Bait and Switch
Stuart, Ia. -- June 14, 1999
The members of All Saints Parish have learned a hard lesson. Don't believe everything that your
told....not even if it's coming out of the mouths of your own church leaders. The turmoil with the
church bureaucracy has left the people in this town bewildered and the parish in a state of
disarray.
Case in point...... A few months after fire ravaged All Saints Church it was reported by church leaders that......The parish church was not large enough to accommodate the anticipated needs of the parish in the future. The church was too small...it only had room for an estimated 500 people. It was said that we didn't have adequate parking. The cost of restoration was too high...some church leaders quoted as much as 15 million dollars.
The parish council accepted a cash settlement from Catholic Mutual rather than pursue a larger amount which we had been paying premiums for. It makes you wonder just how many of those parish council members would do the same with their own homes.
With the participation of
members of the parish, a needs assessment was conducted and the results of that study stated that
we should build or restore on the same site. A thumbs down was received from the Chancellor of
the diocese Msgr. Lawrence Beason. In his letter addressed to Father Richard Bergman he stated
that according to Diocesan policy All Saints Parish was to look for a parcel of land preferably 5
acres or more and report back to the diocese. The present location according to him was not
within diocesan guidelines for construction.
The result of this command was the purchase of 95 acres at a cost of 450,000 dollars....the highest reported sum paid for land in Guthrie County history. To prepare the land for construction another 500,000 dollars was spent. This land is located just outside the city limits in what can only be called an industrial-agricultural area. Within one block of the church property are located: The Stuart Sales Barn, Vet Clinic, Horse Stables, large metal grain bins now used for storage, Natural Gas Pump Station, Anhydrous bulk tanks, propane and fertilizer bulk plants. To make things worst located right next to all this is the railway tracks......can anyone spell DERAILMENT? Also, just about two blocks from the property next to the railway tracks an area where large amounts of grain are piled in the open leaving one to wonder what type of vermin are living in the same area.
The architects drawing touted to the parish and the media
showed a building much more elaborate then the one constructed. I believe a common term for
this is "bait and switch". Having received an insurance settlement of close to 5 million dollars
you'd think the finished church building would be complete. Requests have been made for
numerous articles to furnish the inside of the church and the hall. Most of these requests
however have gone unanswered by a parish that wonders where all the money was spent.
There has of yet been no accounting for any of the funds received or the money spent on the building. Parishioners ask each other how much interest has been earned on the monies invested in the diocese accounts?
At the present time the parish is conducting a survey to find out just how many people still
consider themselves to be members of the Stuart parish. With all of the hard feelings generated
by a few many people have either left the parish or still attend but pay little in support. One
parishioner summed it up best......"You can't build a new church with lies and deceit."