FIELD, B.C. – A more than century-old church in Yoho National Park is in desperate need of some TLC.
Field Recreation Advisory Association (FRAA) has begun fundraising efforts to replace the foundation, the rotting exterior wooden staircase and damaged floors for the 1908 St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, which was decommissioned as a religious facility in 2015.
“St. Joseph’s is an icon in Field,” said Katrina Froese, FRAA chair.
“The church has held an important cultural, architectural and social significance in Field throughout its 117-year lifespan.”
The restoration effort to turn the church into a thriving community hub once again is going to take a lot of money, including about $28,000 in up-front costs for engineering drawings and development and building permits.
The actual renovation will be funded primarily from grants issued by the Columbia Basin Trust, which has committed $125,000 to the project. Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and the now-defunct Kicking Horse Ski Club have each donated $5,000.
Froese said the plan is to get started on the restoration in 2026.
“A huge reason I wanted to do the fundraiser was to let people know our intentions and announce the project and provide a pathway for people to support if they want to,” she said.
Built in 1908 by the prominent Italian community that had immigrated to Field around the turn of the 19th century to work for Canadian Pacific Railway, the iconic Carpenter’s Gothic-style church is one of the most photographed buildings in Yoho National Park.
Throughout the 20th century, St. Joseph’s was a busy and thriving hub for the residents of Field, but the number of church-goers began to decline in the mid-1980s, and over time the church fell into a state of disrepair and the building was decommissioned as a place of worship in 2015.
The Catholic Diocese in Nelson, B.C., gifted the church in 2017 to FRAA, which is a local non-profit organization that has been the primary facilitator of community programs and recreation in Field since 1985.
Froese said St. Joseph’s is an important part of Field’s history.
“It’s perfectly framed with Mount Stephen behind it and it would be really, really sad for us to lose such a picturesque church,” she said.
“This is not something we would like to see destroyed because it's so beautiful and it would be such a perfect community space if we can make it safe again.”
The hope is to return St. Joseph’s to its roots as a vibrant community space – a place for music or trivia nights, town functions and local gatherings.
Once restored, Froese said the church would also be available for rental for private use like weddings, which would generate vital revenue to support ongoing FRAA community programming and events.
“It would be so great to allow people to rent it out from us,” she said.
FRAA has partnered with the Golden and District Community Foundation (GDCF), which unlike FRAA, can issue tax receipts for donations.
Donations can be made through Canada Helps but donors are asked to consider contributing to the project directly via e-transfer to GDCF to save on administrative fees. Canada Helps charges a four per cent administration fee, whereas GDCF charges one per cent.
E-transfer donations can be made to [email protected]. Cash or cheques can be mailed to P.O. Box 981, Golden B.C., V0A 1H7, addressed to Church Restoration in Field Fund.
“We’re really excited to be able to give the church new life,” said Froese.
