1891 Church To Fall After Judge Dismisses Suit
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Dec. 4, 2009
St. George Catholic Church supporters hold "This Place Matters" signs in front of the church as demolition continues.
Credit: Preservation Pennsylvania
A last-ditch effort to save America's first Lithuanian Catholic church, located in Shenandoah, Pa., failed this week. Schuylkill County Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin ruled Dec. 1 that parishioners of St. George Catholic Church have "no standing," or no legal right, to file a lawsuit to halt the current demolition of the historic 1891 sanctuary.
"We felt sad, because a piece of history is being destroyed unnecessarily," James and Dorothy Setcavage, two of the parishioners who filed the lawsuit in September against the church's owner, the Diocese of Allentown, said in an e-mail. "If the Diocese of Allentown no longer wanted this historic Gothic structure, then they could have negotiated with the groups that were interested in having the building for other purposes."
The Diocese of Allentown collected money for restoration but never restored St. George. Demolition began in October.
"The people thought their money was going toward the building, not the bishop," says Erin Hammerstedt, field representative at Preservation Pennsylvania. "There was never a dialogue between the diocese and the people involved in preservation."
Nevertheless, Judge Dolbin dismissed the parishioners' lawsuit, saying that the diocese can do what it wants with its property. The Diocese of Allentown declared St. George a safety hazard and closed it down in May 2006.
"There are no winners here. Unfortunately, it's a matter of safety," says diocesan spokesman Matt Kerr.
Some engineers disagree. Rick Yutko of WJP Engineers, based in Pottsville, Pa., concedes that the church's exterior granite cladding requires attention, but maintains that the building itself is structurally sound. "The diocese is saying it has to be taken down, and that's simply not true," he explains. Based on WJP's experience working on the church from 1989 to 2004, Yutko estimates that the exterior granite could be repaired for $1.3 million.
The diocese disagrees, citing a much more expensive estimate from Pennsylvania-based Foreman Building Commissioning. That company has told diocesan officials it would cost $6 to $9 million to restore the church.
The higher estimate is inflated, Yutko says, because it includes "extras" such as installation of an air-conditioning system. "They [included] a host of renovations that just were not needed. Somebody just wants it gone."
Meanwhile, demolition of the church continues. "Legally there's nothing [more] that can be done," Hammerstedt says.
Some parts of the church have been salvaged. Workers from Reading-based Empire Services have removed statues, pews, and other elements, according to Kerr. (Empire Services declined to comment.) "Everything from inside the church was placed in storage," he says.
The Setcavages, who are considering filing an appeal, say that the salvage work "is not a consolation to us."
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Comments
Submitted by Earl at: December 14, 2009
And people wonder why their parish is decreasing in size! Could it be the ignorance of those in charge? Historic destruction at its finest!!!
Submitted by Will at: December 12, 2009
Religious organizations tend to be the greatest enemies of historic preservation. They do things like this as well as buy up surrounding properties and demolish them to make parking lots, to get more members, to collect more money, to gain more power, to destroy more property. I'm sure you can see the cycle.
Submitted by Katherine at: December 12, 2009
Thank you for posting this. This is very important, esp.!!!!!!!because of Russia. Thanks for posting!!!!!!!!
Submitted by Ann at: December 11, 2009
Shouldn't the diocese have to return the money collected for "restoration" since it was not restored ?
Submitted by Pat at: December 11, 2009
It is so sad to see a piece of history lost forever. years from now it will be regreted but will be to late to do anything about it.
Submitted by Anonymous at: December 11, 2009
What a beautiful church. Such a shame that the Catholic Church does not honor the workmen who built the church, nor the supporters who donated to the restoration of the church. Is the judge forcing the church to pay back the supporters since the work was never done? What will the Catholic church do now- sell the property?
Submitted by dismayed at: December 11, 2009
clearly the church government doesn"t care about anything but the bottom line __ to bail it out of its abuse lawsuit costs
Submitted by Carson at: December 11, 2009
I can't believe this! The Catholic church in Boerne TX was halted from demolishing their old sanctuary. Why can't this one? What a pity the Church can't understand the people's desire to save these beautiful old buildings that are so much a part of the community's history and heritage.
Submitted by TaxiManSteve at: December 7, 2009
To Brian, others... Yes... Think of the bombing of Dresden.... And what they did with the bombed out hulks of buildings there... Lithuanian history should count for something... Even the communists had sense in the homeland had sense not to topple Lithuanian past like this.... ---Rep. Steve Lindsey Ches-3 Keene, NH
Submitted by Mike at: December 5, 2009
I'll never understand how people would want to belong to a church/club/lodge as members and discharge any legal rights as to ownership!
Submitted by Brian at: December 4, 2009
I have to LAUGH when I hear that the building cannot be repaired. My goodness! Thousands of masonry buildings were blown up in WWII across Germany, including cathedrals, and they have been rebuilt. There is no way I can be convinced that this building is in worse condition than buildings hit by bombing raids.
Submitted by GeWaMa at: December 4, 2009
Sad story. It seems that the Catholic Church is using this very same excuse in numerous parishes around the country.