LACONIA – The Diocese of Manchester, the Roman Catholic church in New Hampshire, announced Thursday its intention to abandon plans to restore St. Joseph Church downtown and instead put it up for sale.
The decision, Bishop of Manchester Peter Libasci wrote in a media release, was made after considering that continuing the project without assurance or hope that the proposed repairs and renovations could be successful “would represent an irresponsible use of the resources of the faithful entrusted to us.”
“We must remember that church buildings, structures or places of worship are intended to house and reflect a vibrant and thriving community of the baptized who live the faith and authentically and passionately transmit that faith to subsequent generations,” Libasci wrote in a press release. “That vitality has waned in this particular case and has fallen to the point of no return; even these well-intentioned hopes and efforts have proven this.”
The decision was unexpected and represents a near-total about-face from the church's stated plans for the property along Church Street.
“The Saint Joseph Church Preservation Society is deeply disappointed to learn that the Diocese of Manchester has decided to discontinue collaborative restoration and preservation efforts for Saint Joseph Church and instead intends to put the historic church site up for sale,” Linda Normandin, president of the St. Joseph Church Preservation Society, wrote in a press release.
It was a dedicated group of parishioners who worked for years to change the intentions of a diocese that seemed doomed just a year ago. The Diocese of Manchester even applied to the city of Laconia for a demolition permit for the 1929 structure and then sold it to a developer.
“It’s a landmark building downtown,” Normandin said Friday. “The history of the church itself and how the community that people invested in that church years ago. It would just be a shame if it were removed.”
But in late January of this year, the diocese changed course: The church was spared, thanks in large part to the work of these parishioners – the Saint Joseph Preservation Society – and was repurposed as both a chapel and a columbarium, a place for the interment of cremated remains.
In 2017, St. Andre Bessette Parish began consolidating its operations at the Sacred Heart Campus at the intersection of Union and Gilford Avenues. In 2019, a plan was announced to demolish St. Joseph Church and sell the property, which also contains the adjacent Holy Trinity School building and Busiel Mansion.
After a period of public outcry, the plan changed – the lot was to be divided. The Holy Trinity School building is now an apartment complex and the Busiel Mansion was sold privately. In late January, the diocese announced that it would abandon its plan to demolish St. Joseph's and instead try to raise the $2 million needed for renovations and repairs.
St. Joseph's Church is now part of the city's historic district, providing legal protection for its historic and spiritual character.
“We worked very hard to make this happen,” Normandin said.
The nature conservation association was commissioned to raise these funds. They had already reached $1 million in pledged donations and raised nearly $460,000 in cash. All of this happened before a serious capital campaign and fundraising effort was launched.
“Even before the campaign officially began, parishioners had pledged approximately $1 million toward the $2.5 million restoration goal – a clear demonstration of the deep commitment that Lakes Region residents and former parishioners continue to have for Saint Joseph Church,” Normandin wrote in the preservation society’s news release.
“The diocese has expressed concerns that the full restoration costs could not be raised within a reasonable time frame. However, the SJCPS waited for the diocese's final cost estimates before formally launching its fundraising campaign and remains confident that the community will rise to the challenge,” the release continued. “While this change in policy is disappointing, SJCPS is proud of what has already been accomplished through community action. Public support previously helped prevent the church's demolition and ensure its incorporation into the Laconia Historic District, where its historic and spiritual character now enjoys permanent protection.”
In August, the diocese told the society it had six months to raise the funds once the fundraiser came together. A contract had not yet been signed, but the society intended to use the services of Guidance and Giving for the capital campaign – the same firm that conducted a feasibility study that the diocese referred to in its media release.
“The St. Joseph Preservation Society was committed to raising funds to cover exterior and interior repair costs, but minimal funding has been allocated to the project to date,” a diocese statement read in part. “In addition to these circumstances, the results of a feasibility study indicate that the level of financial support available in the community would not cover even the lower threshold of repair costs. Unfortunately, these factors, in addition to increasing construction costs, were insurmountable.”
Last year, the diocese invested in construction work to preserve the exterior of the building. Replacing mortar, replacing limestone and missing slate shingles, repairing damaged slate shingles and exit doors, resetting granite stone and replacing copper roofing – all in a show of good faith, Libasci noted.
However, extensive interior repairs to St. Joseph Church were still needed to restore the building, the statement said. These had to be completed before construction of a columbarium could begin. The costly requirements include a new heating and ventilation system, asbestos and mold remediation, creating barrier-free bathrooms and “extensive plaster repairs and painting.”
“The diocese worked with the St. Joseph Preservation Society to achieve a positive outcome with the hope that the project would be feasible,” Libasci wrote. “But unfortunately, due to increased costs and the lack of available funding, the Diocese, as the owner of the property, is likely to put St. Joseph Church back up for sale.”
According to a statement from SJCPS, the funds collected will remain safe and will continue to be used exclusively for the preservation and restoration of St. Joseph Church. Members intend to carefully monitor the potential sale of the property and learn about the buyer's intentions. They encourage the diocese to seek a buyer “whose use of the property will benefit the community and be consistent with Catholic social teaching.”
“The goal post has moved a lot in these six years, every time you turn around the goal post has moved again,” Normandin said. “I don’t think they ever really wanted us to succeed.”