Itt-Ott, 1982 (15. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1982 / 1. szám
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1981-Poletown Church Gets Extension Of Eviction Judge Rules Parish Priest Has Rights Of Homeowner DETROIT (AP) - A Roman Catholic church, due to be razed to make way for a General Motors Corp. plant, will remain standing until June 17 following a Monday ruling that the church’s priest can live there until that date. The Rev. Joseph Karasiewicz, pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church in the Poletown neighborhood straddling the Detroit-Hamtramck line, had vowed to fight his eviction notice in a suit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court. Judge Richard Kaufman ruled that the priest and his housekeeper — as residents of parish property — are entitled to the same 90 days’ eviction notice as homeowners in the plant-site area. The judge gave them until June 17 to leave. Father Karasiewicz said the ruling will give him more time to decide what action to take next to try to prevent the razing of the church. He said he would take his fight to the Vatican, if necessary. However, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Detroit said ownership of the church property was transferred to the city of Detroit April 30 under a purchase agreement with the archdiocese. The Rev. Patrick Halfpenny added that Sunday's worship services at the church were to be the last. Demolition Set In Poletown Detroit, Archdiocese Reject GM Offer To Move Church DETROIT (AP) - The Catholic Archdiocese and city of Detroit Thursday rejected an offer by General Motors Corp. to move a Roman Catholic Church scheduled for demolition so that GM can build a Cadillac assembly plant. A spokesman for the city, Joyce Garrett, said the decision means that Immaculate Conception Church, focal point of a controversy among the city, GM, and residents who do not want to leave the area, will be demolished. Tide rejection, just hours after GM said it would pay to move the church, came> following a meeting attended by Cardinal John Dearden, archbishop of Detroit; Mayor Coleman Young; GM Chairman Roger Smith, and others. “There is no sound reason for re-establishiag the parish in that immediate area,” Mayor Young said. “The Polish people who still reside in the area of the present church can readily be served by four existing Polish Catholic parishes — all within a moderate distance from the project site.” Parish No Longer Exists “As Cardinal Dearden pointed out in our meeting, Immaculate Conception parish no longer exists. For years, its membership has steadily declined. The prospect of relocating the church does not solve the basic problem of a congregation limited in numbers.” The mayor said the city, the archdiocese, and GM will seek to establish a chapel in a neighboring parish “that would incorporate significant artifacts, religious articles — even some of the structural materials from Immaculate Conception Church. “Such an endeavor would serve to preserve many of the elements that over the years have come to have special significance to the people who worshipped at Immaculate Conception. “Such a project obviously calls for further thought and planning.” Congregation Of 450 Church officials said the congregation numbers about 450. Mr. Smith had said GM would move the church a short, but unspecified, distance from its comer of the 465-acre tract where GM plans to construct a $500 million plant The moving project would have cost GM “a sizeable chunk,” he said. At Immaculate Conception Church, the pastor, the Rev. Joseph Karasiewicz, said the decision is “totally unacceptable.” “The church surely should remain as a place of worship,” he said. “The decision is not final.” The church — in an area known as Poletown because of the many people of Polish descent who live there — has been the rallying point for those opposed to being displaced by the auto plant. The final services were held Sunday, but the pastor won a court order this week to remain there until June 17. It was sold by the archdiocese to Detroit for $1.3 million and officials said the parish ceased to be after Sunday. The neighborhood along the Detroit- Hamtramck line is losing about 1,500 homes and businesses and 3,000 people. 27
