In response to the Rev. L. Edward Deimeke's letter ("Expenses dictated St. Patrick's fate," June 13) regarding the abandonment, sale and subsequent demolition of St. Patrick's Church in Watervliet:
As the Rev. Deimeke himself stated, St. Patrick's was abandoned as a worship site due to maintenance costs, structural problems and excessive capacity.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish chose a smaller site with renovation costs exceeding $1 million. The Rev. Deimeke stated in the parish's April 28, 2013, newsletter that "most of the funds we receive from the sale of St. Patrick's will be used to liquidate the parish's debt to the (Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany)."
There are many reasons for the decline of participation in organized worship. However, using lack of participation to justify the fate of St. Patrick's doesn't paint a complete picture.
The argument to save St. Patrick's was not about the Rev. Deimeke's congregation or dwindling enrollment in the church. It was about preserving important elements of culture and heritage.
The issue that caused public outrage, sadness and dismay is that St. Patrick's was sold for demolition rather than marketed for preservation and reuse. For this business decision, the diocese is clearly responsible.
The effort to save St. Patrick's was on behalf of a beloved, historic landmark and a neighborhood opposed to new construction.
Many in the Capital Region and beyond lament the loss of something important. The Rev. Deimeke's congregation made the decision to abandon the site and support rezoning that would allow an expedient sale. The diocese made the ultimate decision to sell St. Patrick's for demolition.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Christine Bulmer
Watervliet