St. Aloysius, Republic

" RELIGIOUS COMPLEX FOR SALE BY SEALED BID
Formerly Saint Aloysius Catholic Church, This complex has been decommissioned and closed by the Catholic Diocese of Toledo. The property, Located at 211 East St. Republic,Ohio, embraces a 400 seat A-frame style church. There is a social hall in the full basement, complete with kitchen, rest rooms, and a personal lift, making it handicap accessible. Also located on the property is a ranch-style home offering 2 bedrooms with a full bath for each. A kitchen, living room, dining room, half bath, office, conference room, 2 car attached garage, and a full basement complete the home. The basement is arranged for classrooms and includes a half bath. The complex includes a large open picnic shelter, two storage buildings, and a paved parking lot, all on 5 +/- Acres. "



This advertisement finished the tale of one of the Diocese's closed parishes. I've been informed that the property has been sold. No word on what it will be used for. Architecturally, it's tolerable, but nothing special.

Let me say two things, to begin. First, I feel terribly sorry for the parishioners of the closed parishes. Second, it's my own personal opinion ( And only that. ) that when a parish is closed, the building should be torn down to prevent questionable use.


The former St. Aloysius, an interesting vernacular Greek Revival building, started out as a Universalist congregation and is now a Masonic lodge. I wonder if there was a fuss when it was sold. In my lifetime, I've seen quite a number of churches sold, torn down, or otherwise disposed of, and a number of parishes closed. It's always an unfortunate situation, but it's been going on for centuries, usually without the sort of hullaballoo we're seeing now. Tears were shed, regrets felt, but everyone moved on. They didn't trumpet, in complete disregard for Church rules, that the Bishops had no right to close parishes. They didn't insist that, contrary to what the Pope, the bishops, and two millenia of the Church's teachings, Catholicism is really supposed to be operated on a Protestant congregational form of government. They didn't run right to the press and the secular courts and whine for their "rights", AKA their own way. They recognized reality and accepted duly appointed authority, and went on with their lives. It's too bad everyone's not so sensible nowadays.