“It’s home.”

For Gail Turmel, those two words sum up why St. Joseph Church is so special to her and the people of Rockwood.

“I just love it,” she says. “It’s small and it’s intimate and everybody knows everybody.”

“There’s a very spiritual atmosphere in this church when everybody is in it. They really are intent on praying for people who come,” says Alice Theriault.

“I don’t know if I can put it into words. It’s just so special,” says Joann Somers.  

“It’s a nice, quaint little church, and it’s just where I want to be,” says Kathy Begin. “I live in Jackman, but I was raised in Rockwood, and I came to the Rockwood church, and I got married in the Rockwood church, so we try to come down most weekends to the Rockwood church. I just love it. It’s my real home.”

The church, which is open from Memorial Day to around Labor Day, is located along the Moose River on the western side of Moosehead Lake, an area dotted with summer homes and camps. While some people live there year-round, many more arrive each spring and summer when the ice is out and boats are ready to go back into the water.

“We have a lot of tourists, but then you have the regular people from in town and those who come back for the summers to their camps, and they do come back,” says Alice.

When the population returns, there to welcome them, like an old friend, is the quaint church, with its knotty pine interior. 

Ron and Peggy Rancourt live in Connecticut but spend five months of the year in Rockwood.

“Since I met my husband, I’ve come to this church, and I’ve just gotten to love it. It’s a beautiful church. It has a lot of history,” says Peggy. “It means a lot. I love attending Mass here. It’s just very cozy and special.”

“It’s a beautiful little church. You can see the wood paneling. You don’t see that very often in any place,” says Ron, who is Gail’s brother. “My mother went here, and my grandfather and grandmother went here. As a matter of fact, one of the [Stations of the Cross] was donated by my grandmother and grandfather.”

Although St. Joseph Church is more than 100 years old, dating to 1917, the interior still shines thanks to the dedication of parishioners like Gail and Alice. For nearly 30 years, Gail and her husband, Ivon, took care of the small church, raking, cleaning, and even closing up the attic to keep out bats. When her husband passed away, Gail took a step back, but Alice was there to step in, serving as sacristan, reader, eucharistic minister, or whatever is needed.

“I take everything home and wash it and iron it. We don’t have water in the church, so I bring in all the water. I bring in flowers,” she says.

As the owner of several properties, she also has her cleaning crew give the church a thorough spring cleaning each year, although don’t be surprised if you also sometimes see Alice with broom in hand.

“It probably takes a day by the time they wash the windows and do everything, and then another day, they work in the yard, cutting the brush and doing whatever. Then, once it’s all clean, it’s maybe two hours a week, three at the most. I have them vacuum the whole thing, clean the benches,” she says.

Alice even arranged to have some small trees planted to beautify the grounds.

“I just love helping out the church,” she says. “We just do what we need to do to keep it open and keep it going.”

“It’s just trying to preserve what we have,” says Gail. “I’ve been coming to this church since I was a baby. I was baptized in this church. We made our first Communion here.”

Although she is not as active as she once was, Gail helps Alice when needed. She also serves as a eucharistic minister, and she cares for St. Joseph Cemetery. 

“Gail would be there in a pinch for me,” says Alice. “She’s my buddy.”

“We’ve been buddies for years,” says Gail.

Although this powerhouse pair has taken on many roles through the years, they emphasize that they also encourage others to get involved.

“We try to get everybody to participate, even the tourists who are in the area,” says Alice. “If they tell me they’re a lector or an altar server or they can lead the Rosary, then I try to have all the different people participate.”

And Alice can be persistent.

“I ask them sometimes for three years. Would you like to lead the Rosary? And then, all of sudden, they say yes,” says Alice.

Gail’s son, Ivon Jr., returned to altar serving thanks to Alice’s encouragement. He also rings the church bell and serves as an usher.

“Hopefully, I’m being a role model,” he says. “I help out where I can.”

Not only does Gail’s son altar serve, but her brother does as well, something he’s been doing on and off for 77 years.

“I probably started here when I was 10 years old. I’m 87 now,” he says.

With the leaves changing colors, the Rancourts and others are headed back to their fall and winter homes, and St. Joseph Church has closed for the season. For year-round residents, it means a half hour drive to the other churches of the parish: Holy Family in Greenville or St. Faustina in Jackman. They say while those are wonderful communities, too, they always look forward to returning to the church they call home.

“It’s so beautiful,” says Alice. “It’s almost like being in a private little chapel, which is a totally different atmosphere. I love it here.”