Holy Family Says St. Paul Church Building Will Be Demolished
We just received this press release from the Biloxi Diocese:
HOLY FAMILY PARISH ANNOUNCES DEMOLITION OF FORMER ST. PAUL CHURCH BUILDING
Possibility of chapel at later date
PASS CHRISTIAN -Father Dennis Carver, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Pass Christian, today announced plans to demolish the former St. Paul church structure situated along the beach in Pass Christian.
In a May 24, 2010 letter to Church officials, Pass Christian Mayor Leo “Chipper” McDermott expressed concerns about the vacant structure and asked that future intentions for the building and the site be outlined: “I’m writing again about the St. Paul’s Church and property. With every property being refurbished or demolished along the Highway 90 Scenic Drive Route, this property is a sad testament to both the Coast and the Catholic Diocese itself….I will continue to write until I get a response…”
Father Carver noted that refurbishing the existing A-frame steel structure was not considered an option due to structural problems discovered by engineers who inspected the building, leaving demolition as the remaining and most reasonable course of action.
Addressing the structural integrity of the former St. Paul church building, a 2005 report prepared by Compton Engineering stated, “The lower steel secondary members have been significantly damaged especially at the connections. The connections of the building appear to be a combination of bolted and welded connections. The majority of the lower secondary members have lost their structural integrity….The integrity of the roof/wall system as a whole has been compromised….All of the fasteners and steel below the water line are experiencing the early stages of significant corrosion and the upper steel is showing signs of corrosion as well. The base plates are resting on grout beds which are still saturated with salt water….The lower structural steel could require additional measures such as blasting and re-painting. The grout below the base plates appears to require removal and replacement, with cleaning of the anchor bolts addressed once the grout is removed.”
Stained glass windows, historic bells and other items have been or will be removed for future use by Holy Family Parish in advance of demolition.
Additionally, asbestos-containing materials located in the former church have been abated, in accordance with a permit issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Holy Family expects that, absent any unexpected delays, permitting, demolition and complete removal will be finished before mid-September.
The former St. Paul church has been the subject of both a lawsuit filed by over one hundred individuals claiming rights to the church property against Church officials, as well as appeals to the Vatican.
The Vatican upheld the decision by Church officials that Holy Family Parish would have just one church edifice located off Menge Avenue rather than a second one located at the former St. Paul church site.
Regarding the civil litigation, on September 17, 2009 the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that “Plaintiffs have no legally enforceable interest in the St. Paul property, and lack standing to assert a resulting trust, as well.”
The rulings by the Vatican and the Mississippi Supreme Court have the effect of allowing the appropriate Church officials to make decisions concerning the former St. Paul church site.
The Diocese has acted in good faith in the negotiations with the plaintiffs. All proposals and counter-proposals by the Diocese have been rejected by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs continue to demand that a structure comparable to the former St. Paul church be re-built substantially on the same footprint as the previous structure.
“I am greatly disappointed that the process of negotiations did not culminate in a resolution of the adversarial relationship abiding between disenchanted members of the former St. Paul church and the pastor of Holy Family Parish and the Bishop of Biloxi,” said Bishop Roger Morin. “I do believe that we negotiated in good faith and were optimistic of a mutually satisfactory resolution.”
The overture to build a minimum 100-seat chapel on a portion of the Scenic Drive property, providing new funds can be raised after completion of a new Holy Family Church, was also rejected by the plaintiffs. The bishop said that it remains the intention of parish and diocesan officials to pursue the building of a chapel on the Scenic Drive property.
“I want make it absolutely clear that Mayor “Chipper” McDermott did not recommend the demolition of the former St. Paul church,” Bishop Morin said, “The Mayor simply made observations as to how some property owners had managed to remediate or mitigate the negative aspects of their storm-damaged properties. The Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, through the Office of the Bishop, assumes responsibility for efforts directed at being a good neighbor to the wider community of Pass Christian by removing the unsightly dilapidated building from the landscape of Scenic Drive.”
