Harrison resident Ron Pastorek spent nearly 45 years attending Mass at St. Ladislaus Catholic Church in Natrona, the most recent of which were his fondest.
“My wife and I would buy the flowers for the grounds. And the last couple years, our grandson, Jordan, was able to help me plant them,” Pastorek said.
“He would help me clean up the pews after Mass, and when the church closed last year, they allowed him to flick the lights off after the last service.”
St. Ladislaus was among five churches in Guardian Angels Parish that closed because of financial troubles and low enrollment.
It took an emotional toll on many, like Pastorek.
But he said Thursday’s news that the building is up for demolition was a bit too much to bear.
“I just can’t fathom that beautiful building being torn down,” he said. “I will really have to lean on my faith to get me through this.”
St. Ladislaus was founded in 1893, with the church built around 1903. It is widely considered the gem of the parish, with its domed sanctuary, stained glass windows and sky blue mural behind the altar.
According to church leaders, the building no longer figures into the future of the parish. Administrator Tom Babinsack said the parish is asking for permission from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to raze both the former church and school building at the Spruce Street property.
The parish did not release a timeline for the work.
The diocese did not respond to requests for comments on how much it costs to keep up the vacant church and school, or why the buildings couldn’t be used for other purposes or sold intact.
The Rev. John Lendvai, the pastor, wrote in the most recent bulletin that the parish has been in talks with the diocese for several months about the project.
“I discussed (demolition) with our pastoral/finance councils,” Lendvai wrote. “Demolition of the school building has been discussed for more than a few years.”
The diocese will pay for asbestos remediation and the demolition, he added.
Lendvai said the church has structural concerns and recent vandalism has become a worry. Harrison police Aug. 14 said several juveniles were being held responsible for breaking a large window.
“While these decisions are never easy, the future of the parish and our progress moving forward is always paramount in our decision-making,” Lendvai said.
Most of the religious artifacts have been removed from the church.
In June, two ornate altars that graced the church for more than 100 years were dismantled and shipped across the globe for use by a Catholic church on the South Pacific island of Tonga.
Two statues of St. Joseph also were taken.
On Thursday, volunteers gathered to remove the Stations of the Cross from the walls in preparation for their removal.
An anonymous donor is paying to have them refinished and installed at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrison, one of two parish buildings that remain open. The other is Our Lady of Victory in Springdale Township.
Babinsack supervised the group, including several of his relatives.
“It’s good to see something from St. Ladislaus be preserved and carried on in the parish,” he said. “It’s part of the Polish history of the church in the area. We’re really blessed that a family stepped up to pay for this and get this done.
“It’s a blessing because besides the altars, these are the most memorable things in this church. To get these up at Blessed Sacrament is a miracle.”
Babinsack and his three children were all baptized in the church. He and his wife, Barbara, were married there 25 years ago.
Babinsack’s brother, Greg Babinsack, has been a member of the church for years. He and brother, Paul, and nephew, AJ, and volunteers Chris Hause and Bill Gustafson used two mobile scaffolds to take down the Stations of the Cross.
“I think it’s a good thing to save these and have them restored and utilized in another facility,” Greg Babinsack said. “That’s why I came down and helped them out. I was an altar boy for years. Coming here and serving the church in that manner, I’ll certainly remember that. Lots of baptisms here, weddings here.
“I don’t know all the details about the building or the structure. Sure, selfishly, I would have liked them to have saved the church. This is the first church I’ve ever went to, but I understand the business side of it, too. You can’t keep multiple facilities open. You have to pick and choose, pick and go.”
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Greg Babinsack said it felt like the Stations each weighed more than 100 pounds. He was proud of his volunteer team.
“These guys were awesome,” he said. ” I was jumping up (on the scaffolding) and they were doing all the heavy lifting.”
One of the 14 Stations was already moved to Most Blessed Sacrament.
“I think demolition is the most respectful thing to do at this point,” said Karen Stempkoski, a member for more than six decades.
“With something so beautiful and so respected, you have to just tear it down. That soil is so sacred, I just hope no one ever buys it. All that should be there is a cross and a bench.”
Conrad Zylinski, who lives across the street from St. Lad’s and served as an altar boy as a child, said he was disheartened but not surprised by the demolition news.
“They started taking the copper out a couple weeks ago and the Tongans came halfway across the world to get the altars,” he said. “I was puzzled, but now those early signs have come to fruition.”
Zylinski is among a group of people who lobbied Bishop David Zubik to designate St. Lad’s as a religious shrine. A banner has hung across his home for more than a year to support his efforts.
“Who knows what will happen to the land,” Zylinski said. “The church was the last bastion. I’m sorry to hear that it’s coming down.”
For Pastorek, his family has moved on to attending Mass at Blessed Sacrament, But he misses the comfort of St. Lad’s.
His wife, Sharon, went to grade school at St. Lad’s and received all of her sacraments there.
“She’s emotional about it,” Pastorek said.
“I’ve taken a hands-on approach and started to usher at Blessed Sacrament because that’s what my faith tells me to do. Sadly, it doesn’t feel like that old hometown feeling I got at St. Lad’s, and I’m struggling with that.”