Parishioner will ‘chain myself to front steps’ to block Sacred Heart church closure

Three years ago, Pat Chownyk, a lifelong parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Roseville, had a heartfelt and hard-headed reaction to the prospect that her beloved church may someday close.
“I will chain myself to the front steps if they (the Detroit Archdiocese) try to close Sacred Heart,” she told a reporter.
In an interview this morning, she added this: “And you know what? People read that in the newspaper and a lot of them contacted me and agreed to join me.”

Chownyk

Now, as the Archdiocese announced that Sacred Heart, home of the oldest Catholic parish in the Detroit suburbs, will close in a few months, Chownyk, 82, has this message for the church hierarchy:

“I’ve got my chains ready.”

Since the announcement was first made at the Saturday mass that the landmark church on Gratiot Avenue will be put on the auction block, a ripple of reaction online – from parishioners and non-parishioners alike – has grown into a wave of dismay and opposition. The 154-year-old legacy of Sacred Heart has touched many lives.
The Archdiocese is abandoning its merger of three Macomb County churches and will close Our Lady Queen of All Saints in Fraser in a matter of weeks, with the last mass scheduled for June 30.
St. Athanasius in Roseville will remain open and, once the building undergoes some “structural” renovations, Sacred Heart will close and the consolidation will be complete.
This three-campus approach for a single, merged parish – put in place less than a year ago -- forced a name change for the three churches, known collectively as St. Pio.

A Detroit Archdiocese spokesman told The Macomb Daily that the plan to close the two churches will be reviewed by the Presbyterial Council, a priest advisory board that assists Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron on governance and pastoral matters.
“It would be up to (Vigneron) to accept, reject or modify the proposal,” Ned McGrath said.

While her chains are at the ready, Chownyk hopes to grab the Archdiocese’s attention in the meantime by organizing a protest rally on the church steps on Sunday, May 17. She expects that many of the large families that attended the church or the former Sacred Heart School will join the effort. Sacred Heart’s extended family, those who were baptized or married there or who have loved ones buried in the church cemetery, are also invited to take part.   

Chownyk fits into many categories over the past eight decades – she attended grade school at Sacred Heart, was married at Sacred Heart and sent her kids to Sacred Heart schools.
The president of the Roseville Historical Society, Chownyk and other longtime parishioners are angry that the Archdiocese, in their view, has treated Sacred Heart like a “guinea pig” for decades:

* When the population of Roseville, St. Clair Shores and Fraser grew rapidly in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Sacred Heart parish was divided into numerous pieces, leading to the creation of new Catholic churches, including St. Athanasius and Our Lady Queen of All Saints.

* When the Archdiocese decided decades ago to get rid of traditional pews in favor of chairs arranged for circular seating, Sacred Heart was one of the first to undergo the alterations. The Archdiocese soon scrapped the idea -- shortly after Sacred Heart was transformed.

* When the Archdiocese decided that baptismal pools would be installed in churches, Sacred Heart was again chosen as one of the first to change and, again, the idea fizzled and the concept did not spread to other churches.   

* And when the Archdiocese a few years ago announced initial plans for a series of church mergers for financial reasons, Sacred Heart was singled out publicly for harboring a large debt, though the amount of red ink was the source of considerable dispute.

The original church was built in 1861 in what was then known as Utica Junction. The current church, located near the original site at Utica Road and Gratiot, features Mediterranean Revival architecture and a distinctive green tile roof. It was completed in 1950.

Rumors have already surfaced that Sacred Heart may be demolished to make way for a “big box” store such as a Walmart or Home Depot. However, the church property was designated a historical site several years ago. It remains to be seen how much protection that status will provide for the structure, as long as it remains in good condition.
Meanwhile, the St. Pio tri-parish pastor and administrator, Father Greg Rozborski, has begun cutting staff at Sacred Heart.

One of the first to go? The longtime maintenance man.

Pat Chownyk can be reached at (586) 445-2487.