Saint Hedwig's and Saint Patrick's Churches, South Bend, Indiana

Two disclaimers

First: These churches have been combined into one parish by the diocese. Why is this? They are adjacent properties and one church would have plenty of capacity to handle the Catholics in the surrounding neighborhood. Because they are one parish, they get one blog post. 

Second: These photos were taken with my old camera. Some are incredibly blurry, some are edited, and some could not even be included. This is why there are a very limited number of interior photos.

Saint Hedwig is a Polish saint, and this church is the first established of four polish churches in South Bend. It was established in 1877 and the current church was built in 1883. It is a Romanesque style church with several defining features, such as rounded window tops, small thin windows, and thick walls. The first church was a small wooden church that was destroyed in a tornado two years before the construction of the church. The Polish in the neighborhoods of South Bend had their own stores, services, and schools; in fact, Saint Hedwig had it's own Catholic high school built in 1923. It was later renamed South Bend Catholic High School and later after that, Saint Joseph High School which still operates today, albeit several miles away from Saint Hedwig and having gone through three campuses.

The parish was one of the most vibrant parishes in the diocese until the 1950's, as it even held the record, and may still, for the most vocations from a single parish. The neighborhood unfortunately reflects the decay of the latter part of the twentieth century. A quarter mile to the west stands several blocks of what once was a downtown area. The central downtown of the city is east, but the stores to west sit mostly abandoned and falling apart. A particular example is an old fire station a few blocks to the west. Once falling apart, it was purchased and renovations begun. Soon after it was abandoned again and the fresh wood joined the crumbling bricks in its decaying oblivion. The rusting steeple next to the intact steeple portrays the situation of the parish; the decaying trying to be hidden by the used. The church has been trying desperately to stay active and remain open while demolishing that which is doesn't need. The high school, elementary school, convent have all been demolished simply because there is no need. Now the church sits with a decaying steeple, trying not to succumb to the same fate at its schools. 

The church has been renovated three times, Once in the 1960's, once in the 80's, and finally in 1998 it was renovated for the last time. The exterior has been spared, but the interior has fared very poorly and looks little of how it did, back when it was a vibrant beacon of Catholicism. The parish offices are to the left in the old rectory.

This photo was taken from the exact same spot as the above photo. The building in the foreground was Saint Patrick's school and also sits abandoned. Saint Patrick was the Irish church of South Bend. As much discrimination as the Irish faced in their homeland, they learned little and treated those around them in a very similar way. At Saint Columbanus Church in Chicago, the blacks were prevented from owning homes in that neighborhood. The parishioners of that church were mainly responsible for the law, and once it was overturned, they left the neighborhood and the parish behind to avoid any contact with the blacks. In this particular church, a fence was erected between the churches and many poles including children were threatened not to cross past the fence, or else. The fence lasted until the memory of those still living. Even until the merging of the two churches, there was still animosity between parishioners and even clergy. The slow asphyxiation of both churches physically and spiritually emphasizes the point that when Christ's love does not live within us, what is around us meets the same fate. 

The narthex of the church and the baptismal font. The font is very obviously not the original font of the church. and the narthex has been very obviously renovated. What is most frustrating is the archway; it is not rounded. It is only a small detail, but the church is Romanesque and the renovations should follow that trend. It only shows that the powers that be wanted to make the church into the style they had in mind, rather than what was already there. Take the baptismal font for example: the church already had a functioning font, but this was constructed simply because it was new at the time. This may seem harsh, but the interior only points to more evidence of the type of renovation dubbed appropriately as a "wreckovation"

A World War II memorial. This was constructed as a memorial to those who died after the second world war, and highlights the church's final glory days: the fifties. The war had saved a local company, Studebaker, from bankruptcy in the depression as the company produced vehicles for the war effort. The factory was and still sits on a direct rail line between Chicago and New York and at it's peak employed over 25,000 people and had a capacity for 16,000 cars per day. After the war ended and commercial vehicle production began, the company started to slip and production began to slow until December 1963, when several thousand employees, some parishioners of this church, returned from lunch to find each and every one of them were given a pink slip and informed that the company was ceasing production in America. The sprawling campus was abandoned overnight. The effect on the city was devastating and the parish decline mirrored that of the city.

