WATERVILLE — Eva Russell was angry when she learned more than a year ago that St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church would be demolished and an apartment building would be built in its place.
The 137-year-old Elm Street church held a special place in her heart. Her grandmother Anastasia Gagnon was one of the church’s first parishioners, and Russell herself had attended St. Francis de Sales School on the site.
“I was sadder than when my mum and dad died,” Russell recalled.
But on Tuesday, Russell, now 86, was smiling. She said she finally understood why God had allowed the church to be razed.
“He knew what he was doing. They say he always answers, one way or another.”
Russell was sitting in a chair, clutching the handles of her walker, inside the brand-new St. Francis Apartments, where she now lives, waiting for Bishop Robert P. Deeley, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland to bless the complex.
The $5 million, 40-unit, three-story affordable apartment building for people 62 and older opened recently. The diocese bought the church from Corpus Christi Parish and created a nonprofit corporation, St. Francis Apartments Inc., to develop the complex, funded by a federal Housing and Urban Development grant. Zachau Construction Inc., of Freeport, was the general contractor.
On Tuesday, Russell was joined by about 100 other new residents, staff members, church and HUD officials and area residents for the ceremony, a blessing, tours and a ribbon-cutting by Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce officials.
Russell said she loves her new 600-square-foot apartment, which is exactly on the site where she attended first grade.
“I think it’s great, really,” she said. “They have me right by the back door, so it’s great for my dog, a shih tsu. His name is Pishoo, which is ‘slipper’ in French. He’s 7.”
Russell said she was born in a house on nearby Francis Street and lived 44 years in a house next to that with her husband, Joseph, who died seven years ago and to whom she was married 58 years. They had five children.
She applied to get into St. Francis Apartments as soon as she heard about the project and was ecstatic to be accepted for an apartment.
“It was meant to be,” she said.
In his speech, Deeley spoke of the importance of home and caring for seniors.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to launch this new residence for our seniors and for those who are physically challenged,” he said. “It’s delightful to be here.”
When Jesus came into the world, he said, there was no place for him to stay — no room at the inn. He was born in a stable in Bethlehem and while he had no home, later in his ministry, when he wanted to encounter people, he entered into their homes.
“Home is a place of peace,” Deeley said. “It’s a place where, when we enter it, we feel comfortable and safe.”
William D. Burney, a HUD official from the department’s Bangor office, said the agency’s vision is to provide affordable housing for those who need it. Burney, a former Augusta mayor, said the St. Francis complex may be one of the last projects to be done under a special HUD program.
“It’s a very important program but it’s a very costly one — several million dollars to build this. …”
All of the 40 St. Francis apartments are spoken for, although not everyone has moved in, according to Lynda Trafton, service coordinator for the complex. Some new tenants had to give notices at their current apartments, and they had to wait to move in, she said.
The rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $675, and tenants pay 30 percent of their income toward that amount. Each apartment has an open living room and kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom — just what Joyce Sweetman, 84, wanted.
“I lived in Benton and I’ve been alone for 10 years since my husband died of cancer,” Sweetman said in her first-floor apartment overlooking Elm Street.
A former nurse, Sweetman said she is happy that she isn’t alone anymore.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s wonderful and the people are so good here. They go out of their way to help me. I had 10 years with just me and my little dog. It was kind of rough. I found a good home for him. I can still go to see him. I can still drive and I still do my own cooking.”
Jim Grenier, 63, was partaking of refreshments in the media room. Sitting in a wheelchair, the result of suffering multiple broken bones in a fall from his roof Aug. 28, Grenier said he attended St. Francis school for three years, from third grade to fifth grade, and his grandmother was a cook at the school.
“I was Eucharistic minister here (at the former church) and on the parish council here,” he said. “My daughter played flute for the choir.”
A member of both the St. Francis Apartments board of directors and the Seton Village board, Grenier also is a former member of the board of directors of School Administrative District 49, based in Fairfield. Now a Waterville resident, Grenier said he thinks developers did a great job on the apartment building, which incorporates stained-glass windows, woodwork and other items from the former church. The church’s cast-iron, gold-colored statue of St. Francis now is on the building’s lawn, and the church bell is housed in a special house on the property, which is visible from Elm Street.
“I think they (developers) had a lot of respect,” he said. “I think the remembrance and respect are very important.”
He said he was hoping to find a stained-glass window featuring St. John the Apostle, which his grandmother and her family donated to the church many years ago. While he had not found it by about 3 p.m., he received another, unexpected gift — a blessing from the bishop.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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