Posted: 8/8/06
St. Nicholas Church in Freeburg may be razed
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Freeburgís loss may be another churchís gain.
That is part of what is driving a controversial decision to tear down St. Nicholas Church in Freeburg.
Father Gregory Leif confirmed to The Argus on August 2 that the church, which was built in 1868, would likely be torn down after items are salvaged from it.
He said the foundation of the church has completely deteriorated. ìThe windows are breaking and the roof is leaking,î Fr. Leif said. ìIt saddens my heart to see what has happened over 30 years.î
Leif said he had conferred with former parishioners of the church ìwho have put their hearts and souls into it all of their lives. Theyíre the ones that have advised me that if parts of the church can be put to good use, they would prefer to see that than to just see it fall in a heap.î
The Diocese of Winona made it known that the church was not in good condition and some things might be available, Fr. Leif said. A parish in Good Thunder, Minnesota, may be able to use some parts of the church. ìThatís what has brought this out,î Fr. Leif said. He would not say what parts of the church would go to the Good Thunder Church, or what the timeframe for the demolition would be.
Former members of the church, which closed in 1978, can still be buried in St. Nicholasí Cemetary, Fr. Leif said. ìAnd that continues to be important to them.î
When St. John the Baptist Catholic Church closed in Caledonia, members knew St. Nicholas was not going to be used, and made a decision to close it, Fr. Leif said. ìThey held out hope that something in Freeburg would change,î he said. ìIt didnít change in the direction anyone had hoped. And change is always painful.î
The church explored other funding sources, and management by a historical society. ìBut none seemed to pan out,î Fr. Leif said. He described it as a shortage of money, time, and energy.
Citizens want a meeting
Some citizens want a chance to save the church. Tim Pattrin, who lives next to the church in the old rectory, said on August 4 that he would like to see a meeting with church officials to explore the options.
ìWhat would be right would be a public meeting where everybody, all denominations, all original families, all the future generations of the Catholic Church, could come together and discuss this issue openly,î Pattrin said.
The church needs work, but it is not an unattainable job, Pattrin feels. The siding and soffits would need fixing, he said.
ìJust a good clean up. That would get the building operational.î He feels there are skilled people who would be willing to do the work. ìAt least give us the opportunity to find out,î he said.
Pattrin thinks a community group could pay for upkeep on the church. People would donate materials and cash, and it would be self-sustaining, he said.
He also noted that the money needed to tear down the building, haul away the material, and prepare the land would be extensive. Take that money and put it into the church, Pattrin said.
The church is still in its original form, untouched and unremodeled, Pattrin said. ìIt was a wonderful church,î he said. It would enrich the community, and could be used for enrichment activities like Bible retreats, marriage encounters, weddings and funerals, Pattrin said.
People visit the church every week, Pattrin said. He called it ìa terrible wasteî if the building were knocked down. ìThis small church has given a lot back to the catholic society,î he said.
The stained glass windows have family names on them, Pattrin added. ìWhat good would that be anywhere else?îvv
Pattrin said he has run into a brick wall on saving the church with Fr. Leif and the Winona Diocese. ìItís kind of doom and gloom right now,î he admitted.
Fr. Leif acknowledged that not everyone is happy with the decision to tear down the building.
ìA lot of people have ideas about what to do and having opinions is a lot easier than actually coming up with some real solutions,î Fr. Leif said.
There are also restrictions in how the building can be used if it is sold, Fr. Leif said. He cited Code of Canon Law 1222, which says that a sacred space can be made secular but not profane. ìAt this point we would have to safeguard what it was used for and that it would not be something that would be hurtful to the people that actually care about that facility.î
Some people are making claims to rights that they donít legitimately have, Fr. Leif added.
The building is bricks and mortar, but itís more than that, he said. ìItís like presiding over a funeral and the person has been dying for 30 years.î
Fr. Leif concluded: ìI believe that the truth will win out, and I believe in the goodness and the sincerity of all of the people involved,î he said.
About the church
Here is information on St. Nicholas Church from an article in The Argus on January 26, 1978 and from vTim Pattrin.
St. Nicholasí Church was built in 1868 by a Mr. Wolfe of Brownsville. He was assisted by John Goergen, a recent immigrant from Germany. The land was donated by Nicholas Reiter. The first burial was a Goergen child in 1868.
The majority of the founders were from Luxemburg, Germany, and Ireland.
The first priest was Father Zuzek, pastor of St. Peterís Church in Caledonia, who came to Freeburg and took over religious duties with his own in Caledonia.
Father Reichl was the first resident parish priest, appointed on November 7, 1897 by Bishop Joseph Cotter. Cotter was petitioned to do this by 50 Freeburg residents, who wrote their request on January 8, 1894. They spelled the name of their city ìFreeburgh.î Reichl built the rectory. Reichl came to Freeburg from La Crescent.
Stained glass windows were installed in 1920 by Fr. Lang. The church was remodeled in 1939 by Fr. Diekman. The pews were revarnished, a new foundation built, and a new furnace added. New wood was put on the walls and a steel tabernacle was installed in the church.
Six sisters and one priest came from the congregation over the years. Pattrin said decifered the names as best he could as follows: Sister Simplicia, Mary Ryder, 1882; Sister Sessiffis, Margaret Murphy, Sister Mary Anne, Mary Carroll, 1923; Sister Olga, daughter of Peter Graf; Sister Mary Rose Colligan, 1932; Sister Paschalis, Catheren Culligan, 1900; Father Francis Graf, 1938.
The last pastor to serve the church was the Rt. Rev. Msgr Richard Speltz, who was also pastor at St. Patrickís Church in Brownsville.
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