A historic century-old Catholic church has been completely destroyed by fire in Canada as the nation continues to grapple with a wave of attacks targeting Christian places of worship.
Saint-Simon Church in New Brunswick, believed to be the province’s largest wooden church, was consumed by flames after being targeted by an arson attack early Monday morning.
Officials have confirmed that the entire structure was reduced to ash, with nothing remaining of the iconic building.
‘Someone Would Have Set the Fire’
Firefighters were called to the landmark church at approximately 3:30 a.m.
By the time crews arrived, however, the inferno had already spread too far for the historic structure to be saved.
Nobody was injured, but the church was completely destroyed.
“We tried to contain it, but as soon as it gets inside the roofing, forget it, you can’t extinguish it,” Caraquet Fire Department Chief Luc Dugas said.
Videos shared online show the intensity of the blaze.
WATCH:
Canada: Yet another church has been burned to the ground.
Yesterday, the Saint-Simon Church in New Brunswick was completely destroyed.
It was no accident – it was arson.
This is an expanding pattern across the West.
Protect your churches, and the churches of your city. pic.twitter.com/R8cpVXeqtr
— Christian Emergency Alliance (@ChristianEmerg1) August 25, 2026
Investigators quickly began treating the devastating blaze as a suspected act of arson.
“At this time, we believe someone would have set the fire,” Dugas said.
According to the fire chief, motion detectors indicated that someone had been inside the church approximately 10 minutes before emergency crews received the call.
Police have now charged a 68-year-old man with arson in connection with the destruction.
Police Charge 68-Year-Old Man with Arson
New Brunswick police announced that Gilles Mallet, 68, has been charged over the fire.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive.
The destruction has devastated the small Saint-Simon community.
Local residents had continued to maintain the historic Catholic church despite the local population falling to approximately 600 people.
Resident Monique Albert Léger described the church as central to the community’s identity.
“It’s our heart, it’s our lungs, it’s the center of our village,” Léger said.
“We just lost a big piece.”
The church’s destruction has also left serious questions about whether the landmark will ever be rebuilt.
Michel Proulx, bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, said the immediate priority was ensuring that the Catholic community could continue gathering.
“First, what is important, is to make sure that everyone is OK, that the community can continue to gather,” Proulx said.
“It’s a wooden church, it’s a beautiful church, a building that bears witness to the faith of the ancestors who built it, and also to the faith of the communities that continue to gather there and maintain it […] we will have to work very closely with [the community] now to see how we’re going to cope.”
Caraquet Mayor Bernard Theriault said residents have a history of fighting to preserve their community.
“They very proud of who they are, very much proud of where they coming from, their ancestors, their origin and their history,” Theriault said.
Following the destruction of Saint-Simon Church, Theriault told residents:
“You decide what you want, and we will be supporting you in whatever quest or request you have in terms of the future.”
Canada Rocked by Wave of Attacks on Christian Churches
The destruction of Saint-Simon Church comes against the backdrop of a much broader wave of vandalism, desecration, and fires involving Christian churches across Canada.
Juno News reports that “132 Christian churches across Canada have been vandalized, burned to the ground, or desecrated” since the 2021 announcement concerning unmarked graves near a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Despite the staggering number of incidents, Juno News notes that “to this day, there has been NO national inquiry called to address this national crisis.”
The continuing destruction has prompted efforts by conservative lawmakers to impose tougher penalties on criminals who attack religious institutions.
Last November, Conservative MP Kelly Block introduced Private Members Bill C-255, which seeks to increase penalties for criminals convicted of mischief targeting places of worship.
Saint-Simon Church has now joined the growing list of Christian landmarks lost during that disturbing period.
Unlike many church fires where the cause initially remains uncertain, authorities investigating Saint-Simon have already said they believe the blaze was deliberately set.
A suspect has now been charged with arson.
What remains unknown is why someone would allegedly target a century-old church that residents regarded as the heart of their tiny community.
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