South Sound News

Damage to Holy Rosary Church in Tacoma leaves congregation's future unclear

The future of one of the oldest churches in the South Sound is now in jeopardy as part of the building is falling apart.

Last fall, part of the ceiling fell from the top of the church. The damage raised enough safety concerns that the church will no longer allow anyone access to the inside. Services have been moved to the auditorium of the school next door.

“We had a lot of people fall off after the church shut down but the ones who stayed -- they showed where their heart is,” said Ray Shaw, a parishioner who joined Holy Rosary about a year ago.

Art Boyle and his wife, Loretta, were married at the church in 1950 and have been members ever since. They said it’s devastating to see the damage to their congregation but they don’t plan to leave anytime soon.

“We are going to stay here,” said Loretta Boyle. “It will be fixed. We have all the confidence in the world.”

According to Joe Sprague, with the Catholic Archdiocese, the damage to the church is still under review.

But we spoke with Shelly Copeland, with Holy Rosary, who said it would take $10 million to repair the church.

About 350 families are registered in the parish. The church was built in 1920.

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