Folks in Manitowoc got one final chance to look inside a historic Catholic Church yesterday (September 25th).
St. Boniface was built in 1885 and was one of the oldest churches in Manitowoc.
Now, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, after a decree from the Diocese of Green Bay, calls for the closure of the church.
Some parishioners appealed the decision and took them to the high court in Rome.
However, the court ruled in favor of the Diocese and kept the decree in place.
Reiterated by Father Doug LeCaptain, it is important to recognize and remember those who came to mass and celebrated here, but it is not worth the cost of reinvesting in it and just see it fall apart brick by brick.
He also said it would be tough to try and repurpose the building.
“We have no control once you sell it, what it goes into,” he explained. “And then also, whoever buys it, could they make it work? Put on your business has, you have no furnace you have no air conditioning, and where are you going to go from there. Estimates is millions of dollars to reopen this.”
The last service held at St. Boniface was back in March 2013 after a consolidation of the parishes years before.
One parishioner who went to catholic school and to St. Boniface told us that it was hard to see the place abandoned and in the condition it is.
Parish Business Manager Deacon Mark LeGreve agreed, but said that’s not what St. Francis of Assisi is focused on.
“We’re here about the salvation of souls, and we have three other active worship sites, and both the dioceses and the Vatican have repeatedly said the care of the souls are adequately cared for,” he noted. “So, that’s what we’re here for. We’re not here for historic preservation of buildings.”
That means the parish seems to be planning to demolish the church in the future.
While the inside of the church looks beautiful with its Gothic architecture, stained glass windows, and beautiful altars, it shows its age and lack of use.
Inside and out, there are clear cracks along portions of the windows and pillars. Father LeCaptain also says the building has no air conditioning, and an old coal furnace hasn’t worked in a long time.
Deacon LeGreve says that although there is no plan right now, the parish is not going to keep the land once St. Boniface is down.
“But there’s many steps we need to go through as a parish and the diocese to work through that,” he stated. “That Catholic church moves slower than government, so I’d say, we’re at least two years out.”
When the church is demolished is still being worked out.
Items, including the stained-glass windows, alters, and other items considered sacred will be sold to other catholic groups as well as chairs and tables.
However, items that are not deemed sacred will be offered to churches first and then could be sold to the public.
