Good has arisen from growing rumors that historic St. Hedwig Catholic Church would be demolished, after initial concern when its roof lost some shingles.
Not only has the Diocese of Toledo confirmed that St. Hedwig “is not being torn down,” said Sally Oberski, communications director, but a group of 20 grade school alumni and nearby residents are starting a grassroots crusade to breathe new life into this North Toledo neighborhood landmark.
A Facebook account titled, Save St. Hedwig Catholic Church, seems to have initiated the stir – at least online – when it posted on Jan. 22: “We have received reports that Saint Hedwig will be torn down. The ceiling over the main altar fell down a few months ago and has not been repaired.”
This spurred a wave of unsubstantiated worry, with one account offering that the City of Toledo was demanding church repairs, ones it couldn’t afford. According to city commissioner of inspection, Chris Zervos, that is also false, as his department has made no contact whatsoever with St. Hedwig.
Upon learning of the shingle damage, Fr. Jacob Gordon, pastor, immediately scheduled a meeting to discuss the church’s condition with new Bishop Daniel Thomas, but that appointment was cancelled due to unrelated circumstances, and is to be rescheduled. Oberski said Fr. Gordon is willing to publicly discuss news concerning St. Hedwig once he knows more definitively what might be the next step.
In the meantime, that’s when rumors swirled online, and also within the tight-knit Polish Village community.
“All this about a roof falling in, it’s not true,” said Tom Jesionowski, a St. Adalbert/St. Hedwig parishioner. “There’s also stories going on that the roof is costing $100,000 to a half million, and that’s not true. I talked to (Fr. Gordon) on Sunday, and once the weather clears up, he’s going to get three bids on the roof.”
St. Hedwig merged with nearby St. Adalbert in 2010, becoming one parish. The St. Hedwig church structure has largely remained closed for regular mass since 2012, used only for special occasions such as weddings, funerals and baptisms. Its recent shingle episode created the need to close its doors temporarily in the name of public safety.
After watching the gossip spread, former St. Hedwig School student Racheal Nadrasik also met briefly with Gordon to get the facts, and now is hoping to start a drive to help the church make its necessary repairs.
“Everybody’s all up in arms that the church was shut down, but at the same time, no one’s doing anything to save it,” said Racheal Nadrasik, Toledo, “So, my friends and I decided to take it upon ourselves.”
This Friday, Nadrasik and a group of 20 St. Hedwig school alumni from 1998-2003, plus some neighborhood friends who never even attended the school, are meeting with Gordon to tour the church, assess damage and take photos – all with the intention to introduce an online Kickstarter-type campaign to raise funds for St. Hedwig’s necessary repairs.
“(St. Hedwig is) just gorgeous, and so rich in history,” Nadrasik said. “Basically all it needs is a new roof. None of the rumors are true. We’re hoping if we can get the word out there, and get our community back together and tell everybody what Toledo is really about, that we’ll get people to donate time and materials. We’re trying to have faith, and I know a lot of original Polish residents have passed away or moved out of the area, but we can still do this. There’s no reason why we can’t do it.”
Nadrasik attended St. Hedwig School from preschool through the 8th grade, and she wants to give back to a place that gave her so much.
“We all need to pay back our debts, and this is the least I could do,” Nadrasik said.
