Mystery donor answers prayers of Newfoundland town that fought to keep its church

ST. JOHN’S — Residents of a rural Newfoundland community who once locked the doors to their church to block its sale are celebrating this month after a mystery donor bought the building for them.

Cynthia Power, chair of the historical corporation in Portugal Cove South, N.L., was emotional as she described the relief and gratitude she felt as the keys to the Holy Rosary Church were placed in her hands last month.

“Literally, our prayers were answered,” she said in a recent interview. “I can easily say I prayed a lot for a good outcome in this since it all started.”

The church was among dozens of properties listed for sale by the Roman Catholic archdiocese in St. John’s, N.L., as part of bankruptcy proceedings to compensate survivors of clergy abuse. Members of the historical corporation changed the locks on the building last year, claiming they were the rightful owners of the building.

A provincial Supreme Court judge ruled against them in May and told them to hand over the building to the archdiocese, which is referred to in court documents as the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s.

It was a crushing moment for the community of about 85 people along the southern coast of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula.

Portugal Cove South is a fishing village, and it was devastated by the moratorium imposed in 1992 on the cod fishery off the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Power said. The church and its pastor became a source of strength and hope for the community.

Power, who is 59, said that growing up, the church was more than just a place of worship.

“It represented who we are as a people,” she said.

The historical corporation and the town now own the Holy Rosary Church, thanks to an unknown person with family ties to the community. Power said she was skeptical when the donor’s representative first contacted her.

“Only a few minutes into the phone call and I knew it was sincere,” she said. The church will continue to be a place of worship, open for special occasions such as funerals, weddings and Christmas mass.

The historical corporation is holding a special gratitude service on Nov. 23 to celebrate its new ownership of the church.

A Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2021 cemented the archdiocese’s liability for physical and sexual abuse at the former Mount Cashel orphanage in St. John’s between the 1940s and the 1960s. Other victims of clergy abuse came forward and the archdiocese was ultimately ordered to pay more than $121 million to more than 300 survivors, said lawyer Geoff Budden.

The archdiocese has so far paid out about $36.2 million, he said in a recent interview.

People in Portugal Cove South firmly believe the victims of clergy abuse deserve every cent of compensation they are entitled to, Power said.

“Our stand had absolutely nothing to do with those victims,” she said. She wondered why the Vatican didn’t step in to provide compensation.

Budden was part of the team that fought for the survivors of Mount Cashel. He said suing the Vatican presents a “formidable legal challenge” that nobody has yet overcome.

He did not know why the Vatican did not volunteer to help with the settlements.

“Only they could really answer that,” Budden said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press