The residents of Ross celebrated the return of a beloved icon to their community last Sunday.

Dozens of people gathered together at the centre of the small hamlet, located North of Ste. Anne, to honor the homecoming of a brass train bell that had been donated to the Ross Catholic Church by

The Catholic church in Ross was established in 1952 and demolished in 2018 (photo credit: Alice Lesage). the Canadian Pacific Railway many decades ago.

As Alice Lesage explains, the bell is more than a resounding noisemaker, but a symbol of pride and history.

The Ross Catholic Church was founded in 1952 and enjoyed many years of popularity. It was during those first few years that the CPR gifted them with the bell. However, in 1996, a dwindling congregation and a shortage of priests forced the church to permanently shut its doors. At that time, the St. Boniface Catholic Diocese withdrew the bell from the community for fear it would be stolen.

“People were very upset about that,” recalls Lesage, “because we lost our church and now our bell was taken away also.”

Building the gazebo foundation (photo credit: Alice Lesage)Recognizing the significance of the object to the community, Lesage’s husband, Richard, began campaigning.

“He fought so that the bell would not be put in a museum but would someday come back to Ross,” tells Lesage. 

Thus the bell was taken to Ste. Anne, where it remained until very recently. Meanwhile, the Diocese set some conditions.

“They said we could have the bell if we constructed a monument, bolted it down on cement, and secured it,” notes Lesage.

Then, when the church building was demolished in September of 2018, Lesage says the efforts of her husband and other community members were reinvigorated and they became more determined than ever to build the monument necessary to get the bell back.

“It was very important to a lot of the elderly people,” offers Lesage, “without the church we were worried that the connected cemetery would be forgotten because there would be nothing there.”

The finished gazebo now stands in the middle of Ross (photo credit: Alice Lesage).Over the past year, Ross residents have gathered donations, leveled the ground, and built a gazebo where the church once stood. 

Finally, on Sunday, Ross recognized the culmination of 23 years' worth of effort. The bell now stands protected by the gazebo in the centre of the community.

“We don’t have very much,” says Lesage, “so having this landmark here is kind of unique.”

Nearly 85 past and present community members attended the gazebo’s dedication on Sunday, many coming from seniors homes across the southeast.

“It’s a feel-good story,” concludes Lesage. “It’s a story about the community coming together and doing something about a little problem that they had. I am very proud of our community.”

Richard and Alice Lesage stand underneath the new gazebo (photo credit: Alice Lesage).