Appeal News Update 8.4.2018

Our Vatican Appeal This week, parishioners of the former St. John Vianney Parish began the process of filing our third appeal to the Vatican regarding the closing of St. John Vianney Church (dedicated as St. George Church). Although our first appeal was successful, the Diocese did not agree to reopen the church and the second appeal was required. Since our second appeal was not successful, we consulted with our canon lawyer and found several issues that were not given proper consideration. We have now started the next level of the appeal and will be retaining the services of a canon lawyer in Rome who will represent us at the Vatican for this latest effort. In the meantime, we will try to open further discussions with the Diocese to come to an agreement outside of the court system.

Background Information After the Diocese ordered the church closed for worship in April, 2016, parishioners appealed that decision to the Vatican court system. The windows were covered over and the church contents were secured. In August, 2016, the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican revoked the original decision to close the church. In the following months, parishioners and the St. George Church Preservation Society (SGCPS) submitted a viable plan to lease the church for worship and then repair, maintain and operate it at no cost to the diocese. Volunteers have been keeping the exterior of the church clear of litter and weeds. Subsequently, the Diocese issued a new decree in June, 2017, to keep the church closed. The decree also requires the removal of the stained glass windows, sacred items, statues and anything of value from the church. (In other churches, this also included removal of pews, bells and painting over artwork inside the church.) A second appeal was filed by parishioners in August, 2017 to reopen the church for worship and prevent the salvage work. While waiting for a response to this appeal, we submitted a second viable proposal to the Diocese. This new plan was copied from the Diocese of Joliet, IL, where the Bishop offered to deed a church to a parishioner group (similar to SGCPS) who would take ownership and keep it open for worship at no cost to the Diocese. The proposal in Joliet is presently being implemented there. We have not received a response from the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding our similar ownership proposal to repair maintain and operate St. John Vianney Church. Two Very Different Outcomes Parishioners and SGCPS are working hard to secure a different outcome than the Diocese has proposed.   The Parishioners and SGCPS Outcome (At no cost to the Diocese) Provide a Catholic place for worship in Allentown where the lost faithful can return. Repair, restore and care for this beloved historic landmark and light it up to provide the halo effect of a beacon to define the skyline of Allentown. Provide community gathering spaces for fellowship and events. Renovate a space for the Food Bank to return to the church and serve the community. Establish a safe and secure place to archive parishioner and community memorabilia. The Diocese Outcome Discard the efforts of generations of devoted parishioners who served, donated and volunteered their talent, time and resources to establish and maintain St. George Church. As was proposed by the Diocese in August, 2015, demolition of the historic church could leave the community with a hole in the ground or another neglected vacant lot. If left standing, this historic landmark that defines the skyline of the Allentown neighborhood would be cannibalized for salvage value. As ordered by the Diocese in January, 2016 and again in June, 2017, the community could be left with a shell of an abandoned church with windows and anything of value removed. The church could remain vacant and abandoned for years along with the many other abandoned churches in the area. There are over 70 Catholic churches around the Country that are being cared for by separate organizations that are similar to SGCPS. Unlike the Diocese, SGCPS is a small nonprofit that has minimal overhead costs and can make very efficient use of donations and volunteer services. There would be no cost to the Diocese if they would accept either our lease or ownership proposal. All responsibility and cost for the repair and operation of the church would be transferred to SGCPS. It is obvious that there is nothing to lose for the Diocese. Many have asked why such attractive proposals are not being accepted by the Diocese since they provide a much better outcome for everyone without leaving our neighborhoods with the burden of another abandoned church. While we will continue with our efforts through the appeal process, please pray that our discussions with the Diocese will lead to an agreement with a successful outcome for parishioners and the communities that surround the church. IN OTHER NEWS   WWII Memorial Names Thanks to one of our dedicated volunteers, we have all of the names from the St. George WWII memorial entered on to a spreadsheet. We are planning to place this list on our web site so that our St. George Family & supporters can view all of the 1071 names on the memorial. This should be ready by Veteran's Day. Please check our web site often. stgeorgepreservationsociety.org   Fall Event Planning Planning has started for an event for this Fall. Since we received many compliments about the venue at St. Pius X Auditorium in Carrick, it could work well again for a Fall event. If you have any suggestions for the event, please send us a note. savestgeorge@gmail.com