The church's exterior is Romanesque, but the interior is Baroque. An extravagant and majestic style to model a church in, Baroque has been simply defined as extravagant chaos and control. Allow me to explain: everywhere in Baroque churches there is decoration, art, color, or something to catch the eye. This can seem like chaos, but it is always symmetrical, has a purpose, leads the eye to the altar, the center of the church, or all of the above. It's controlled chaos in its design. Saint Hedwig's reflects this having stories of Jesus's life everywhere, on the ceiling and in the stained glass windows. This may seem chaotic, but they organized either by Gospel or chronologically.

Unfortunately I took a blurry photo of the stained glass, and this was all that survived. The stained glass style is very unique and in its style. Normally there is a decorative border that surrounds the entire scene, but these windows allow the scene to take place fully, allowing for many details to be added that are normally excluded or better room for details to be expounded upon. For example when Jesus calms the sea the waves, the apostles, and the stormy sky are easily seen. Because of this unique feature I originally thought that these windows were not German, but three hints point otherwise. The first is the demographics of the church. The German immigrants of South Bend had Saint Joseph church across the river, but on this side they attended nearby Saint Patrick's. It would make sense for the parishioners to obtain the skill and contact of their German counterparts in obtaining the windows. The second hint is Saints Peter and Paul church in Huntington. The stained glass from that church is from Germany, and it employs the same tactic of scene display. The final hint is in the window itself, particularly the upper rounded portion. This photo does not capture it, but they are some of the most intricately detailed windows. To give context for the level of detail is a Saint Paul's in Chicago which has a similar level of detail. That window is below. See the detail on the chalice and the rays coming from it? That can only be high quality German craftsmanship. 

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The choir loft is another example of renovation gone wrong. The painting of Saint Cecelia is nice, but flanking her used to be an organ in the loft. During a renovation it was removed and sold. In addition, the balcony has been extended forward and the glass walls of the narthex were added. Earlier, I mentioned how Baroque styling is almost chaos in its detailing. The balcony and glass are anything but detailed; even the clock has been lazily hung from the very edge of the railing. 

The greatest travesty of the church was the sanctuary, If you are thinking, 'that doesn't really look baroque,' you would be correct. The altar and frustratingly uncentered tabernacle are minimalistic stone. For a moment forgive the artistic nightmare of altar and observe the rest of the sanctuary. There is a gorgeous altar cloth, (That does not fit!) and two very decorated altar candles that do not match in style. The other furniture could be found in a sixties recreation hall and seem to be from that era. Lastly the fan just sitting lazily in a random spot seems to serve no purpose. The crucifix is very nice, but definitely not original. An era appropriate crucifix would be very wide in the wood itself, realistically colored and painted, detailed in the wounds of Christ, and have a pronounced halo. This cross is the exact opposite; not necessarily a bad choice, but definitely modern. It would work very well in a modern church.

The apse featured some amazing paintings on the ceiling and stained glass. leave it to me to botch it up with a blurry photo. The painting is of the Communion of Saints and it's corresponding hierarchy. You have the Father and Son crowning Our Lady and the Holy Spirit in the center above Her. Fun fact, in churches built before Vatican II you can almost always find the Holy Spirit above the altar. Why is this? Because in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the Roman Canon, (Eucharistic Prayer I, just in Latin) instructs the priest to look up at the Epiclesis, or the calling down of the Holy Spirit. Priests' still sometimes do this at these words. "On the day before he was to suffer he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples," Emphases added by me. Another level of chaos and control are the Marian paintings. In the paintings of the dome She is being crowned. Then to the left is a depiction of Pentacost, and the right is of the Assumption. It's chaotic with the paintings everywhere, but it's controlled as they are of the same person and chronological.

The original interior. Probably the best example of chaos, the altar is blanketed in flowers, candles, statues, arches, and decoration. However it's all controlled and symmetrical. The same goes for the communion rail, pews, artistic decoration on the walls, and best of all the pulpit. Unfortunately, everything in this photo was either altered or removed in the 1960's. A great artistical loss if you ask me.

