By Mark Squibb
Linda Goodyear said that when she walked into St. Peter’s Church in Witless Bay in July of 2023, it was, excuse the cliché, love at first sight.
“I went into several churches, on this shore, and on the north shore, and as soon as I walked in with the real estate agent, I had a feeling, and the more I looked around, the more I knew that this was the church I wanted,” said Goodyear.
The retired dentist said her intention is to repurpose the building – one of dozens of church properties the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s put up for sale to help compensate victims of historical sexual abuse by some clergy and Christian Brothers – as an art gallery, offering authentic Newfoundland artwork, with a special focus on the Irish Loop.
“On the Irish Loop, there are a lot of individual artists,” said Goodyear. “But there’s nowhere for someone to come and view all those different artists in one place.”
Goodyear is a self professed art enthusiast who traces her passion for art back to a school trip to Paris to visit the famous Louvre Museum. She has been studying art – and artists – ever since.
“I love reading about art, I love studying art, I love talking about art,” said Goodyear. “It’s a passion of mine.”
Goodyear also hopes to host art and art appreciation workshops on the balcony level, and furthermore hopes to open the Witless Bay Art Gallery & Arts Education Centre, Inc., to the public in 2026, so long as she can complete some renovations and receive the proper permits by then.
“The church itself is a work of art,” added Goodyear, noting the vaulted ceiling, Gothic architecture, marble statues and stained-glass windows. “I hope the gallery becomes a destination, and that people come out here from St. John’s to visit this art gallery. I want to make this an art destination.”
Goodyear admits that initially the thought that perhaps she had been too impulsive nagged at her, but those worries were quelled upon visiting the church a second time.
“Every time I walk into this church, I know how right this decision was,” she said.
The purchase and repurposing of church properties across the province has become a sensitive issue for many, with some people fighting to hold onto the buildings, which hold significant community and spiritual significance, within their communities. This spring, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that the archdiocese was the rightful owner of the Holy Rosary Church in Portugal Cove South and granted an injunction forbidding residents from interfering with the sale. Residents had gone so far as to change the locks on the door to prevent the sale.
“I know some of these wounds are deep,” said Goodyear. “And I want to take the feelings of the community into consideration… I want to stress and encourage members of the church to come to me, talk to me, and come in here. I’m going to work my hardest to keep the spirit of this church alive.”
The church itself, according to town records, opened its doors in 1845. In 1860, the Presentation Sisters opened a nearby convent and school for girls. That building has since been torn down, however several of the Sisters have been laid to rest on the church property. Goodyear said that the cemetery will be respectfully repurposed as a tranquility garden, and that members of the Sisters’ congregation will be welcome to visit at any time.
Parishioners held their final mass at St. Peter’s in June of 2024.
