It's a rainy Sunday morning in the early days of summer, and the vibrant green spaces of Saint-Anne-des-Pins Church in Greater Sudbury contrast with the grey skies. The church was the first building to be erected by settlers in the city, and has been a bastion of Franco-Ontarian religious life for more than a century. The parishioners start to trickle in for the weekly mass.
Church attendance is generally on the decline among Canadian youth, but it's a place of community and belonging for some younger newcomers of African origin. (Aya Dufour/CBC) Like other French Catholic communities, religious attendance among younger people here is on the decline. This crowd is part of an older generation — except for those belonging to the Black community.
Sitting side-by-side are seniors and young African families, chatting as the service begins. Saint-Anne-des-Pins Church offers an African mass to cater to the growing number of newcomers attending its Sunday service. (Aya Dufour/CBC) This particular Sunday is African mass, a tradition that emerged to meet the cultural needs of the new faces attending and leading the church.
A local group called the African choir is performing. Their members are from all over: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, Guinea. "There's a growing number of Africans attending church so we were thinking of ways to weave in African culture," said lead singer Judith Koffi.
Judith Koffi, right, leads the African choir. (Aya Dufour/CBC) "We thought a choir would be a good.
