Some local church buildings have been scheduled to be razed or sold, Archbishop Daniel DiNardo said in a letter to the newly formed Holy Family Parish.
“We must take the necessary step of removing or selling unoccupied or storm-damaged buildings,” DiNardo, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, wrote.
In his letter, DiNardo cited safety, as well as the prevalence of vandalism and break-ins, as reasons for making the decision now.
The expenses associated with security, future flood risks, and general overhead of supporting the storm-damaged structures also were cited by officials in explaining the decision to remove or sell some of the local church and mission properties.
The St. Therese of Lisieux mission building on the Bolivar Peninsula already has been demolished.
The new plan adds Our Mother of Mercy church, also on the peninsula, to the list to be torn down.
Members of Our Mother of Mercy’s congregation, who have opposed the archdiocese’s plans through litigation, said via e-mail Monday that the church’s fate was still to be decided.
They said there would be a mediation session on the issue Friday.
Ancillary buildings, but not the main church structures, will be removed at both the Holy Rosary and Sacred Heart campuses.
The lot and buildings at Reina de La Paz are slated to be sold.
The buildings that comprise the St. Peter the Apostle site are all to be either destroyed or sold.
Historic stained glass windows, sacred statues, artwork and other items of architectural or symbolic interest will be preserved, Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vasquez said.
“The church intends to keep them. We won’t throw them away or sell them, and will reuse them locally if possible.”
The loss of meeting space is not expected to limit the expected expansion of the new, unified parish that encompasses the Catholics of Galveston and Bolivar, Vasquez said.
“The space we have now is adequate,” he said.
“I was at St. Patrick’s recently. Though it was full at both Masses, it was comfortably full, not crowded.”
He also said the archdiocese had no plans to change the parish’s clerical staff, which consists of four priests and six deacons and is lead by the Rev. John Bok, a Franciscan friar.
In his letter, DiNardo stated he remained committed to the restoration of St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, which he referred to as “the mother church of Texas.”
No date was given for repairs to begin on the historic church building, which already was in marginal condition before Hurricane Ike’s arrival in September last year.
DiNardo said an initial assessment of the structural needs was under way.
“We believe that by doing this we will encourage the faithful and community,” Vasquez said.
“These decisions came from the people of Holy Family through our meetings with them. The losses will be a heavy cross to bear, but we are already seeing signs of encouragement in attendance and in increased sizes of our confirmation classes.”
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Archdiocese property plan
• St. Patrick church and its related school and rectory will be kept in operation.
• Mary Star of the Sea church in Jamaica Beach and Galveston Catholic School will continue in service.
• Holy Rosary Church will be maintained, while the rectory, class hall, women’s residence and pavilion will be torn down.
• On Bolivar Peninsula, Our Mother of Mercy church and its associated buildings will be razed.
• St. Therese of Lisieux Mission at Crystal Beach has already been razed because of safety concerns.
• Sacred Heart church and rectory will be utilized, but the school, meeting rooms and gym will be demolished.
• St. Peter the Apostle church, community center, storage buildings and chapel will be torn down. The rectory and land will be sold.
• The buildings and lots at Reina de La Paz will be sold.
