MANVILLE: Catholics mull options on churches

Merging parishes, building new center among possibilities

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
   Two Catholic churches could be sold, and a new worship center built, in Manville under one possibility being discussed by representatives of the two churches in the borough.
   Delegates will meet Monday at 7:30 p.m. at parish offices to discuss three options to present to parishioners to respond to the persistent flooding threat at Christ the King Church, off Louis Street, which was hit hard by the August 2011 flooding. Diocesan leaders have questioned the wisdom of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each time a major flood occurs.
   The discussion is part of an effort called “Renewing the Church in Manville” organized by the diocese in January. Delegates from the two parishes have met to discuss the churches’ long-term future in Manville.
   Three options were brainstormed, according to a report issued to parishioners at Christ the King and Sacred Heart churches after an Aug. 27 committee meeting:
   • Close both parishes and churches, and build a new church for a merged parish.
   • Stay as two parishes cooperating together until a flood forces the closure of Christ the King. Then the two parishes would merge and use Sacred Heart Church, off South 2nd Avenue near South Main Street, as the worship site.
   • Merge now as a new parish with two worship sites. If a flood closes Christ the King, Sacred Heart Church would become the only worship site.
   In February, the diocese communications manger said there were 738 registered families in the Christ the King parish, and 1,159 member families at Sacred Heart.
   It might be possible to build a church on the five-plus acres that includes Christ the King School. A 600-seat church could be built off Chestnut Street, the suggestion goes, but would lack enough parking to meet borough ordinances. Possibilities could include a parking deck and/or an agreement to use parking at the nearby public schools.
   A new church could cost more than $7.5 million to $10 million. It’s likely that both current churches would have to be sold to help raise money, the report says.
   The diocese has said it cannot help pay for a new church. Last November the Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski agreed to pay — for the last time — for boiler, elevator and bathroom and other renovations following the late summer flooding.
   Christ the King Church, built in 1946, lies in a “100-year flood” zone. From 1994 to 2010, the diocesean Office of Insurance handled flooded claims from the parish, the church said in February.
   The two parishes have perhaps $2 million in the bank, using 2010-11 figures, the report said, and would have to have half of the $10 million before the diocese would give the go-ahead for construction. Borrowing $5 million for 25 years at an interest rate of 4.09 percent would add about $320,000 a year in carrying costs.
   Other options might be to convert at least part of the school — perhaps the gym — and build a new gym. That would mean added expense because the gym would have to be connected to the school and there would be less parking, the report says. The possibility that some of the land might qualify as wetlands, which could limit the buildable area on the site, would have to be explored.
   A question-and-answer area of the report says Christ the King delegates to the committee believe their parishioners “would have the perseverance to wait out the 3-5 years it would take to raise the money and build the new church.” Sacred Heart delegates said they believed “their parishioners will question closing a church that has never had any water damage.”