The Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was demolished this week despite a campaign to save it.
The church served the community for more than 100 years, but the parish decided in 2024 to close it, citing a decline in parishioners and high repair costs. The Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania approved the sale of the church and rectory for $300,000.
In a letter dated September 16, 2024, proposing closure, signed by Bain David Hutz, the president of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, stated, “The exterior roof and interior ceiling of our Cathedral are currently in need of major repairs. Completing these repairs would wipe out most, if not all of our investment account. And due to a dwindling number of active members, who are disproportionately elderly, we have difficulty in meeting our month-to-month expenses”.
Offer to save the church “ignored”
Greek-American businessman Demetri Patitsas submitted a $200,000 purchase offer with the intention of housing the St. Paul’s Fellowship of Labor organization there, but received no response. Shortly afterward, he learned that a demolition permit had been issued.
“I reached out to the priests and offered to buy the church for $200,000, to keep it active as a spiritual center and headquarters for our organization. Yet, despite repeated efforts, we never received an official response,” he told the National Herald.
Instead, as he noted, the OCA Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania quietly proceeded with the demolition, despite interventions from Mayor George Brown, city councilor Tony Brooks, and state officials who requested that the permit be halted.
“I watched with my own eyes as the church was leveled. It was a shocking moment. People who had married, been baptized, and prayed there for generations saw their place disappear,” he recounted emotionally.
“What happened in Wilkes-Barre should wake us all up. Our faith and history are not just stones and domes; they are the soul of Orthodoxy in America,” he noted.
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