Photo credit: South Bend Tribune

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This is Saint Patrick's church, the second oldest parish in the city of South Bend. Founded in 1858 it is one of the oldest institutions of the city. The railroad, the main industrial link and necessary artery for any industrial growth  had arrived only seven years earlier. The first building was a stone structure that could seat 300 and resembled a pagoda. (An odd choice of architecture since the congregation was German and Irish and also had, and never would, see anywhere Oriental.) The next and current church is gothic revival and makes use of a yellow brick and red trim to achieve a striking combination. 

The most notable feature about this church is the marble furnishings, including the altar. Although Saint Hedwig's has been treated poorly with its interior furnishings, Saint Patrick has fared much better. In fact, before the establishment of a Latin Mass parish on this side of the diocese, this church was used for the extraordinary liturgies. The church was also consecrated in 1920, hence the consecration candles lining the walls of the church and seen to the far right. The candles mark the spot where the bishop marked the walls with holy oil. The sanctuary is also marked with imaged of saints in the stained glass, and doctors of the church on the walls.

One unfortunate trademark of modern churches are paint schemes that do not reflect the original styling of the church or clash with the original furnishings, Saint Patrick's was spared this trend. The deep green used matches the stereotype of the Irish and green. Not only that but the gold curling vines on the ceiling, in the apse, by the side shrines, and around the windows. The only difference in the paint scheme would be the beige walls. The church being from the Victorian era would have been on a tight budget. Paint at the time was cheap if it was dark, as lighter colors were rarer and therefore more expensive. Likely the church would have been very dark in it's construction and the beige was likely added in the 2004 renovation. 

Photo credit: Tripadvisor 

One of the highlights of the church was the massive and ornate rose window. When the church was still dimly lit, it was probably such a difference compared to the gritty industrial factories where the immigrant families would work. The inscription in the center is of the person who paid for the window. It's an interesting choice as normally windows have the name of the person who paid for them at the bottom. But since there technically is no bottom of the window, they opted to put it in the center; a smart move.

A lesser quality photo of Saint Patrick and the ubiquitous three leaf clover. Everyone has heard the story of Saint Patrick using the three leaf clover to teach the dogma of the trinity to the pagan Druids. Because of this well known story, the clover is used frequently in Irish Catholic architecture. It can even be seen not only in the hand of the saint, but also in the border surrounding it. Even the shape of the window has three points.

 The baptismal font likely resides under the small tower to the left. Normally Catholic churches of the 20th century or older have three entrance portals. This is based on a passage from revelation about the temple of the Lord having so many entrances. This church however has only a small window underneath the left tower. The room with the font was likely in that spot. For some reason the Irish love to build churches with asymmetrical towers. It's a money saving measure as you only need bells in one tower, and the other as baptismal font tower adds a nice touch.

One interesting feature is the use and purpose of the owl. Churches are notorious for having birds building nests in steeples, windows, nooks, and crannies. For this reason churches used to put statues of owls in place to scare off the birds from settling there. The bricks used on this church are very distinctive and may look familiar. If so, they are known as the brother's bricks and they are used to construct most of the buildings on Notre Dame's campus. During the spring thaw of 1843, the brothers at the school discovered clay on the banks of the Saint Joseph River. Seeing a chance to make some quick money to cover rising costs of the university, the brother's sold the bricks at cheap prices and in bulk. What the brothers didn't know was that the bricks were some of the best quality ever made. "Apart from its distinctive color that expresses the high manganese content in the marl, the brothers’ brick is smooth, soft and so porous that water sprayed on a wall of it will often be absorbed before it can drip to the ground. Bricklaying requires a watered-down mortar so pressure from the load won’t crack straight through the block. Smack two of them together, they thud." The bricks were so popular that buildings, homes, and sidewalks were built with the bricks, and once the homes and factories were torn down, many of them were salvaged and reused by the ever expanding university, even into the 21st century.

Quote Source: https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/what-notre-dame-is-made-of/

The age of the church makes it perfect for the heyday of the "Brother's bricks" in it's construct. It may have been hard to obtain such a large quantity for the church, but the logo on the stone gives a hint. The cross with the anchor is the Holy Cross logo. The church was built by the brothers of the Holy Cross and the school was even staffed by its brothers for many years.

