Dorothy Hrubovcak grew up in St. Katharine Drexel Church, which closed in 2016. Like many of the longtime parishioners, she refers to it as St. Michael’s, the name it bore for 100 years before it was consolidated with two other churches in 2008.

Now, she’s part of the group trying to save the church building.

“I would preserve it with every ounce of strength I have,” she said.

Supporters of the St. Katharine Drexel Church say there is hope for their effort to preserve the building. The Diocese of Allentown recently contacted them and offered to sell the St. Katharine’s building, once it is deconsecrated, for $50,000. The diocese has given them until Aug. 1 to respond, however the potential buyers won’t be able to see the inside of the church until everything is removed.

A week ago, Monsignor David L. James of the Allentown Diocese wrote a letter on behalf of the diocese, offering to sell the building.

James said he wanted the Catholics who fought to preserve the church to have the first opportunity to purchase it. The diocese said the price is lower than the appraised price because of structural and cosmetic repairs needed.

According to James’ letter, the diocese plans to remove all stained-glass windows, pews, altars and statues before it is sold, in accordance with canon law.

“Once those items are removed, the church will be opened for your inspection,” the letter read.

Joe Pavlis, a member of the Coal Region Catholics for Change, said the offer came as a surprise, and his group is still in the process of considering it.

Pavlis said if his group decided that the price was reasonable, it would be possible for them to raise the money to make a deal.

“We may have to involve others to keep it viable. For us, it’s not out of the question. It’s not insurmountable. It’s a big ask, but it’s not out of the question,” Pavlis said.

The Lansford Historical Society could be one of those groups which partners to maintain the building.

Society member Bruce Markovich, a Lansford councilman, said his primary concern is that the building doesn’t fall into disrepair and end up as a large blight on the town like the former Panther Valley Middle School.

According to the diocese, the price reflects the building’s current condition. Before the church closed, the then-priest said there was damage to the wood and steel framing of the church tower and basement, and the building’s facade.

The diocese wouldn’t elaborate on the needed repairs, but said it would disclose them to a potential buyer.

When the church closed, parishioners were told it would take at least $2 million to fix the structural problems — and the parish could not afford them.

Scaffolding was erected outside the church in 2007. The diocese says the scaffolding was to protect people walking along the sidewalk outside.

The diocese closed St. Katharine’s in 2016 after evaluating the three remaining parishes in the Panther Valley and determining that St. Katharine’s wasn’t able to raise the funds to make necessary repairs. With input from some parishioners, the diocese determined St. Joseph’s in Summit Hill would be the best place to consolidate the three parishes.

The decision was upheld by the Vatican Congregation for Clergy and the Congregation to the Signatura, the Vatican’s Supreme Court.

The Coal Region Catholics for Change hired an engineer who surveyed the building via drone, because they couldn’t get permission from the diocese.

Under canon law, the diocese was supposed to maintain the interior of the building until the appeal was complete.

Earlier this month, with the appeal complete, contractors were seen inside the church removing stained glass.

In addition to removing all the liturgical items, the diocese will also have to exhume and reinter a deceased priest who is buried beneath the church.

Hrubovcak said it will be difficult to see the church she grew up in stripped of its stained glass, altar and pews. She recalled seeing a picture of the church empty during a renovation, and remarked how lonely it looked.

The diocese said that it can only sell stained-glass windows which depict saints to other churches, Catholic schools or hospitals.

“I only wish the bishop could come back and say ‘look, give the windows back to us, and reinstall them for us, and leave the church alone, and let us have what we had, and let us support this,” she said.