There are an enormous amount of empty ecclesial edifices in the city of Montreal, Quebec. These abandoned artifacts of church architecture are the flotsam left bobbing in the wake of the Quiet Revolution. The rapid escape from religious oppression (and other forms of oppression) in the mid-twentieth century left the churches, once overflowing with members, empty. Saint-Mathias-Apôtre church, in the Hochelaga neighborhood, is one of those buildings. Built in a mid-century style, it no longer offers religious services, or does it?
Churches, in particular liturgical churches, are designed to serve one meal. That meal goes by many names. To some it is Mass. To others it is the Eucharist, Communion or the Lord's Supper. In Jesus' final hours on earth he directed his disciples to eat bread and drink wine as a way to remember him. In liturgical churches this sacrament is practiced at each service. However, the Lord's Supper wasn't the only meal Jesus is known for. It has been said that Jesus eats and drinks his way through the gospels. He is criticized for eating with the wrong people. He miraculously feeds 5,000 people. Food is central to the story of Jesus.
When you walk through the doors of the former Saint-Mathias-Apôtre church food is still central. Now the home of Le Chic Resto Pop a "socio-professional integration, social economy and community action organization." (1) Le Chic Resto Pop is a low-cost ($3.67 US for an adult) "socially responsible restaurant, [serving] nutritious and quality meals at low prices to meet the needs of people with food insecurity." (2) Le Chic Resto Pop also provides unemployed persons the opportunity to gain valuable job skills and boasts a 78% placement rate. (3) Since 1984 they have trained over 1500 people and served over 4 million meals.
The building turned restaurant is still architecturally very much the way it was when it was built and perhaps it is still fulfilling its mission. In Matthew 28 we read Jesus' words, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..." The disciples ask, "When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?" To which Jesus replies "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
A belief I hold strongly is that the Holy Spirit is always at work. Saint-Mathias-Apôtre church was built to serve the Lord's Supper. Yet, when that meal became tainted by the oppressive and controlling way it was served people no longer came to the table. Still that building was clearly meant to feed the people. The Spirit was still at work. Here and there in the building you see hints of its past purpose in crosses on light fixtures and the mosaics on the door, but Jesus' mission is not obscured at all. The Spirit is still at work. Like the Parable of the Banquet (Matthew 22), Le Chic Resto Pop welcomes everyone to the table to be fed, and in that activity feeds Jesus himself.
Saint-Mathias-Apôtre was constructed to serve one meal, but now if serves millions. In both forms it bears witness to the kingdom of God.
Joel K
(1) https://chicrestopop.com/
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