Behind the church was the school which operated until 1974. It originally was an all boys school, much like Notre Dame. The school was rebuilt in 1961 to make an all modern campus. The irony is that it closed less than 15 years later and currently sits rotting and abandoned. In 1950 the school was made coeducational to try and save enrollment losses but with the manufacturing collapse of the rust belt, specifically South Bend very little could be done to save the neighborhood

When the neighborhoods were thriving, they were largely Catholic. In fact, South Bend had the largest population of Flemish outside of Finland. Because of this South Bend is one of the most Catholic cities in the Midwest. Some of the churches have closed but Saint Patrick is in a two mile proximity to the churches of Saint Hedwig, Saint Stephen (Hungarian church, now closed and demolished although the school stands as an independent business with the statue of Saint Stephen still in place.) Sacred Heart, (A Flemish church that still stands as "Carry the Word Church") Saint Augustine's, (The city's first African American church that still operates) and, Saint Stanislaus. (The green steeple to the right. Saint Stanislaus is the FSSP church on this side of the diocese) Saint Adalbert is to the left, between the steeple of Hedwig and the left steeple of Saint Patrick. 

Industrial South Bend is to the left. Between the steeples and on the horizon is a large ethanol plant on the outskirts of town. To the northwest of South Bend is the international airport of the city. Coupled with the regional baseball team and Notre Dame, the city is trying hard to make a comeback. Progress is slow going as the city still has one of the worst reputations in the state, but progress is being made nonetheless. The west side has been made into an ethnic community that is being revitalized and gentrified. The north side with Notre Dame is constantly expanded and once crummy neighborhoods are also being gentrified. The plant and airport continue to provide desperately needed jobs, thus there is a chance that the city may once again thrive and these churches may expand again into the 21st century.

Saint Adalbert, South Bend, Indiana

Saint Adalbert is a massive church in South Bend, Indiana, second only to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame just a few miles north of South Bend. This is one of four Polish parishes in South Bend. After the dissolution of Poland in 1772, mass immigration began to take place of Poles to the United States. the main locations where the immigrants settled were the Rust Belt. Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh are the major locations that come to mind. Chicago is one of largest locations of Polish settling, has over a dozen polish parishes still operating, not including those that have closed. In South Bend the largest employer, the automotive builder Studebaker, for a time used to finance for the immigrations of Polish families. Because of this four polish parishes were established in South Bend not including a Polish National church. Polish National Catholic Churches are in schism with Rome, but claim to be Catholic regardless.

Known as the cathedral of the east side, this almost was the fate of this church. In 1960, the Diocese of Fort Wayne was changed to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. In addition to the name change, a co-cathedral was added. This church was one of the top candidates for the location, but in the end it was given to the modern and significantly less ornate Saint Matthew's. Regardless of the status of the church, it is a landmark for South Bend; visible for many miles around, even from the highway bypassing the city, several miles away.

On the left is the parochial school. If the school looks like a church, that's because it was. The church was originally on the first floor, and the school on the other two floors. It's a definite cost cutting measure and practical as well. Then, once the main church was built in the 1920's, the old church was converted into more classrooms. While the church used to be solely Polish, it is now almost solely Latino.  

This angle shows how absolutely massive this church is. One can expect a church like this in Chicago, Detroit, or Buffalo, but for a regional town this is rare. The campus on which this parish stands was, and still is, one of the largest in the diocese. This church is obviously the heart of the parish. To the right of the church, and of the photo is the three story school building, the former combination building. 

The aforementioned combination building. If the windows seem like they do not fit, then your observation is correct. They were most likely originally different, changed during a renovation, and then left in the remaining gaps in the windows are red painted wood to match the bricks. Unfortunately this decision is very tacky as it highlights that the windows are a different style and that the renovators themselves were too cheap to make the windows fit properly. Also the fact that the entire rear wall is the same color as the wood, and devoid of any windows hints that either the structure used to be attached to another building. 

This photo shows more of how vast the campus is for a parish. To the left is a two story convent building. Nowadays the parish office, the building was built during the late 50's and on the end was a chapel. (The windows running up and down the side.) To the right of the convent was a boiler room to heat all of the buildings. In the foreground is a three car garage for the rectory, which is directly to the right.

