Artists fundraise to save church steeple

A group of artists is raising money to restore the steeple of the old Anglican church in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.

The steeple was cut off the church almost three years ago. A church council was planning to demolish the building, but in an attempt to save the century-old church, the town declared it a heritage structure.

But hours after achieving heritage status, the building was vandalized — the steeple supports were cut and it fell to the ground.

Steve Sharpe, the president of the Church by the Sea heritage group, said its latest preservation effort is a calendar featuring paintings of the church, which is being sold to raise money to repair the fallen steeple.

"We hope that we may be able to do this at no cost to the parish," he said.

Sharpe said there's still no agreement between the diocese and the town over when or if the steeple will be restored. But the support from the arts community is helping him stay optimistic.

The calendar includes the works of 16 different artists, which were painted from 1940 to the present.

Marjorie Snow's work is featured in the calendar for the month of February.

"When I heard they might be tearing it down, I thought, 'Wow I gotta paint that church,'" she said.

"I thought I was doing it just for me, but it so happens that now it's gone toward a very worthwhile project, raising a bit of money to help save the St. Philip's church that we all love so much."