Please read this OP-ED piece that appeared in today's (1/27/2013) Sunday Post Gazette Forum section written by Mark Fatla; it is titled: "St. Nicholas Church did not have to go". It is a response to an OP-ED piece that Bishop Zubik authored in the Post Gazette Forum section titled: "Why St. Nicholas Church had to go", which was published two weeks ago on January 13, 2013.

Mark Fatla, Esquire and Executive Director of the Northside Leadership Conference, worked diligently with Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation to save and preserve St. Nicholas Church, North Side. PCHF appreciates the time and effort Mark has taken to educate the general public with these written facts. Please feel free to share this information with friends and family members. It is IMPORTANT that the truth about St. Nicholas be told.

Crews demolished St. Nicholas Croatian North Side over the weekend of Saturday, January, 12 and Sunday, January, 13, 2013. Demolition crews worked overnight; and by Monday morning, the Church was leveled. The 3 church bells were saved. The Grotto was destroyed. The whereabouts and the future of the Statue of the Virgin Mary, bells, and stained glass windows is uncertain. Please check back for updates on our website as more information becomes available. PCHF is grateful for all of your support; past, present, and future.

Demolition is imminent at St. Nicholas Church, N.S. Demolition crews have moved heavy construction equipment onto the Church property, and the buildings are expected to be taken down within a week with crews working overnight.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) had been working on a deal for more than a month to save and preserve St. Nicholas Croatian Church, N.S. and made an offer just before Christmas to buy the Church. The URA's offer was for $300,000. According to news reports and Pittsburgh City Council President, Darlene Harris, the Pittsburgh Diocese gave verbal indication that the offer would be accepted and wanted to close the deal by January 4.

The URA had then planned to sell St. Nicholas Croatian Church North Side to Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation for $1.

But by Monday, January 7, 2013, the city learned the deal had been rejected -- St. Nicholas Parish in Millvale had turned the offer down.

PCHF will be updating the stnicholasns.org website with any new developments.

Sources close to Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation have indicated that the demolition of St. Nicholas Croatian North Side, the rectory, and the garage is tentatively set to begin next Saturday, December 15, 2012. We urge all interested parties to consider taking the time to write a Letter to the Editor to newspapers here in Pittsburgh in support of saving St. Nicholas and preserving it for generations to come.

We also urge those so inclined to voice their concerns to the Bishop of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The contact information for the Bishop and local newspapers are listed below.

For your convenience, we have compiled a guide for submitting a letter to the editor of the Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Last week on Tuesday afternoon, December 4, 2012, members of Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation congregated in front of St. Nicholas Church with signs and were interviewed by the media letting everyone know that PCHF wants Bishop Zubik to reverse his decision to demolish St. Nicholas and allow it to be converted into a National Immigrant Museum. These signs were affixed to the phone poles along E. Ohio Street to the Church.

Three local TV stations and two local newspaper photographers covered the story.

You can view a photo of our PCHF representative dressed as St. Nicholas along with one of our youngest PCHF members by logging onto the following link: http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12340/1281771-490.stm

----------------------------------------------------------------

Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl

512 City Council Bldg

414 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

412-255-2612

412-255-2687 fax

luke.ravenstahl@pittsburghpa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------

Most Reverend David Zubik

Saint Paul Seminary

2900 Noblestown Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15205-4227

412-456-3010

412-456-3185 fax

dzubik@diopitt.org

----------------------------------------------------------------

On December 6, 2004, (St. Nicholas feast day) the Diocese abruptly and permanently closed the doors to St. Nicholas Church without ever giving parishioners the courtesy of a closing Mass. Now according to last night's news report, the Church demolition will start the third week of December. The decision of the Diocese to demolish the Church over the Christmas holidays is heartbreaking.

Here is the link to watch the news story: Demolition Plans Revealed For St. Nicholas Church. Please share this link with any interested parties.

It is important to have your voice heard by writing the Mayor and Bishop Zubik just to vent your feelings on the destruction of St. Nicholas. So if you haven't already done so, their contact information is listed below.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl

512 City Council Bldg

414 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

412-255-2612

412-255-2687 fax

luke.ravenstahl@pittsburghpa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------

Most Reverend David Zubik

Saint Paul Seminary

2900 Noblestown Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15205-4227

412-456-3010

412-456-3185 fax

dzubik@diopitt.org

----------------------------------------------------------------

Events of the past several days have tested the resilience of supporters for St. Nicholas Croatian Church, North Side. Although a demolition permit was not issued, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese went ahead and removed the unique and historic stained glass windows which were donated by various Croatian Fraternal lodges around the United States when the church was built over 118 years ago. Our information indicates that they were removed by a legitimate company, crated, and are being stored for safekeeping for a yet undetermined use.

Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation is devastated by this unreasonable and unnecessary action. Although the windows were not destroyed, we vehemently disagree with the decision to remove them.

To date, the Diocese has not filed for a demolition permit, a permit which takes 15 days to process. We do know that contractors will be removing asbestos shortly in preparation for demolition, which the Diocese has indicated will begin very soon once a permit is issued.

We strongly encourage you to take this opportunity to express your views to the Mayor of Pittsburgh and to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Please visit the status page for their contact information and more information regarding this development.

We encourage everyone to continue to pray for St. Nicholas Church and remember that God works in mysterious ways. Miracles have happened before.

St. Nicholas R.C. Croatian Church, North Side, located at 1326 E. Ohio Street in Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A., is the first Croatian Parish in the Western Hemisphere. When the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's plans to widen the East Ohio Street/Rt. 28 highway threatened St. Nicholas Church, the Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation (PCHF) was formed in 2000 for the sole purpose of "saving and preserving" St. Nicholas Church.

For 12 years, members of Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation (PCHF) have been working diligently to accomplish this mission even though there have been many obstacles to overcome. When St. Nicholas Church was abruptly closed in 2004 by Pittsburgh Diocesan officials with the understanding that St. Nicholas could no longer be a house of worship, PCHF pursued the direction of acquiring the St. Nicholas Church buildings and converting them into a National Immigrant Museum. The museum will be an honorable way to pay tribute to our Croatian ancestors, as well as other nationalities, for future generations.

In 2009, the Northside Leadership Conference (NSLC) joined in the efforts of PCHF, and their Executive Director is currently negotiating a sales agreement with the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese's officials for the acquisition of St. Nicholas Church to be converted into a National Immigrant Museum. The sales agreement is contingent on the results of a Geological Technical Study on the hillside behind the Church to ensure it is stable. We are closer than ever to reaching this goal. We ask for your support and prayers for this plan to come to fruition.

We will be updating the website continuously.