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Since
its origin in 1995, The Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site Corporation
has accomplished many
tasks in its efforts
to preserve the Enfant-Jésus Church
and its site:
It is important for us to
mention that all the projects that have been accomplished as well as those in
progress are done in full consultation with The Saint-Boniface R. C.
Archiepiscopal Corporation and the administration of the Ste-Anne Pastoral
Region.
We are also very grateful to all the
people from the region of Richer who participate in our ongoing activities,
our work bees and who contribute time, energy as well as material and
financial support.
- Status of 'Non-profit, Incorporated' organization obtained from
Manitoba Corporations Office in February 2000
- Repairs to the soffits and the
chimney
- Installation of poly on the
windows after hail storm damage to window panes
- Installation plywood on the
basement windows to increase security for the building
- Regular maintenance and care of
the site and of the interior of the church
- Creation and sale of Souvenir
Centennial Calendar; 2004
- Celebrations are organized for
the Parish Centennial in 2004; mass officiated by Mgr
Émilius Goulet in the Enfant-Jésus Church
- Several fund raisers were held to
raise funds for maintenance of the site
2007
- Removal of pigeon waste from the
church attic and from the bell tower and ousting of the pigeons; spring
2007
- Installation of windows in the attic
openings to keep the pigeons from returning; spring 2007
- Building and installation of
screens for the bell tower openings to keep the pigeons out; spring 2007
- Re-installation of hydro to the
church; spring 2007
- Purchase and installation of two electric
furnaces in the basement for air circulation and heating; spring 2007
- Holding of the first Community
Celebration, The Métis Jamboree, to raise funds for the church; July 8,
2007
- Cleaning of the basement to
remove accumulated debris; 2007 - 2008
- Preparation for installation of a
sump pump to pump out seepage; 2007
- Installation of a heavy poly
vapour barrier on the sand floor to prevent seepage by osmosis; 2007 -
2009
- Adding and levelling of sand over
the poly to protect the poly; 2007 - 2009
- Purchase and installation of
T-posts to replace the rotting timber support posts; the 13 T-posts each
have a support capacity of 14000 lbs / 7 tons; December 2007
– March 2008
- Replacement of heavy poly on the
windows; fall 2007
2008
- Installed a sump pump in the
basement, spring of 2008
- Repaired the bell tower and
repainted the bell; summer 2008
- Repaired and repainted the Sacred
Heart statue in the facade wall; 2008
- Second Métis Jamboree to raise
funds for maintenance and repairs; July 6, 2008
- Obtained the status of Charitable Organization,
by Revenue Canada;
July 2008
- Insulation and vapour-barrier
installed in basement openings to the outside; fall 2008
- Repairs and repainting of the
manger and manger figures; fall 2008
- The Enfant-Jésus Church
is designated Municipal Heritage Site
with the passing of By-law 5-2008, on October 22, 2008 with the
concentrated efforts of the Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site
Corporation and the collaboration of the Sainte-Anne Rural Municipality
2009
- Cleaned up the sacristy basement
and sprayed the entire basement for black mould; June – July 2009
- Replaced shingles on garage roof
and made several repairs to decking and soffits. Reorganization of
garage floor space to facilitate use and storage, installed a new passage door to the garage; spring and summer 2009
- Major clean up of the sacristy,
repair and re-installation of windows. Curtains and new altar-cloths are
donated by a local benefactor. May – June 2009
- Restoration of Votive Candle
stand and table, repairs to the cemetery fence, minor repairs to
cemetery grounds with pruning of the trees, and levelling of uneven
areas; June 2009
- First Celebration Thibaultville, annual celebration replaces Métis
Jamboree. Mass co-celebrated by Mgr. Émilius Goulet and Fr. René
Chartier to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Thibaultville
Parish. The purpose of this celebration is to celebrate our French and
Métis cultures, celebrate with the community on the church grounds and
to raise funds for the maintenance of the Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site;
July 5, 2009
- Summer student hired with
assistance from Canada Human Resources. Daily tours offered on the site
for visitors to view the grounds and the inside of the church with many
displays; July – August 2009
- Windows and storm windows of the sacristy were repaired, repainted, reglazed and reinstalled; summer 2009
- Replaced the main entrance doors with major repairs to sub-floor structure; August - September 2009
- Roof
