'We have to move forward': Guardian Angels Parish eyes closing 5 churches, 17 ancillary buildings

As a child spending time at his grandparent’s house in Natrona, Paul Krofchik vividly recalls walking the few blocks from their home along Linden Street to Mass at St. Ladislaus Church, a domed building that takes up half the block on Spruce Street.

“It was huge, and there were these beautiful statues everywhere. It looked like a castle,” he said. “Everything about it was ornate and phenomenal, filled with gold and ivory and flowers. You don’t see churches like that anymore.”

The 118-year-old St. Ladislaus is among five of seven churches in Guardian Angels Parish that is expected to close, officials announced Friday.

“After a parish survey, assemblies, studies and building assessments, we came to the conclusion that, financially, we could only keep two churches open,” said its pastor, the Rev. John Lendvai.

They are expected to be Most Blessed Sacrament in Harrison and Our Lady of Victory in Springdale Township.

Parish officials will recommend to Bishop David Zubik and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh the remaining five churches and 17 ancillary buildings be relegated.

They include St. Ladislaus and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, both in Harrison; Holy Martyrs, in Tarentum; Holy Family, in Creighton; and St. Alphonsus, in Springdale.

Lendvai led several assemblies in recent weeks to outline the paltry finances and dwindling attendance that no longer can sustain the parish.

Just 10 years ago, there were about 3,000 people coming to Mass every week, he said.

Now, the eight weekend services draw just about 900.

“There is a spiritual hunger in the parish, but buildings are not free,” Lendvai told the audience at a recent presentation. “We don’t get free electricity and gas.

“We have to move forward. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect to have a vibrant parish.”

Bruno Bonacchi, former diocesan financial officer, said the parish will be bankrupt by the new year if nothing changes.

“You need to do something to decrease building costs and increase offertories,” he said. “Those things are critical to having the kind of parish that everyone talks about.”

During a recent presentation, Bonacchi said parishioners’ financial contributions have declined 42% over the past five years from $1.4 million in 2016 to $813,000 in 2020.

Operating expenses have been cut to bare-bone levels, he said.

The parish has drawn down its savings to pay budget deficits.

Parish savings in 2019 topped $557,000. Now they stand at about $75,000.

“I know it’s a sign of the times, but it still hurts,” said Todd Stanzione, a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help along 11th Avenue in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison.

Stanzione’s family roots run deep in the church — so much so that the property where the sanctuary was built in 1952 was sold to the parish by his great-grandfather.

“My mom made all of her sacraments there,” he said. “All of our big events were held there: baptisms, weddings. At one time, everything in this area was focused on the church.”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help was founded in Natrona Heights as an offshoot of St. Ladislaus to accommodate a growing Polish population “on the hill,” Stanzione said.

“I remember days on any Saturday there would be three weddings followed by a 6 p.m. Mass,” he said. “Then, on Sunday, there were two more Masses, and they were full.

“Our church was lively and active and proud of their ethnic background.”

While attendance has dropped dramatically, the social hall on the next block remains active, hosting Alcoholics Anonymous, the Boy Scouts and the Rosary Society, among other activities.

“This just isn’t a good feeling because all of our roots are here,” Stanzione said.

Jennifer Antkowiak, diocese spokeswoman, said the process behind church closings “involves many months of engagement and interaction with the faithful.”

Recommendations will be presented and discussed with the Presbyterial Council before Zubik makes his ultimate decision, she said.

If Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Victory get the bishop’s blessing to stay open, the locations would satisfy the two heaviest clusters of parishioners within the Guardian Angels boundaries, the Rev. Lendvai said.

The buildings sit on opposite ends of the 32-square-mile parish radius.

“People complain about driving to the Heights or Harwick, but you’re driving to PNC Park and all over the place,” Lendvai said. “Convenience is great, but that’s not the reality anymore.

“This isn’t what we were ordained to do, but it has to be done,” he added. “It’s not possible that we keep all seven churches open and sustain programs and have outreach for children and seniors.”

There is no timeline for when the final decision will be made.

The hope is that an announcement will come by the end of the year, according to the Rev. John Gizler, who helped facilitate some of the parish assemblies.

“You’re not going to be sitting here a year from now wondering what buildings will be closed,” he said.

Elizabeth Novotny, a lifelong member of Holy Martyrs in Tarentum, said the news is like a gut-punch.

“It’s like your childhood home being sold,” she said.

Baptized in the church along West Ninth Avenue, Novotny said many of her favorite memories stem from church and related activities.

“At the social hall, I was a bingo call-back girl for about 10 years,” she said. “At church, I could see all our family, all my friends from Sunday school. It will always hold a special place in my heart.”