I often wonder how and when a church begins to go down the path of destruction. I suppose that it usually starts with a leaking roof and no regular maintenance. Maybe someone breaks in and strips the structure causing irreparable damage. In the case of Our Lady of Lourdes it started a few years ago when the stained glass windows were removed. Why isn’t that against the law?
Since that time I have been thankful that the church appears to be in fair shape thanks to the boards that have been covering the windows. Then, a week ago, the largest board fell off and so did the smaller one to the side. Each day I have passed by to see if the boards would be replaced. Nope. What does this mean for this Main Street church? I’m not sure, but I can tell you that there are reasons to keep these historic structures mothballed, because we have seen enough of them crumble when they are neglected. Is this a code violation? I would think so. How does the City not notice that the boards are no longer in place? Or maybe the City does know, because it’s completely obvious!