A group of Roman Catholic parishioners is appealing Bishop Zubik’s decision to close the church building used by St. John Vianney parish in Allentown, which he has also planned to dissolve.
The appeal was announced Tuesday by the St. George Preservation Society, formed by a group of parishioners opposed to the closure of the building, which was originally used by St. George parish before it was merged with three other Hilltop parishes under the new name St. John Vianney in the 1990s.
The group is not appealing the closing of the parish organization, whose members will be absorbed by nearby parishes, but they say the building itself should be preserved as a sanctuary for future uses.
The first step in the appeal is to petition Bishop Zubik himself to reconsider, after which they can appeal to the Vatican.
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, a spokesman for the diocese, confirmed the diocese received the appeal and that it has 30 days to respond.
Bishop Zubik cited steadily declining Mass attendance, membership, as well as debt and costly maintenance on the building, as reasons to close the parish as of April 3. The appellants dispute the gravity of those figures. They say the church with its soaring twin spires is an Allentown landmark that should be preserved.
“For over 100 years, the Catholic church has accepted the generosity of time, talent and donations of generations of parishioners of modest means to construct and maintain this magnificent landmark,” the group said in a statement. They are “proposing to think outside the box” to maintain the church building.
First Published: February 3, 2016, 6:49 p.m.
