francis still leads song and prayer in Inineemoon along with Elder Annabella Iahtail.

Father Kingsley Njoku, who has been in Attawapiskat since October 2025, was happy to celebrate with the community. When I spoke to him, he said it was important to have the new church, as he described it as a spiritual ship for the people and without it, people felt lost.

I also had a chance to speak to Bishop Tremblay and he noted that rebuilding a church is a symbolic event that represents strength and resilience for the whole community and that establishing this new building will aid in healing and peace for everyone involved.

I’ve talked with my family several times over the past week and they are all excited about the new church. Everyone is happy to see this familiar structure at the centre of the community overlooking the river again. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the familiar view of our church on the banks of the river for another hundred years and more.

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