The village of Pewaukee has filed a lawsuit against Queen of Apostles to block the razing of a historic Catholic church

The village of Pewaukee filed a lawsuit and temporary restraining order May 8 to block Queen of Apostles Congregation from demolishing St. Mary's Church. 

St. Mary's Church, 449 W. Wisconsin Ave., is owned by Queen of Apostles and was built in 1858. In late April, the church was designated a historic landmark by the village of Pewaukee Historic Preservation Commission.

Under the village's municipal code, Queen of Apostles cannot be granted a permit to demolish the church without the written approval of the village board. The complaint also noted that Queen of Apostles had not filed a petition under the historic preservation ordinance for demolition.

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I'll try to find some time to follow this closer.  

From a reader:

Everything is quickly coming to a tipping point with the legal dispute between the parish and the local government, the court date tomorrow and the demolition equipment already in position around Saint Mary's.

It is frustrating in the sense that we are so rapidly seeing parishes close these beautiful historic buildings because they are too small or "obsolete" or whatever when it looks like the newer megachurch style parishes which came in with urban sprawl to replace the old parishes only see a handful of baptisms and weddings a year and their massive seating capacities wont really be needed in year 2030 or 2040 and we will probably wish that we had kept more of those picture perfect 19th century gothic type parishes.

Update: 

Update on the court hearing, there is a temporary reprieve, another hearing will be held on June 8.
Feast of the Sacred Heart

Attorney for the Pewaukee priest accused of sexual assault has 'prejudiced' the case, prosecutors argue

Prosecutors on Feb. 18 asked a Waukesha County Circuit judge to bar a Pewaukee priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage congregant and his attorneys from making "extrajudicial" statements about the case.

The motion, commonly referred to as a "gag order," argues that statements made by the priest, Chuck Hanel, and his attorney, Jerome Buting, could unfairly prejudice the case or "disseminate otherwise inadmissable or irrelevant information."

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Pewaukee priest accused of groping a teenage girl in a confessional is bound over for trial

A Waukesha County Circuit court commissioner on Nov. 30 bound over for trial a 61-year-old Pewaukee priest charged with inappropriately touching a teenage congregant.

The Rev. Chuck Hanel is free on a $10,000 signature bond and due back in court Jan. 15 for his arraignment. Hanel stands accused of of second-degree sexual assault of a child.

A 14-year-old girl reported to police in April that Hanel touched her breast and leg in a confessional at Queen of Apostles Church in December 2017, when she was 13.

She also said in a criminal complaint that when she entered the confessional, Hanel closed the door behind her — something she said he did not do with anyone else, including her father, who entered the confessional before her.

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Queen of Apostles School in Pewaukee to close after all

Just a few months ago, families and students from the Queen of Apostles Catholic School were overjoyed to learn that, despite dangerously low enrollment, the Pewaukee school would keep its doors open for at least the next three years, thanks to a financial commitment from Queen of Apostles Parish that totaled over $600,000.

So, when the parish announced this weekend that it would have to close the K3-8 school after all, it was nothing short of “devastating,” in the words of school principal Christine Jackson.

“The time has come to confront the painful reality that our school cannot be sustained,” wrote pastor Fr. Chuck Hanel in an announcement distributed to parishioners and school staff last week. “Even at this late date, there are less than 25 children enrolled for next year. Under any reasonable calculation, this fact precludes opening the school next fall.”

In its Feb. 11 issue, the Milwaukee Catholic Herald ran a feature story on the school’s successful efforts to remain open; at that time, 36 students were enrolled for the 2016-17 school year. It’s not clear why so many students dropped out as the spring semester unfolded, said John Schueller, director of finance for Queen of Apostles Parish. However, because they did, it became impossible for the parish to keep the school open.

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Also: LakeCountyReporter: Queen of Apostles School in Pewaukee to close because of low enrollment