A historic Catholic church 75 miles northwest of Dayton is being demolished.
Removal of the bell tower of St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein is underway. Demolition of the church will follow.
This comes after a fire last May heavily damaged the house of worship. One wall of the church collapsed just before the new year due to high winds and the declining condition of the remaining structure.
Church leaders said after consultations with engineers and safety officials, a decision to take down the remaining structure was reached in the interest of public safety.
“This is a difficult day for our parish,” said Father Ken Schnipke, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish.
But in a released statement, he also said it’s “an important one in the journey of our parish into the future of St. John the Baptist Church.”
St. John’s leaders said they have been working for months to save historic and important artifacts, art and other items in the church; stained glass, organ pipes, and other architectural elements.
According to St. John, the stained glass windows that were removed will be restored by Window Creations LLC., in northwest Ohio.
They have also preserved 1,040 of the church’s 1,323 organ pipes, which were “removed, cleaned and are being safely stored.”
The church said this doesn’t mark the end of the parish community, and they’re currently working on plans for a new worship space.
