11/03/2018
As some of you may have heard locally, we have lost the battle in saving St. Sebastian's church as it stands today.
The Catholic Church is run under Canon Law which we appealed through the correct channels. The Diocese denied the appeal, which we then appealed to the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican.
None of the appellants for St. Sebastian's were notified by the Congregation for the Clergy that their cases would not be heard. However, Brody Hale, who has advised us through this process, was contacted by an Italian Atty who verified with the Congregation for the Clergy that the cases would not be heard.
Based on that information, and after last week's demolition announcement at the service in Attica by the new priest, we had started a legal proceeding to stop the demolition with the help of a local attorney and local support. However, it quickly has become clear that this would only buy a short amount of time, and would only delay what the Diocese wants to do as owner of the property/church.
So it goes that the church will be disassembled and demolished the week of 11/12 and will take approximately 15-20 days to bring it down.
To the extent that many of us have deep connections to this place and memories which are part of who we are, it will forever hold a place in our hearts.
PLAN B: With the money that was pledged to bring the church back to a usable space, we are setting up meetings with an architect and area builder to build St. Sebastian's memorial where the people of Bismark and the area community will have a place of Christian prayer. How big will be determined by the monies available. The stained glass windows which were removed from the church for Bismark Senior and Community Center, as well as the pews and other items which are in storage, will be part of the new structure.
We want to thank all of you for the support over the past 10 months - fighting what we still consider was the good fight. It takes courage to stand up to what is happening especially in the Catholic church where parishioners are essentially powerless. To Brody Hale, an attorney from Massachusetts who worked tirelessly on our behalf - know that we thank you and support what you are doing for churches around the world to stop the scourge or rural churches.
St. Sebastian's was a vibrant and loving community of faith-filled people and will continue to be so. The Diocese cannot take that away from anyone. Angela
