The steeple of the former Anglican church in St. Philip's lies on the ground last Wednesday morning. (CBC)The rector responsible for a century-old church near St. John's that mysteriously had its steeple removed last week says he won't speak about what happened.

Rev. Ed Keeping, rector of St. Philip's Anglican Church, was asked by CBC News on Monday what he knew about the toppling of the steeple. He said he couldn't comment.

But Keeping did respond to criticism the church showed poor timing when it asked for permission to demolish its 116-year-old building in St. Philip's, N.L.

"You know I had an e-mail in my office a couple of days ago saying, 'You know the church shouldn't have done this in Holy Week,'" Keeping said. "Well, the church didn't do it in Holy Week."

The fate of the church building has divided local residents ever since the church council voted for demolition to make room for more graveyard space. The congregation uses a new church building.

A group of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's residents spoke out against the demolition plan, saying the church should be designated a heritage building. This group organized a public meeting on Palm Sunday to discuss the issue. Keeping said he only learned about the meeting the day before, when he returned from a trip to B.C.

Town council later voted to preserve the building, which has lately been used to store materials for recycling.

The old Anglican church in St. Philip's has been part of the community landscape for 116 years. (CBC)

But last Wednesday, people in the area woke up to find someone had removed the steeple from the old church and toppled it to the ground.

No one has claimed responsibility.