By the late-60s, the baby boom was winding down, and another exodus to the suburbs – St. Leonard, the West Island – was just beginning.
Still, the parish was abuzz with activity. But while more parishioners became involved as a result of Vatican II, it did not mean that more parishioners were going to church.
By June 1968, collections had already begun to fall short; there were no more large surpluses as were seen in the decade before. The parish needed to find a minimum of $7,000 annually just to service the debt, not to mention money for unexpected repairs.
Six months earlier, Fr. Sutton and the wardens had arranged for a second loan of $18,000 at 3% from St. Anthony’s Parish to service the outstanding debt of $122,696.
Just as this crisis was coming to a head, Fr. Sutton died on Oct 21.
Fr. Baxter, who had been absent from the parish since September 1966 for studies and then worked for the Montreal Catholic School Commission, was appointed administrator.
The administrator did not let the economic foreboding inhibit the natural energy generated by the Vatican II reforms.
He reconvened the parish council that Fr. Carter had initiated, comprising no less than 18 organizations. He enlisted the services of John and Bernadette Donovan to start a contemporary church choir to continue the musical excellence formerly provided by the Men and Boys Choir, which, with its Latin repertoire, had run its course.
While the parish thrived pastorally, the mortgage deadline advanced ominously closer to 1975 when the balance was due.
In 1970, Fr. Baxter and the wardens secured a second $18,000 loan from four parishes – St. Malachy, St. Monica, St. Patrick, St. Raphael – at 4% annual interest. A year later, they successfully petitioned all the parishes who had issued the two loans to reduce the annual interest to 1% in order to put down more capital on the bank debt.
Holy Family was just keeping its head above water financially when Bishop Crowley decided that Fr. Baxter’s talents were needed at St John Fisher Parish in the West Island.
In September 1972, Fr. Murray McCrory became Holy Family’s seventh pastor and found himself engulfed in the looming financial crisis. “Downtown” did arrange for another loan of $10,000 that year from Our Lady of Good Counsel.
In five years, the Fabrique, under three different pastors, had arranged $46,000 in new loans at very low rates from six parishes – simply to service and reduce its construction debt but not enough to eliminate it.