Protesters want to stop sale of historic St. Adalbert Church in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Parishioners protested outside Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral Sunday to send a message to Cardinal Blase Cupich. They want to keep the building that once housed their beloved church from being sold.
A small group chanted and held signs, urging Cupich not to sell Saint Adalbert Catholic Church in Pilsen.
The church closed in 2019, but the Saint Adalbert's Rosary Group says the building is architecturally and culturally important to the Polish and Mexican communities it served.
"Getting the sale stopped is a smaller goal along the way," said Richard Smaglick, with the group. "The main goal is to reopen this church as a sacred space of some sort, a shrine, a monastary or an active church. We're very hopeful that we can make that happen.
Last fall, former congregants protested outside the shuttered church trying in vain to keep the Archdiocese from removing a beloved statue.
Protesters say they're also concerned about reports a Florida man could buy the church. They say he has turned other religious buildings into questionable businesses.
The Archdiocese acknowledged the group's protests, but did not address their concerns.