'Busco Church on the Brink: Part 1 Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, an American treasure

Feb. 25—CHURUBUSCO — The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church is located on a crossroads in Churubusco, and it twirls on the cusp of existence.

The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1888, and the parish closed in 2010, following the death of its last administrator, the Rev. Howard P. McCasland, a retired priest.

Churubusco Heritage Preservation — a group of former parishioners, community members, past and present, and other concerned individuals and nonprofits — are desperately trying to keep the historic church from possibly getting razed.

It's a Davidian task for the group seeking a compromise with the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

There has been much discussion about what will happen to the historic place, including talk of demolition, but there still remains some mysteries.

The church is still seen by some as the focal point of the small community and CHP is searching for ways to keep it viable.

CROSS BORDER APPEAL

Canadians Chris and Frances Todoruk's family has had a country home in Churubusco for more than 50 years.

They grew up attending the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that's why Chris is leading the charge to save it.

"Basically, the issue has always been why leave something when people want to do something to keep it open?" she said.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The native-stone edifice was built under the stewardship of Father Jeremiah Patrick Murphy, who based the church's architectural design on one he had seen in Ireland, and is among four such churches in the world.

The contract to build the church was awarded to master mason and builder, Isaac Johnson, who escaped slavery in Kentucky and fought in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.

For more than a century, the church was where residents and their offspring made their first communion, were confirmed, got married, baptized and buried. In many ways, it was the heart of the small close-knit community.

Churubusco is literally four corners, a small, little village.

"Churubusco is a tiny, square-shaped settlement only a quarter-mile long on each side. It was named after a historic battle fought in 1847 during the U.S.-Mexican War, and is located in the northwest corner of Clinton County," according to "The History of Churubusco and the Town of Clinton, Clinton County, New York" by Lawrence P. Gooley, Bloated Toe Publishing (2010).

"There's nothing," Chris said.

The church would make a great community center, a place to host events for seniors, concerts, coffee chats or other small events, Chris believes, and her group is willing to put the work in to make it happen.

"There's nothing like this anywhere nearby. Here's a group of people who are former parishioners and part-time residents, we're all eager to do this. We're willing to take on the burden of all of the restorations and convert it in a way to a community center that is multi-functional whether we have a concert, a senior program where people can have coffee like they used to or whatever. Eventually we will be able to pay the expenses to look after it."

It is difficult for her to see the church sit empty.

"Why should we watch another building go and get abandoned?" she said.

"The region, if you look at the area, it's abandoned buildings. They just let them fall. What is this mentality? I don't get it. You don't see it other places. I drive through Quebec, Ontario. I drive through parts of Vermont, New York. But it's this region. To see even one building kind of leaning sideways anywhere else is rare. I went out west, and I was in places, too, with small towns with not a lot of money, very simple houses, but nobody has buildings that have collapsed one after another after another."

NO COMMENT

In pursuing their dream to save the church, Chris and her group have gone to the Diocese of Ogdensburg as well as the Town of Clinton wherein it lies to see how they could proceed.

They have few answers yet.

Chris said they were told that the Diocese would consider transferring the building to the town if it was for the end use of the community like a community center, an outreach or a museum.

The church is now listed as part of St. Edmund's in nearby Ellenburg.

In informal conversations, Chris said they have heard talk of the possibility that the church building could be demolished, which startled them.

"I'm thinking, oh my god, this is for real. They're really seriously considering this. Why would you do this?" Chris said, adding the the cost of removing the historic stained glass windows and demolishing the building likely would more than pay for renovations.

The Diocese of Ogdensburg declined to discuss the future of the church with the Press-Republican, and the Rev. Tojo Chacko, HGN, pastor of St. Bernard's and St. Edmund's Parish, also declined to comment.

TOWN VIEWS

Last year, the group met with town leaders on three different occasions to discuss the church — in June, August and then again in September.

The August meeting was a tour of the church for the Clinton County Historical Association, and the Town Council was invited.

"They wanted to to see how good or bad it is," Chris said.

There seemed to be some interest from the town, she said, so CHP then presented a detailed plan on Sept. 12, 2022, to the Town of Clinton that included an in-person presentation by Geri Favreau, president of Clinton County Historical Association, and Zoom support by Bush and her colleague, Nolan Cool, educational programs director, of AARCH.

While no decisions were made, Chris said she did not have a great feeling after that meeting.

There was talk of a new roof, which could cost up to $300,000, and other issues, she said.

"We don't need to replace the roof. We only need to repair spots of it, and the supplies are in the basement. It's the basement that's the issue," she said.

"That building can stand for about 100 years, but that basement could bring it down in five years because if you turn off the heat, and you turn off the power for the sump pump, the water starts to sit there, the floors heaving and it's going to sink in from the middle."

In July last year, CHP member Bob Alden did obtain permission to open up and dry out the basement, which was a huge success, Chris said.

Town Supervisor Danny LaClair said the town has discussed the future of the church, but no decisions have been made.

"Right now, that's still all up in the air," he said.

"We're not sure what we're going to do. We understand what they're trying to do, but if we take ownership, you know, for the town, and everybody starts working in there, and somebody gets hurt, you know, it's a red flag to me."

DETERMINED

As the saga has worn on, periodic actions have spurred the group to action and buoyed their determination to save the church.

They shuddered when they heard the stained-glass windows might be taken out.

"I was like what? That was the main thing that got me motivated," Chris said.

"What are they doing? I started to find out more and more and just swimming through this stuff trying to figure out what's what."

For a while, the lawn at the church was mowed. Then, the power to the building was cut off.

"Heating stopped, all of that," Chris said.

Sacred objects within the church were removed, she said.

If the CHP is to make a go of converting the church into a community center, they want it, and need it, intact.

"It needs the windows because they're stained glass windows donated by the Gagnier family, the Campbell, the Bray family," Chris said.

"We want the windows because we all like the windows. They've been paid for. It gets coming back to sacred objects. We know that some things will have to be removed like maybe the altar and whatever. Then, there are the murals that are gorgeous. To paint them over, I'm like no, we'll put a curtain over if we need to if this is such a big deal."

The rest of the building is in good shape she said.

The Rev. Gilbert Menard and George LaGree, a contractor, worked on the church's exterior prior to its centennial in 1988.

"He got a recipe from his father who was a contractor," she said.

"They got Lyon Mountain ore sand, so the tailings left over from mine, they used truckloads of that sand and they mixed it with the mortar. It's so strong. It looks like it was done yesterday. It's in excellent condition. Where they did the job, it's excellent."

LOCAL SUPPORT

In order to drum up community support, CHP has posted YouTube videos, interviews and drone footage on their Facebook page.

There is an online petition at change.org. Along with handwritten petitions, CHP has just under 500 signatures to save the church building.

CHP researched donor families and provided the descendants with a form to fill out with their requests of what to do with the donated window or statue moving forward. At least a dozen forms were sent to the town and the Diocese.

In November and December, the group created flyers and various fact sheets to circulate throughout the community.

On Dec. 2, drone imaging of the church was done.

Home Town Cable Network's Calvin Castine, also Clinton County legislator for the area, interviewed the group on Nov. 18, 2022.

That video, "Saving the Churubusco Church" is on YouTube, as is Castine's video of Father Howard McCasland's funeral in the church, which was officiated by Bishop Terry R. LaValley on Dec. 31, 2010.

"We are trying to meet people and tell them what's going on," Chris said.

"If you're a descendant that's donated for a window, tell them what you want done with that window."

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter@RobinCaudell