GOULAIS, Ont. — A large bell that once rang proudly at the former Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Goulais has gone missing. The property is located approximately 40 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Concerned residents in the area took to social media after the bell, which is believed to be made of either brass or bronze, was discovered to have been removed from the building at some time last Sunday.
The historic artifact is suspected to be stolen as the bell house it was situated in appeared to be destroyed as wooden debris from the alleged theft was scattered across the property.
Batchawana resident Karen Digby-Marinich told SooToday she was “disgusted” when she first heard about the incident as she had many friends and relatives who attended the church.
“It’s sad,” she said. “It’s been a really big part of the community. Everyone’s pretty distraught and upset about it. What is this world coming to?”
Located on Goulais Mission Road, the church was built by Frederic Baraga, a Jesuit priest and the first bishop of Marquette, Mich.
The first mass was held on Sept. 28, 1862 — nearly 162 years ago today.
Our Lady of Sorrows was active until about 2006 before they closed their doors due to declining attendance and rising costs.
While the building is now boarded up, locals say the church and the nearby cemetery have been maintained and regularly checked on over the years.
“It’s a beautiful area,” Digby-Marinich said. “It’s too bad because it really is a pretty spot.”
Last Sunday’s apparent theft is just the latest in a string of related incidents that have left locals in the Sault and surrounding area scratching their heads.
Less than a month ago, a plaque commemorating Tracy’s Dream founder Tracy Dinelle was stolen from her pink memorial bench near the former Mill Market.
A plaque commemorating Phil Esposito at the park that bears his name, as well as a bronze casting of the citation of First World War hero William Merrifield, both went missing over the summer.
And in early July, two other historical plaques disappeared: one in front of the Bell building on Queen Street at Ron Francis Way and another nearby at the International Lot, commemorating the former location of the International Hotel.
Some readers believe the thieves could be making money off the scrap metal.
“To think that it could be stolen for scrap is really sad,” Digby-Marinich said. “It had to have been more than one person — it’s heavy. And you can tell the bell is heavy because they couldn’t even get it out of the framework without destroying the framework. It’s quite the feat.”
