Jul. 26—LANGDON, N.D. — Caretakers of a rural Catholic church in northeast North Dakota are fighting to save the structure from a planned demolition. Citing structural concerns, the building’s owner, the Diocese of Fargo, believes the church should be razed and hoped to do so earlier this summer.
Though the scheduled demolition of the church has been delayed, efforts to preserve the building are also at a standstill.
Things are in limbo, said Gary Metzger, president of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Heritage Society.
“We don’t know when or if or what’s going to happen,” he said.
The group was created to care for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, located north of Langdon, North Dakota. The group heard that the Diocese of Fargo planned to allow the destruction of the building earlier in the summer, along with two other churches in the area.
Paul Braun, director of communications at the Diocese of Fargo, said a number of proposals have been presented regarding the church, but no final decision has been made. However, it is quite likely the church will be taken down, he said.
“The Catholic Church has a specific internal process that must be observed before a decision is finalized,” he said.
In an effort to preserve the church, Metzger’s group has been trying to get the facility on a historical building registry, either at the state or national level. Metzger reached out to the Cavalier County Job Development Authority for help, and Kari Phillips, community development coordinator, agreed to lend a hand.
“I grew up across the road from the church, so it’s kind of a part of my heritage as well,” Phillips said.
Phillips said she reached out to the State Historical Society of North Dakota; she said the society responded, saying the building would be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. However, since it is privately owned, the owner or majority of ownership must give permission to nominate the building. Phillips submitted a letter to the Diocese and waited three to four months for a reply, she said. The answer was “no.”
Braun said some issues in the church include mold and asbestos, as well as leaking from the roof and shingles in disrepair. As the church is only used for one Mass per year, and the parish has been closed for years, “it’s quite an expensive undertaking to repair a facility that is no longer being used regularly,” he said.
Phillips feels it will be a shame if the building is taken down.
“It’s a big, beautiful brick church, and it does need some improvements,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of heart, and dedication and feelings attached to the building, but feasibility too, I don’t know. It’s such a hard thing to know what to do.”
Metzger said the Diocese “had mentioned that they still might go in and take out the asbestos, hazardous material stuff this summer yet, but that might get postponed to next year, too.”
The heritage society began 17 years ago, when the church’s parish closed. Metzger was asked if he’d like to be part of it, and he’s been the president through the society’s lifetime. The group has been maintaining the church and has raised money for it, such as paying the heating bill, Phillips said. Metzger said he has asked Bishop John Folda if the heritage society could continue helping maintain the church for the foreseeable future, until the day comes when that can’t continue and the building needs to be taken down.
“It’s an important part of the community and we’ve got people who are definitely behind us to keep it going,” Metzger said. “We’re still not ready to give up. There’s still a generation that enjoys their home church.”
The church had a final Mass, a Corpus Christi celebration, on June 29. Videos on the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Heritage Society’s Facebook page show a crowd of people joined together in prayer and song, and a homily from Father Damien Schill. In his homily, he said the church was founded in 1888.
“Today is a day set apart,” Schill said. “One of remembrance, gratitude, and hope and sadness. … To walk this final chapter, especially on the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is both an honor and a privilege.”
Braun said that, though the heritage society has offered assistance in caring for the church, the ultimate responsibility falls to the parish at St. Alphonsus in Langdon, which he said owns the property. According to Braun, Folda denied the request to nominate the building for the national register because St. Alphonsus would still bear the responsibility in perpetuity if the church was put on the list.
There is a proposal to place a memorial on the church site to honor the building and the community, Braun said. Any final decisions regarding the church will be communicated to St. Alphonsus and the heritage society.
“Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is not the only church that has faced this difficult reality,” Braun said. “Our lay faithful, parishes and the Diocese are all very aware of the challenges and share in the grief when a church closes. At the same time, we also work to ensure strong parish communities in the long term. Our mission is to know, love and serve God in this world and the next, and that is our main focus.”