The rectory for the church is absolutely massive. Three stories tall, with capacity for easily a dozen priests or more, this church was once a powerhouse in the diocese. The interior architecture of that structure itself could be its own blog post. Nowadays it only serves one or two priests. This church has definitely seen a decline in the latter part of the 20th century, but in recent years this church has been on the uptick. The school went from under 80 students to over 130. While nowhere near the numbers it once was, the can be attributed to the slow revitalization of the west side of South Bend. What was once a predominantly a decrepit African-American neighborhood is now slowly transitioning to a middle/lower class Latino ethnicity.

The stained glass in the narthex was abnormally vibrant with it's stained glass window. It appeared to be neon rather than just colored panes of glass. It's also visually pleasing to see the patterns in the glass match the woodwork directly above. This proves that both the glass and woodwork are both originals, as older structures built before the 40's place a high emphasis on architectural continuity. This effect is why I think that so many people like gothic churches. It's not just the size, but one isn't seeing four different styles competing for one's attention, it is all one style that presents the same beauty and theme.

This is another view of the the narthex. The church is to the right, and outside is to the left. Straight ahead is a set of double doors. Most likely the baptistry was through the doors originally. Now the font sits in the sanctuary. Note the statue in the archway to the right; a clever way to insert a shrine to a saint without having to have the exterior woodwork needed for the side shrine.

In many large churches, especially gothic ones, there is a "woah" effect of walking into a space so utterly different than the outside. The eyes take a second to adjust to the light, there are so many small details that the eyes cannot decide what to focus on, but the legs keep moving forward drawing the person toward the altar. It's excellent theology showing how our churches are meant to reflect the beauty of Heaven.

The sanctuary was absolutely stunning from about 5 feet up. The six frescoes surrounding the altar are incredibly rare to find in a regional city. This level of detail and beauty is only found in a large city such as Chicago or Pittsburgh, but very rarely in smaller towns. The fresco to the direct left of the altar is Saint Dominic receiving the first Rosary from the Blessed Mother. I do not know who the saint directly to the right of the altar is, but I assume it to be Saint Stephen of Hungary. If my memory serves correctly, Saint Stephen is the only Hungarian royalty to be canonized, but Stephen gave up the crown (that is being held by an angel,) to serve the church. The fact that the saint stands at an altar is a symbol of the saint giving their life to serve the church, but they do not wear clerical garb, thus it is reasonable to assume they are not a priest. (Stephen was not.) The other four frescoes are described in more detail later. The only change to the high altar has been removing of the altar itself. What remains is the rest of the reredos which have been spared. The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help sits in the center while flanked by Saint Adalbert on the right and Saint John the Evangelist on the left. The stained glass was too far for me to decipher.

This is one of the large transept windows near the sanctuary. Jesus stands out very clearly in the midst of the many intricate details. This is for several reasons: primarily the fact that Jesus is in the center, just as He should be in the center of our lives. The other tactic used to distinguish Christ is the colors. There is almost no other red or gold anywhere else in the window, and when there is it doesn't match the vibrancy of Christ. Even the Blessed Mother behind Him, telling Jesus of the lack of wine; her blue is not matched anywhere else, even though blue is a predominant color of the window. Another interesting feature of this window is the heavy accents of green in the window. The shrubbery, clothes of the servant to the left, and the leaves surrounding the artistry of the scene, give the window heavy green accents. This is no accident or coincidence. Normally windows of this era, (!900-1930) use heavy blues to make scenes vibrant, and blue is used heavily. The green however breaks up the blue, and this is necessary as the church interior is already heavily blue and having blue windows as well would make the interior overbearing and detracting of its beauty. Having the green subtly counteracting the blue is such a small change, but helps the eyes greatly. 

The side altar of Saint Joseph. Normally I'm a staunch naysayer of changes to churches after the 70's, but this is one that actually makes sense. The oils are no longer hidden in a secure location in the church. (The can only be obtained during the Chrism Mass of Holy Week.) To prevent the loss of such oils, they were usually kept in a secure location, but the Second Vatican Council had the idea of making them visible to the laity to help them understand and see the role that the oils place. The side altars of churches used to have tabernacles as well, and when the Second Vatican Council put an end to that practice, this space was perfect for the oils. The only change is a glass door for viewing of the faithful. Unfortunately no Masses are said on the altar, as the votive candle stand is placed almost as a preventative measure.

