Repair okay raises the roof in Amsterdam

A year and a day after finding out that St. Casimir's church building in Amsterdam had to close due to structural deficiencies, parishioners were greeted with the joyous news that their church can be reopened.

During the past 12 months, parishioners have attended nearby St. John the Baptist Church. There, on All Souls Day, the two communities received word from Bishop Howard J. Hubbard that the St. Casimir building will be repaired.

"You could feel the excitement," said Karl Andrzejczyk, co-chairperson of the church restoration committee. "Everyone broke out in applause" when the news was announced.

Bishop's letter

"Last year at this time, I was faced with a most difficult decision concerning St. Casimir's church," the Bishop said in a letter read during weekend Masses at St. John's. "For safety reasons, the Diocese was advised that it was in everyone's best interest to discontinue services in that building until we could assure structural stability and personal safety to those who worshipped there. I know this was an unpopular decision, but the potential risk of injury to parishioners far outweighed any other option.

"After considerable study and consultation, I am prepared to re-open St. Casimir's Church and to authorize the repair of the building."

The repairs may be done in time for Easter services to be held at St. Casimir's.

Excited

"It was an awful lot of excitement for one weekend," said Irene Tice, parishioner of St. Casimir. "We were all ecstatic."

In the time since the building was closed, the committee chaired by Mr. Andrzejczyk and his wife Christine has worked to reopen it.

"We formed two weeks after the initial closure," he explained. "We wanted to investigate all avenues and find out if the information was correct."

Danger above

The building was closed because the trusses that support the roof of the church had cracked over the years, creating the threat of a ceiling or roof collapse. The cost of the repairs, estimated by a firm in Syracuse, was $200,000.

After the building was closed, the parish hired C.T. Male Associates of Latham to review the original report and come up with alternative ways to fix the truss problem.

According to Mr. Andrzejczyk, the roof is supported by 18 trusses. Two are deflected, or twisted; others are cracked; and the large transfer truss has a bulge in it. The new plan, which will cost $60,000, calls for reinforcing the trusses with steel girders.

"It will be like a splint," Mr. Andrzejczyk said. "It will double the strength of the trusses."

Next steps

In authorizing the repair of the building, the Bishop required the parish council and trustees to agree to a number of conditions, including getting approval from the diocesan Architecture and Building Commission for the design phase of the project, installing crack monitors, developing a plan if the cracks worsen, and having a head-to-toe engineering plan completed on the building.

Parish council president Joseph Shatas said that the parish also agreed to strive for financial stability.

"We have always been solvent," he said. Agreeing to this condition, he added, only makes sense.

Clergy assignment

The parish also agreed to share a priest with St. John the Baptist. Rev. Joseph Grabys, pastor of St. Casimir's, will turn 75 this year and retire. Rev. Stanislaus Swierzowski, pastor of St. John the Baptist, will serve both parishes after St. Casimir's reopens.

The parish council president said there will be two Masses at St. John's during the weekend and one at St. Casimir once the building is reopened.

The past year of attending Mass at St. John's has helped the parishioners get a taste of working closely with another parish, Mr. Shatas said. "There's a bond between us," he said.

Linked parishes

Mr. Andrzejczyk was impressed with the way the St. John's community welcomed the St. Casimir parishioners.

"The whole process was incredible," he said. "Father Stan made an offer for us to come as a parish and work together until there was a determination. This offer kept the parish together. Then a relationship developed. At first, it was new for everyone. Now, there is warmth. We consider ourself one family."

St. Casimir parishioners broke out into applause when they heard the part of the Bishop's letter that thanked the St. John community. He wrote: "I am also grateful to Father Swierzowski for agreeing to assume additional administrative responsibilities and to the parishioners of St. John the Baptist parish for their hospitality to members of St. Casimir's parish. Truly, you have welcomed your sisters and brothers and provided them with a spiritual home when they were in need."

Said Mrs. Andrzejczyk: "St. John's and Father Stan gave us a warm welcome. They made us feel at home. They couldn't have been nicer. They are a second family."

Positive results

The closure of the church building had many positive outcomes, say parishioners.

"This has been a positive thing for our community," Mrs. Andrzejczyk said. "If you pray, believe and work hard, you can make a difference. Miracles do happen in Amsterdam, New York."

Her husband agreed, saying: "It sparked a spirit of renewal. We never would have faced this without a crisis. It is similar to a family faced with a crisis. Our parish faced an insurmountable challenge. The parish pulled together and had spiritual renewal and rebirth."

Cooperation

Many of the parishioners praised the Diocese, and the way the Bishop and chancellors worked with them during this crisis.

"It was nice," said Mr. Shatas. "We met with the chancellors and had fruitful and honest discussions. They let the parish make decisions."

"All of this was fostered by Bishop Hubbard," said Mr. Andrzejczyk. "He allowed us to look from within, to work together. A true leader allows people to look from within for answers. He gave us the opportunity."

During the past year, parishioners have been wearing rainbow ribbons as a symbol of promise and hope through the storm. According to Mr. and Mrs. Andrzejczyk, the parish community has weathered that storm.

"The Lord was with us," said Mrs. Andrzejczyk. "It was up to us."

(Anyone interested in contributing to the project can send contributions to C.A.S.I.M.I.R. c/o Robin J. Chase, Amsterdam Federal Savings Bank, 161 Church Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010.)

(11-13-97) [[In-content Ad]]