repairs : PHASE II - re-roofed the sacristy and sanctuary roofs and
repaired west side of main roof; October & November 2009
- The Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site Corporation accepts full
directorship of the cemetery, as authorised by the Sainte-Anne
Pastoral Region; October 2009
- Removed tomb covers in cemetery and started levelling of cemetery grounds
2010
- New door for the sacristy
- Ventilation System installed in church basement
- New stairs for access to the basement with a new guard rail in the sacristy
- Installed weeping tiles in the church basement
- Cross in cemetery is painted and an acrylic corpus is affixed to the cross
- Professional directions sign is posted at cemetery entrance
- Statue of Bernadette in the grotto is repainted
- The west part of the old cemetery is levelled and monuments are aligned and levelled
- Project for adding foundations to monuments in older cemetery is launched
- At the October 28 AGM, the new name: ENFANT-JÉSUS HERITAGE SITE CORPORATION is adopted by the assembly; this new name is more appropriate with regards to our mission and replaces the original name Comité des ami.e.s de la prière inc. (Friends of Prayer)
- Construction of new crosses for roof dormers and main ridge
- Purchase and preparation of materials for the church facade upgrade
- PHASE III - the west side roof of the church is started in the fall
2011
- Planed cedar 575 brd/ft of lumber that was donated for repairs to the site by an anonymous donour
- Received
from the Haywood Chapel and installed in the church, newer pews for the
balcony, a statue of Ste. Thérèse de
l'Enfant-Jésus, a Pieta, Jesus in prayer in Getsemany, and a
small Sacred-Heart of Jesus
- Received from the Sisters of the Cross, a statue of Our Lady of Schools
- Obtained
two raised-wing sanctuary angels; wings of one were repaired and
retro-fitted; wings of both angels were air-brush painted; angels were
installed in sanctuary on low pedestals; these angels came from the Gray Nuns of Manitoba House on Despins Street
- Artefacts, and boxes of documents were obtained from Ste. Anne
- Construction of a new stage to be used at the Celebration Thibaultville
- Metal shelving unit is installed in the garage for storage
- Fundraiser
for the commemorative monument to honour Pierre Michaud and
Hélène Favreau, the donors of the land, in 1904, for the
Enfant-Jésus heritage Site
- A
field of honour to honour our soldiers is established in the Richer
Cemetery with the assistance of the Department of Veteran's Affairs
(DVA)
- Nine antique cloth banners are modified, repaired, and framed to be permanently posted in the sanctuary
- Front entrance doors are clad with cedar wood and all framework on the interior is redone
- Facade windows are removed, cleaned, repaired and reinstalled with new glass and frames
- All window and door frames of the facade are replaced with new Douglas Fir wood and painted
- The cupolas are cleaned, repaired and repainted with mesh wire installed in the opening to keep out the pigeons
- Roof repairs: the west side, PHASE III, is completed in March and the east side, PHASE IV, is completed in November
- Balusters are constructed in the balcony for visitors' security
- Cemetery entrance archway is painted and acrylic angels are installed in the niches; the lion statues are removed
- The
grotto is cleaned with the removal of the residual electrical wiring,
the two small towers in front of it and the vines that covered the
rocks; the statue of the Virgin is repainted
- Low
areas on the west side of the church grounds are filled with soil and a
weeping pipe is installed across the yard to guide water away from the
building to the drainage between the two properties
- Dead trees and branches are removed from the grounds
- An exterior toilet is installed (cabin) is installed in the south-east corner of the cemetery
- Road
signs announcing the Heritage Site are installed on the Trans Canada
Highway west of Richer and on PR 302 at the entrance of town
- Thanksgiving
Mass is celebrated in the Enfant-Jésus Church by H. E. Mgr
Albert LeGatt and his friend, Fr. Rick Ginther; unveiling and blessing
of the commemorative monument honouring Pierre Michaud; blessing of the
Enfant-Jésus Cemetery; a reception is held at the Young at
Hearts Community Centre where our new priest, Fr. Gabriel
Lévesque joins us for the festivities
- The Enfant-Jésus Heritage Site Corporation obtains full administration of the St. Joseph Centre
- Major
repairs to the St. Joseph Centre: cleaning crawl space and adding
vapour barrier; new entrance doors to the house; house windows are
repaired; wiring and plumbing are verified and upgraded; new water
softener and R-O filtration system are installed; new window and
entrance door are installed in the garage
...
And the work continues . . .
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