Historic St Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Township was decked out in holiday finery for a concert last Sunday by two ensembles from All Strings Attached in Carroll.
The church no longer has regular masses. As an oratory, mass is celebrated there only on St Patrick’s Day and Memorial Day. The brick church that now stands was built in 1919 on the same foundation as a 1915 brick church that burned. It is being renovated and preserved by a dedicated group of volunteers who spent more than 2,000 hours working this past year.
Andy Geisler served as emcee for the evening concert. He noted that it was the first time in many years the oil burner had been turned on to heat the church, and it was the first time the exterior of the church had been illuminated. Mary Geisler, the oldest person who attended St Patrick while it functioned as a parish, was in attendance, partly because a new wheelchair ramp on the north side of the church makes it accessible.
The church’s nativity set was restored by Joan Nugent. Nugent has been a driving force behind the preservation of the church, including having it placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
