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St. Francis of Assisi Parish is offering two chances for folks to walk through St. Boniface Church in Manitowoc.
The public will be allowed to walk through the church on Marshall Street from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow (September 25th).
Parish Senior Pastor Doug LeCaptain tells Seehafernews.com that they want to offer their respect for those who went to St. Boniface, but it’s time to recognize that it’s been 12 years since the last service was held there in 2013.
Boniface has been cleaned as best it can be for tours, but it doesn’t look like what it did when it closed.
LeCaptain says the tours are like a wake for the church.
“Losing a church is like a death, like a loss,” he stated. “And the church like a body and it’s a loss. And so, we have wakes to have one last look at it.”
LeCaptain said in a letter to parishioners in 2023 that St. Francis of Assisi Parish submitted a proxy request for reducing the status of the church to “profane but not sordid use.”
Some parishioners thought there could be a mutual agreement for them to restore and use the church, but that didn’t come to fruition.
In January 2023, Diocese of Green Bay Bishop David Ricken issued a decree that said St. Boniface was no longer usable for service.
The decree was petitioned by parishioners but was later upheld by the Roman Supreme Court.
After items from the church are sold, the church will then come down.
However, LeCaptain says he’s not sure when that will be yet.
“What is the appraisal for asbestos abatement if there’s any asbestos in there,” he explained. “And then begin to look at demolition. Get estimates on what it costs to take it down. What’s the value of the property. All those things take time.”
LeCaptain also explained that the church can’t be sold to a business because it would cost more for upkeep than it’s worth.
For those who want to take a tour tomorrow, they will be asked to sign a waiver document and then be allowed to walk down the center aisle of the church over to the old confessional.
Tourists can then go up into the side chapel, which was once the Adoration Chapel, before they exit the side door of the church.
