Save Tacoma’s Holy Rosary Church!
I married my husband, Charlie, in 1973 and joined Holy Rosary Parish. In those 46 years, I’ve had my children baptized, seen them graduate from Holy Rosary School, seen my nieces and nephews go there, and my grandchildren. I’ve attended more events there, religious and secular, than I can possibly remember.
The one that sticks in my mind is my mother-in-law’s funeral in 2015. She was 96, and was sure that no one would remember or care, but the large church was half-full for her funeral.
If she was still alive, I’m afraid this would kill her. She lived in the same house since 1947, and as long as she could drive (well into her nineties) she went to daily Mass. She attended Sunday Mass the week she died. Every priest knew her, and a number of nuns whom she had assisted and given rides to over the years attended her funeral.
When I have posted about it on social media, I apparently brought a bunch of anti-Catholic bigots out of the woodwork. The spoke of the wealth of the Universal Church, and pointed at the lawsuits against Catholic priest who abused those in their care. A small minority of priests, but the damage they have done will scar the community for many years to come.
After I spoke about about it as a Faith Community/Family, one individual told me it was “only a building” and should be torn down to provide housing for “Actual People” (apparently Catholics are not “actual people” in his book).
Our parish is on the border between Hilltop and South Tacoma. The parishioners are not rich. Many, like my husband and myself, are retirees.
The archdiocese has refused permission for the parish to fund-raise, so the link above is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness of the crisis.
As with KPLU (now KNKX) the Click! Network and the UPS Law School, this is an example how the Seattle Area folks think Tacoma can’t have nice things.
The impression of the faith community is that we have been treated poorly. The whole process, from beginning to end, has been about money, money, money.I have been a labor activist for many years. In labor speak, it is all done by “suits” with top-down, no negotiations or impact bargaining approach.
The archdiocese has moved the ball on the parish several times. It would take far less to get the church safe to use.
We were told that it would take $2.249 million to conduct repairs and erect scaffolding necessary to reoccupy the church. An additional $6.691 million would be required to make needed structural and roof repairs, which could be done over the course of several years.
The $17.6 million figure was to completely restore the church and other buildings on campus to essentially “as new” condition.
What you can do to help
Donate. Every dollar counts! Please consider donating to the restoration!
Donate Now
There will be an emergency meeting at Holy Rosary Convent Meeting Center this Thursday August 29 at 6:30pm.
Also, please write Archbishop Sartain in the next week, and tell him why the parish of Holy Rosary (not just the building!) should be saved
The Most Reverend J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle
710 9th Avenue
Seattle WA 98104
Other Links:
Photos from Google
Google Map of the Church
Holy Rosary Website
Archbishop Sartain’s Letter
Northwest Catholic (Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Seattle)
Other Blogs
Thom Ryng, “Close and Raze”
Danger Girl, “First We Cried- Now We Will Fight For You Holy Rosary!”
Toni Vercillo, “Costs Not Included: The Spiritual Dimension for Saving Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church.”
grammyputer 
Mom, this is great 🙂 great job.
Well said, thank you!