The news hit the parishioners of St. Laurentius very hard when they were blindsided by the announcement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that their church would be closed immediately because the structure was “in imminent danger” of collapse.  The decision to close St. Laurentius has ignited a fire within the community to save their church.

But shouldn’t they have expected that news?  After all, the scaffolding was surrounding the church for some time.  Didn’t everyone know that those nets you see around the front of the church were there to catch all the debris from the crumbling building?  And, didn’t the Archdiocese announce previously that the church would close?  So, why then does this news come as a shock to so many?

At a recent meeting held in Holy Name church hall, which was very well attended, information was shared that would shine a different light on the situation.  It was in this crowd that you could feel the energy of a group determined to not sit back and let the Archdiocese take down their building.  They certainly weren’t allowing them to take down their spirits.  This is a very persistent group of people who have done their homework and present an entirely different picture than that rendered by the Archdiocese.

Tim Breslin, a parishioner and parent who is heavily involved in the parish, school and community relations, presented the other side of the story.  Breslin, who has a background in construction, has been working with contractors and engineers to investigate the condition of the church building and reported with great confidence and in a very calm and professional manner that what was represented by the Archdiocese concerning the building being “in imminent danger” was simply not the truth.

To dispute the facts, Breslin, with engineering proposal in hand, unraveled the truth, as he has learned through an independent inspection and explained why he believes the Archdiocese has holes in its case to close St. Laurentius church.

According to Breslin, “the minimal tests for basic displacement were not done by the architectural firm hired by the Archdiocese.” Those tests include plumb line and laser testing and those tests would have provided pertinent data to evaluate the condition of the building.  The plumb line testing is where an instrument (plumb bob) is used to ensure that the construction is “plumb” or vertical.  The instrument is a pointed metal weight attached to a string used to calibrate a straight vertical line in construction and can determine if the building is tilting.

The absence of those tests raises questions and concerns among the parishioners as these tests, according to Breslin, are standard and routine testing in the industry and they were not done.

And on the topic of raising questions, in an email from parishioner, A.J. Thomson to Philadelphia’s Licensing & Inspection Commissioner Williams, Thomson said he asked Williams, “is the building in imminent danger of collapse?” to which Williams responded, “it is unsafe.”  Thomson told the crowd that Williams would not say that the building was “in imminent danger.”

Seeking to fill in the blanks and get to the bottom line, Breslin sought the expertise of engineer, Rick Ortega and contractor, Andrew Palewski to inspect and evaluate the condition of St. Laurentius church.  Ortega has over 30 years experience of preservation engineering and technical aspects of historic preservation and architectural conservation.  Palewski is a local preservationist and led the effort to save the Church of the Assumption on Spring Garden Street.

Following Ortega and Palewsi’s inspection of the church building, Breslin received a proposal for the repair of the church building with a price tag of $691,000.  The Archdiocese estimates the cost to demolish the building to be $1,000,000.  If those numbers are realistic, that is a savings of over $300,000 to repair the building.

The repair would be a three-phase process — outside stone, inside stone and structural repairs.  Some who feared that this is only a temporary solution, a Band-Aid on the building, asked Breslin how long the repairs will last to which he responded, “about 50 years.”

In an effort to raise the necessary funds, parishioners have formed a group, Friends of St. Laurentius Church.  Their goal is to raise the funds to repair the church.  They hope to raise $100,000 by Memorial Day and prove to the Archdiocese their commitment to save St. Laurentius from being demolished.

And here we go again, fighting to keep treasures in the community.  “It seems as though we have to fight for it all…our schools, our libraries and now our church,” said A.J. Thomson who along with his wife Megan are instrumental in the organization of the Friends of St. Laurentius Church.

In a conversation with Father Joseph Zingaro, pastor of Holy Name, Father said that no decision has been made to demolish St. Laurentius church or to repair the church.  “The transitional committee is an advisory committee and their job was to advise me,” said Father.  “I have not yet made a decision.” Father Zingaro added, “It is a very tough decision.”  He was not able to tell us when the fate of St. Laurentius church will be decided.

The fundraising to repair the church has begun and the group asks for your help.  You can donate to the fund online by visiting savestlaurentius.org or by mailing your donation made payable to Friends of St. Laurentius, c/o Third Federal Bank, 2330 E. York Street, Philadelphia, PA  19125.

Support St. Laurentius.  Give Now.  Every single dollar adds up.  Let the gauge on the thermometer rise!

Note:  According to the Friends of St. Laurentius, if you contribute towards the repair fund and the decision is made to demolish the building, you have the option of having your donation returned to you; or, you may choose to have the donation go to St. Laurentius School.  The donations will not be handed over to the parish or to the Archdiocese if the repairs are not made.

“…So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”

-Anonymous