TEST OF FAITH
Church ponders future after flood damages historic home
N. Y. » A church’s faith remains strong, its pastor says, despite ravaging floodwaters that destroyed the congregation’s historic home.
The fate of Immaculate Conception Church, built during the 1870s when Hoosick Falls was a thriving factory town, has been discussed for several years because of ongoing structural issues. Several years ago, a heavy concrete ornamental piece fell from the ceiling during a funeral mass, narrowly missing four people.
“It could have killed someone,” Rev. Thomas Zelker said.
Repairs were made and about 300 people per weekend continued to worship in the tall brick edifice, at 67 Main St. That all changed July 1, when nine feet of water from nearby Wood Creek filled the church’s sub- basement and flooded a large hall, one story above. The main sanctuary was not damaged.
“They got hit two days in a rowwith four- plus inches of rain,” said meteorologist Steve DiRienzo of the National Weather Service in Albany. “It rained really hard in a short period of time. Plus, the spring and month of June was wet before that.”
With no place for the heavy rain to go, the neighborhood around Hall Street, immediately south of the church, was hit hard, with several families displaced from their homes. Elsewhere, large sinkholes emerged in a village park at the intersection of Main and Classic streets.
“I’ve never seen so much water in all my life,” said 70- year- old Ann Bornt, Hoosick Falls’ village clerk. “It was a mess.”
Zelker, who enjoys caving as a hobby, said he’ll never forget his first glimpse of the raging wa-
ters.
“We celebrated 4 o’clock mass that Saturday,” he said. “We kind of knew there was a storm coming. People were kind of anxious to get home. It just kept dumping water. I went down into our sub- basement with a flashlight, and I heard this roar of water. I recognized that sound, which is not good, a giant waterfall, so I knew I had to get out of there.”
Water has long since receded, but Immaculate Conception Church is unsafe not only for structural reasons, but because of mold that poses a serious health threat. Since July 1, daily masses have been held across the street at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and half the gymnasium at nearby St. Mary’s Academy has been set up for weekend masses.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has been actively involved with assessing the building’s condition, Zelker said.
“People have been here just about every day,” he said. “The cost could be pretty high.”
Even before the flood, the building needed a new roof. Walls are damaged and some of the iconic stained- glass windows can’t be opened without risking collapse.
“It’s an old building, and it needs a lot of work,” Zelker said. “Now, this flood damage is a game- changer for us. Now, we have to look at that cost on top of everything else.”
However, Zelker said he’s pleased with the support shown by other local churches and the response of his own flock to the situation, which presents both challenges and opportunities. Holding masses in the school’s hal f- gymnasium has brought people closer together. as has the entire ordeal, he said.
The most obvious options for the future are to continue meeting elsewhere, build a new church or restore the old one.
“We’re discovering that we’re at home wherever we go,” Zelker said. “It’s not easy. We have a beautiful old church that’s served generations of people. I’ve been here almost eight years and have baptized and buried people, so we’re emotionally attached to the old building. But more important is the people that we serve. We’re in for a journey.”
The entire community has struggled recently with the contamination of its public water supply, so the storm was an especially devastating blow for Immaculate Conception parishioners.
“We’ll get through it,” Zelker said. “There’s a God who’s with us. We’ve been through a lot more in our country and our town. We don’t need to get worked up or angry, but come together and realize how other churches have welcomed us.
“We have to see where the opportunities are. We don’t know. We’re going to see where we’re led in all of this. It may be different. We’re not locked into saying, ‘ This is what we always did,’ but this is where we’re going to be new.”