One thing that surprised me about this church was the sheer number of statues. There could be a blog about this church in and of itself. This photo is in the sanctuary and represents two formerly popular saints in the Church. (Formerly as they used to be mentioned by name in the Confiteor and Eucharistic Prayer) Saints Peter and Paul. Peter on the right with the keys, and Paul on the left with the sword, and paper as he wrote by far the most epistles to the early church.

The two frescoes to the left. I'm not sure of the Saint, but there are several hints. The person on the left is dressed as a Dominican while the person on the right is wearing what could be an Augustinian habit. The angel hovering above the two seems to be about to, or is, interacting with them. Although I cannot be sure it looks like the corner to the lower right of the painting. The fresco on the right is of the Immaculate Conception. It's an unusual depiction of Our Lady as she is not wearing a veil. Nevertheless it's a rendition of a painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo.

The Saint on the left took quite a while to decipher but it is in fact, Saint Ethelreda. Her story is quite unusual for saints as two of her sisters founded abbeys and were declared Saints by the Church. She was the daughter of Anglican king in the 600's and her three sisters were nuns but, she was married and even then she made her husbands (she was married twice due to the death of the first husband) respect her vow of perpetual virginity she had made. In her second marriage, her husband very nearly broke her vow forcibly, despite having been told not to be the local bishop. Ethelreda fled for her life to an island she had received in the dowry of her first husband. After evading capture she founded a double monastery that lasted until the late 800's. This can be seen in the imagery of the fresco. She wears a crown as she is the daughter of the king and an abbess and in her hand she holds a church, The monetary she founded. The Saint on the right is Saint John Cantius. Made famous by the revitalized church in Chicago of the same name, this is a famous painting of the saint in front of the Krakow Cathedral. Saint John Cantius was a priest and an educator at the University of Krakow and a avid supporter of the poor. He was notorious for being seen barefoot for having given his shoes away almost directly after leaving his home. The fresco also shows the saint putting a jar full back together. The story goes that a woman was bringing a jar of milk, (an expensive commodity at the time) back to her home when she tripped and the jar shattered. Devastated by the waste, the woman burst into tears when the priest approached her and put the jar back together. She was shocked not only to find the jar intact, but to find it full of milk again. These frescoes seem to be quite dull in color. Photos of the church in an older state show the paintings with much more vibrant color but a restoration would likely bring them to life.

The side altar of Our Lady. The statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the left shows the present day ethnicity of the church. The woodwork of the altar itself uses a clever trick. In the spires surrounding the statue it seems to be very three dimensional when in reality the wood is very flat. The white of the back wall interacting with the blue of the wood helps to create this effect.

Just to the left of the side altar was the baptismal font. This font is likely nor original to the church as is uses marble and brass, something found nowhere else in the church. It also likely used to reside in the rear of the church as the original rite of baptism used to incorporate the use of physically walking into the church as part of the rite. 

A fresco on the side wall of the Holy Family. Directly below the painting is a niche in the wall where the confessionals used to be.

This photo helps to illustrate the enormity of the church. There was a necessity for two choir lofts. One for the choir and one for the organ. The great travesty was that this organ was not even played during Mass, instead a simple little keyboard with artificial organ sounds was used. The massive instrument sits high in the church yet rarely makes any sound. 

Over each of the arches was this lovely depiction of the angels with the Blessed Sacrament. It is interesting to see so many angels in a church's design, but it helps reinforce the fact that there a multitude of angels in Heaven at the right hand of God. In the window the saint to the left is Veronica holding the veil of Our Lord. I couldn't see up to the right.

Stained glass of the Holy family. The detail in the window is very specific, like a German made window.

The Stations of the Cross were originally marked in Polish and the English was added later.

A fresco showing the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan. The confessional below is not original. It's interesting because I suspected the original baptistry to be right behind the wall where the fresco sits. It would make prefect sense for there to have been a door or archway behind the confessional and underneath the fresco for the newly baptized soul to enter the church. The water damage one the arch highlight the biggest thing this church could use. The carpet is littered with stains, many of the angels on the walls have peeling facial features, and there are numerous water damage spots on the ceiling. An expensive, but necessary renovation is badly needed. Unfortunately the church is in no position to have that done currently as they are one million dollars in debt. (This isn't private information as I found this out simply by attending Mass where it was announced from the pulpit). Thus the renewal of the neighborhood cannot come sooner as this church is becoming more in need a renovation every day.