Residents of the Wildwood community woke up on a frigid Friday morning on February 24 to news that the former 5,000-square-foot St. Gerard’s Catholic Church on Lois Street had 36 windows broken, and branches were found inside burning.
Luckily, neighbours heard the 3 am commotion and called the RCMP. The fire was put out quickly, but there is extensive smoke damage.
The church closed to religious services in 2022, but had been a community gathering space for 60 years. In the 1950s, Wildwood was home to a large Italian and Dutch immigrant population, and the church had been an important centre for gatherings for many years.
