BIDDEFORD — In 1909, Doris Lambert’s grandparents were married in the basement of St. Andre Church on Bacon Street. Construction on the church had begun but wasn’t completed until the following year.
Since that time, five generations of her family ”“ from her grandparents to her grandchild ”“ have attended services at St. Andre.
Today, Lambert, members of her family and other St. Andre parishioners will say goodbye to the church, which many have described as a second home.
The last Mass at St. Andre will be celebrated today, after which the church will close its doors for good.
In 2008, as part of a reorganization plan, Biddeford and Saco Catholics joined together to form the Good Shepherd Parish. This summer, Old Orchard Beach and Lyman also joined the parish.
As part of the plan, three Catholic churches have been closed in the Biddeford-Saco area in the past year.
In addition to the closing of St. Andre today, St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Biddeford and Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Saco closed in December 2009.
Catholic church closures are taking place around the state.
The cost to maintain buildings coupled with the loss of parishioners to support upkeep of the properties are the main reasons for the closures, said Monseigneur René Mathieu of the Good Shepherd Parish.
In addition, he said, the loss of men entering the priesthood makes it difficult to staff services at many locations.
While many recognize the financial necessity of the closure, many parishioners say they will be sad when the final Mass at St. Andre is held today.
St. Andre “was like a second home to my parents and grandparents,” said Lambert. “It was the social center of their life.”
Growing up, she said, she attended St. Andre school.
Like her grandparents and parents before her, Lambert was married in the church, and she celebrated all her sacraments at the church.
“It’s sad,” said Lambert about the closure, “but I think everyone has accepted what has to be done.”
By joining the local Catholic community together, Lambert said, she thinks it will make the congregation in the area stronger.
Helen Fortier, who attended St. Andre most of her life, said she is also sad about the church’s closing but understands its necessity.
“It was a very formative part of my life,” she said.
Fortier is the music director for the Good Shepherd Parish and plays the organ at all the parish churches.
She said she began her career as an organist at St. Andre.
She played for her first wedding there at age 16 and played for the 7 a.m. Sunday Mass throughout high school and college, where she studied music.
Now that all Catholics in the area are joined as one parish, “Hopefully we can continue to move the community together,” said Fortier.
She said she hopes that the “self-made boundaries” that divided Catholics into different parishes will be abolished.
“It was part of our life, it was our faith,” said Deb Cote about her relation to St. Andre.
She said she is the third generation in her family attending the church. Her son, Lee, who was married at the church ”“ to Fortier’s daughter, Michelle ”“ is the fourth generation attending St. Andre.
Deb Cote said she has a lot of fond memories volunteering at the church.
“We slept in the function hall many nights,” she said.
Lee Cote said he has memories of Halloween and Christmas parties at St. Andre.
“I met a lot of my friends there,” he said, as well as his wife. They were altar servers together in the third grade.
“It’s tough to say goodbye to the building,” said Deb Cote, “but it’s brick and wood.”
“What’s most important,” she said, “is family, friends and faith. We can be sad, or we can be positive and make new” memories, Cote said.
Guy Cadorette is another parishioner who looks at St. Andre as a second home. He is also a member of a multi-generation family attending St. Andre.
Cadorette and his wife ”“ who both attended St. Andre school together ”“ made some of their closest friends at the church, he said.
With the closing of the church, “It’s breaking up the family.”
Cadorette said he didn’t know which of the remaining churches he and his wife will attend in the new year. He said he’s hopeful that there will be a service where most of those who attend St. Andre can go together so they can continue to keep in close contact.
Until recently, said Dan Bastarache, he didn’t give the possibility of St. Andre closing much thought.
“For me it’s been there forever,” said Bastarache, who was baptized at the church, was an altar boy there and attended St. Andre school.
St. Andre has been part of his family’s life since his grandfather immigrated from Canada to Biddeford and joined the parish.
“I have many memories of being of service to the church from a very young (age),” said Bastarache. “In winters, when there was too much snow, we took a toboggan to church.”
In fair weather, he often rode his bicycle to church so he could attend the early Mass where he was an altar boy.
When the last Mass is held today, “I’m sure I’ll have a tear in my eye,” said Bastarache, “but we’re getting ready for a new chapter.
“We’re looking at is as an opportunity to meet new friends, new people and to be of service.”
Mathieu recognizes there is a “great sadness” with the closing of St. Andre, which he called one of the most beautiful and valuable churches in Maine.
“At another time it was a key neighborhood for the French speakers,” he said, “but a lot of those people have moved away or died.”
The closure is a loss to the neighborhood, said Mathieu, which he compared to the selling of a family home.
However, he said, St. Andre and the other churches that were closed are “high-maintenance buildings that eat up a lot of time and a lot of money.”
“We’re not here to take care of buildings, we’re here to do good works,” said Mathieu.
“I’m anxious to get to the next stage,” he said.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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