The future may be a little brighter for a century-old church in Digby County.

An anonymous donation of 10 million dollars has been given to Eglise Sainte-Marie in Church Point.

It’s on the condition that it remain an active, Catholic church.

It needs extensive work, a group has been trying for years to raise money to preserve the historic building.

Pierre Comeau is with the group, and calls the donation a wonderful gift.

“All the members and directors of the society were overjoyed, and extremely surprised and grateful,” said Comeau.

He notes there are still a lot of details to work out before any work can proceed.

The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth owns the church, and they’ll be hosting public meetings this weekend.

Comeau knows the building means a lot to the local Acadian community.

“It represents a memorial to the ingenuity and the perseverance of our ancestors over 100 years ago, who built this church with limited resources.”