Blessed Sacrament Church May Be Closed, Sold -- Dominican Order Cites Lack Of Priests

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, the high-spirited North End landmark sometimes called "Our Lady of the Freeway," may be forced to close, and its parishioners, who have dug deep into their pockets many times to repair the aging building, are reeling from the shock.

The Dominican order, which founded Blessed Sacrament in 1908 and still staffs the church, is announcing this weekend that it wants to direct its energies toward campus ministry. And with a dwindling number of priests, the order believes it cannot continue to operate the church.

The church is the only parish in the archdiocese not owned by it, said archdiocesan spokesman John McCoy.

Selling the church is a possibility, McCoy confirmed, and the Dominicans would use the money to subsidize their campus ministry.

The Dominicans, based in Oakland, Calif., have announced their intention to work with the archdiocese and the church's parishioners to reach an understanding.

Archdiocesan and Dominican representatives plan to announce the news to parishioners at services tonight and tomorrow. Some of those who have already heard it aren't happy. A meeting with parishioners is scheduled for Dec. 8.

"I'm upset and a lot of people are upset," said one parish member, who, like many others, travels from across town to attend services in the dramatic and unusual building.

"We have people commuting from Bellevue, from Mountlake Terrace . . . There is just something about the church that attracts these people," one parishioner said. "This hit us like a bombshell. I don't think a lot of us have had time to process the information yet."

The Dominicans will "redirect their efforts toward their original mission of ministering to students at the University of Washington," said McCoy.

Since they were invited to Seattle by Bishop Edward O'Dea in the early part of this century, members of the order have always identified campus ministry as their top priority.

The order has primary responsibility for staffing and directing a new campus ministry center near the University of Washington campus purchased by the Seattle Archdiocese earlier this year.

The Dominicans have committed to staff Blessed Sacrament until June 1993.

In a letter to be read at services, the order's regional head, the Rev. John Flannery, wrote to parishioners: "The Western Dominicans love these buildings as much as you do. For nearly 100 years they have housed our prayers and dreams together with yours."

The church, whose parishioners include students as well as 650 families, has been active in providing social services for the community, including operating food and clothing banks.

But its aging building needs repairs, and as much as $2 million may be needed to properly restore the building, although parishioners said quite a bit less would hold the church for the short run.

"It's my understanding that there has been a lot of deferred maintenance," said McCoy. "The question is: Would the building be a hazard at some point in time?"

However, the archdiocese is committed to keeping parishes open if the parish community is "viable," McCoy said, which in this case may mean not only committed to supporting the parish community but also being able to pay for building renovations.

Archdiocesan and Dominican representatives have announced an all-parish meeting next Sunday at the church to discuss the issue. "The whole matter's up for discussion," McCoy said.

Some parishioners say they feel that although the church building is owned by the Dominicans, parishioners' money was used to help build and maintain the property.

Others note bequests and other money given to maintain the old building, which could now go to support campus ministry.

Parishioners of the huge neo-Gothic church, at 5041 Ninth Ave. N.E. adjacent to I-5, have undertaken several fund-raisers to raise money for restoration.

The church's money troubles were exacerbated in 1986, when a part-time accountant pleaded guilty to charges that he embezzled more than $52,000 from the church.

For some time, the church fell behind in paying bills, and City Light threatened to cut off its electricity.

Although the church has a high-turnover group of students, the majority of its parishioners are families who are relatively stable.

Although some find the church large and drafty, others love its tall spaces and excellent acoustics.