Update: Hope for saving Holy Rosary Church in Tacoma?
Aug 28, 2024, 9:30 AM | Updated: 9:51 am
Interior of the Holy Rosary Church in Tacoma. (Photo courtesy of 'Save Tacoma Landmark Church')
(Photo courtesy of 'Save Tacoma Landmark Church')
UPDATE Aug. 28 6:30 a.m.
Jon Carp of Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church (STLC) joined Seattle’s Morning News to share details about his group’s proposal to the Seattle Archdiocese to purchase and preserve Holy Rosary Church. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese told KIRO Newsradio Tuesday that the leadership team of the parish of Pope St. John XXIII in Tacoma will review STLC’s proposal and those from other groups and will make a recommendation to the pastor there sometime in the next few weeks.
Original Story, published Aug. 26
There is breaking news of a potential deal to save an iconic church along Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tacoma.
In a KIRO Newsradio exclusive, Jon Carp of the group Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church said they were asked last week by a representative of the Seattle Archdiocese to present a proposal – by Monday, Aug. 26 – for preserving the 104-year-old Holy Rosary Church, including its distinctive 216-foot steeple.
More on the Holy Rosary Church: Battle for Holy Rosary Church’s survival stretches from Tacoma to the Vatican
“This is the first time we’ve been asked for proposals by the Archdiocese,” Carp said late Sunday.
Carp also told KIRO Newsradio that Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church plans to work with another group that hopes to ultimately purchase the historic structure and restore it. Estimates vary regarding the cost of necessary repairs.
“We’re very excited,” Carp explained. “This is what we’ve been working towards in a lot of ways. We have repeatedly said in statements to the press and to the Archdiocese to just let us try, let’s see if we can save the church, let’s not just give up before we’ve even tried.
“We see this as the first step towards that goal of being given a real, good faith opportunity to attempt to save the church,” Carp added.
Carp and other members of Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church worked on their proposal over the weekend. He told KIRO Newsradio that once the document has been formally submitted to the Seattle Archdiocese, Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church will also provide more details Monday to the greater community about what they have in mind for Holy Rosary.
“We will be sharing it with the press and members of the public,” Carp said, “We are hopeful that the Archdiocese … will accept the proposal, or at the very least come back with a counter (proposal).”
Hopes are, Carp continued, that the community and the Archdiocese “can all work together to come up with a viable path forward for this church building that is so important to so many of us and so important to the people of Tacoma.”
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It’s unclear what, if any, Vatican involvement in the dispute over Holy Rosary Church may have led to this development. The battle to save Holy Rosary Church stretches back more than five years.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
You can hear Feliks Banel every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien. Read more from Feliks here and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea or a question about Northwest history, please email Feliks. You can also follow Feliks on X.
