Ste. Anne's Parish in Tecumseh says it's getting a commitment of a $1.25-million donation from an anonymous donor to begin the Thanksgiving weekend.
The parish says the money is being donated in an effort to entice other groups to match the amount and reach the $2.5-million needed for restorations of the long-standing church.
Father Eugene Roy says he was contacted by the anonymous donor on Tuesday, adding the individual "has a keen desire" to see the church fully restored.
"Our parish is deeply grateful for this generous commitment of support to fully restore our church building which has been a beacon in our community for 143 years," says Roy in a news release. "Parishioners have been made aware of the current need to step up to the plate if we are going to make the church building safe and secure for generations to come."
Roy says the building desperately needs the restoration work and hopes to begin interior renovations in the spring of 2017.
"Time now has taken its toll resulting in a serious deterioration to the stucco causing it to peel off the wall with chunks of it falling randomly to the ground," says Roy. "It has also spoiled the original brick surface that was used to build the wall back in 1873."
The parish says the anonymous donor has set a two week deadline for the funds to be matched.
Roy says the church initially started a campaign in 2008 in an attempt to raise funds to renovate the building. However, due to a lack of donations, that campaign ended in 2010.
