No Decisions Have Been Made in Church Closing, by Linda Schylaske, The Citizen-Standard, June 25, 2008

No Decisions Have Been Made in Church Closing

By Linda Schylaske
The Citizen-Standard
June 25, 2008

http://www.newsitem.com/cgi-bin/citizen/articles/viewnews.cgi?id=1214403435

Over 20 members of Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church met Wednesday, June 18 in the basement of the church on Grand Avenue in Tower City to discuss their course of action pertaining to the proposed closing of the church.

Tessa Stauffer, a member of the church who has spearheaded the appeal to have the church remain open, spoke to the group and told them that she had spoken Monsignor David James of the Allentown Diocese that day and his answer to her inquiry about the petition that the group filed was answered, "It is still under review."

Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church is among 32 churches in Schuylkill County that has been slated to close by July 15, 2008.

In April 2007, the Diocese of Allentown released a timeline for planning consolidations and making recommendations to the bishop. On May 31 a letter was read to the members of the congregation informing them that the Tower City parish is being consolidated with Immaculate Conception parish, Tremont, and Sacred Heart parish, Newtown. The churches are to merge and become the Most Blessed Trinity parish at the former Immaculate Conception Church building in Tremont.

According to Stauffer, the members of the church have taken steps to appeal the closing by sending the bishop a petition with 119 signatures from members of the 150 families of the church.

The first point of interest in the petition stated that Rev. Michael Ahrensfield, pastor at Ss. Peter and Paul and Immaculate Conception, found that many times through the winter he was not able to travel from Tremont to Tower City for church masses. The petition points out that he could not travel the 10 miles between the churches due to unsafe road conditions in the winter but the diocese expects 150 families to make the commute.

"I don't think anyone from the church involved in the decision has ever traveled Keffer's Mountain, certainly not in the winter," said Stauffer.

SS. Peter and Paul is the only Roman Catholic diocese of Allentown located at the furthermost reach of the diocese's control. It is on the western end of Schuylkill County which is the second point of interest in the petition.

"If people decide not to go to Immaculate Conception in Tremont, they will go to either Lykens or Williamstown," Stauffer said. "I pointed it out to Monsignor in our conversation that these churches are in the Harrisburg diocese and that the Allentown diocese will losing these souls."

The third point is the fact that closing the church and rectory will allow them to become abandoned buildings and eyesores of the community.

"There are so many empty buildings in the area," said one member. "We don't want the church and rectory to become two more."

At this time, the members of waiting to see what is decided about the petition. "If it comes back from the bishop in a negative way, we have 15 business days to appeal to the Congregation of Clergy at the Vatican office in Washington, D.C.," said Stauffer. "If it is turned down there, it can be sent to the Apostolic Signature, which is like the Vatican Supreme Court. It must be translated into Latin before it is sent there."

"I don't want my church to see our church close," said one man.

"We'll stick it out, hope for the best and wait for word on the appeal and go from there," said Paul Whelski, member and caretaker of the church.

Another question that was brought up at the meeting, had to do with the fact that Rev. John F. Gunniff, a former priest who served the church, was buried in front of the building in 1937.

"We have a former priest buried here," said Stauffer. "If we have to sell the church, where will he go? What will they do with him and who will pay if they have to exhume him?

One woman at the meeting said, "They did not help to make the transition easier. I don't know anyone in Tremont, but the diocese will expect us to be a family."

Lou DiCicco said, "Our kids don't go to Pine Grove School District, they go to Williams Valley. So in turn the Williamstown and Lykens churches look better to us."

Another attendee said, "Some people have mentioned that will leave the Catholic Church. It's sad to think that good Catholics will be driven to leave."

"I feel that the diocese took too much time worrying about the names of the new consolidated churches," said Stauffer's sister, Cheryl Evans, "and not enough time worrying about the human aspect of the closings."

Paul Whelski said, "We are going to fight and pray to keep our church open."

Bishop Edward Cullen is the one who looks over the appeals and rules negative or positive. If Ss. Peter and Paul receives a negative ruling, according to Stauffer they are prepared to pursue every avenue available to the church members.

"I am 79 years-old. I was baptized in this church, confirmed, married and I expected to be buried from the church," said Richard Riskis, lifetime resident of Tower City, "now that may not be a possibility."

The original petition was sent to the bishop on June 5. When The Citizen-Standard spoke with diocese Director of Communications Matt Kerr Friday morning he said, "We have received 22 petitions to appeal the closings. So far no decisions have been made."

Contact: linda-s@citizenstandard.com