“There has never been, nor is there, any plan to tear down the church.”
By Doug La Rocque
“This is fantastic news” says Liz Waytkus of the Save the Immaculate Conception Church group, when speaking to the The Eastwick Press on Monday, August 27, one day after the group staged a rally outside of the church on Sunday.
By many accounts, there were at least one hundred people at the rally, many carrying placards expressing their dismay about what they believed where plans to demolish the building, heavily damaged by the floodwaters of July 1, 2017. Their beliefs stemming from a statement made by the Diocese of Albany at a meeting with parishioners and community members on July 1 of this year, a meeting attended by Bishop Scharfenberger. Tear it down or repurpose it, is what group member Kevin O’Malley says they were told at that time. He tells The Eastwick Press, the church “will never survive without being a place of worship by our Catholic community. And that is our mission, to keep the Immaculate Conception Church as a place of worship for the Hoosick Falls Catholic community.”
The statement from the Bishop’s Communications Director goes on to say, “the next step will be a meeting with the Pastor, principal, trustees, and representatives of the finance and pastoral councils. There is no date set for the meeting yet, as it is difficult to coordinate so many schedules, especially in these last days of summer. That meeting will offer the opportunity for parish and diocesan leaders to review facts and set a course.” According to Ms. Waytkus, members of her group want to be part of that meeting. “We plan to show up at each and every meeting until we have a seat at the table.” Former Hoosick Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas, also a member of the group, tells The Eastwick Press “we have never seen a paper that says it (the church) cannot be fixed. We can raise the money.” A sentiment echoed by Ms. Waytkus, who indicates there are, one to one matching grants available to help save religious structures. One caveat however, is that the church may first have to be put on an historical registry.