St. Joseph Church Preservation Society – Laconia

PLANNING STUDY

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Help Restore St. Joseph Church

FUNDRAISING GOAL:

$2,000,000

Raised to Date: $459,756

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Updates to Supporters

October 31, 2025
The Saint Joseph Church Preservation Society (SJCPS) is deeply disappointed to learn that the Diocese of Manchester has decided to discontinue joint restoration and preservation efforts for Saint Joseph Church and instead intends to list the historic church property for sale.

This decision abruptly ends a collaborative effort that had shown strong early promise. Under the joint plan, the SJCPS was prepared to launch a fundraising campaign to support the restoration of the 1929 granite landmark as a sacred space and columbarium. Even before the campaign officially began, community members had pledged approximately $1 million toward the $2.5 million restoration goal — clear evidence of the deep devotion that Lakes Region residents and former parishioners continue to hold for Saint Joseph Church.

The Diocese has expressed concern that the full restoration costs could not be raised within a reasonable timeframe. The SJCPS, however, had been awaiting final cost estimates from the Diocese before formally launching its fundraising campaign and remains confident in the community’s ability to meet the challenge.

While this change of course is disappointing, the SJCPS is proud of what has already been accomplished through community action. Public support previously helped to prevent the church’s demolition and secured its inclusion within Laconia’s Historic District, where its historic and spiritual character now have lasting protection.

The SJCPS wishes to reassure all donors and supporters that funds already collected remain secure and will continue to be dedicated solely to the preservation and restoration of Saint Joseph Church. With the Diocese now preparing to sell the property, the SJCPS will carefully monitor the process, seek to learn more about potential buyers’ intentions, and evaluate next steps consistent with both its mission and donor intent.

Although disappointed by this unexpected decision, the SJCPS takes comfort in knowing that any future owner will be bound by Historic District restrictions, ensuring that the church’s architectural integrity will be preserved. We are also encouraged by the Diocese’s stated intent to seek a buyer whose use of the property benefits the community and aligns with Catholic social teaching.

The Saint Joseph Church Preservation Society remains deeply committed to safeguarding the legacy of Saint Joseph Church and to honoring the generations of families who built, worshiped, and celebrated milestones within its walls. We thank the community for its steadfast faith and support, and we will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure that this irreplaceable landmark endures for future generations.

St Joseph Church.exterior repairs completed

St Joseph Church. exterior repairs completed.2

Diocese press release 10/30/25

NOTICE: St. JOSEPH CHURCH TO BECOME COLUMBARIUM, CHAPEL

Project Summary [PDF]

ReAD PRESS RELEASE [PDF]

reat News! The restoration work on the exterior of St. Joseph Church began on April 9, 2025. The cost of the exterior work is $698,000 and estimated to be completed by the end of August, 2025. At this point, the understanding is that the interior work will not begin until the exterior work has been completed. The exterior restoration includes the following:

Remove all existing latex coating on limestone
Rake out and repoint all “replacement” mortar and any missing mortar joints
Repair damaged limestone
Gable end capstones removed and reinstalled with through-wall flashing
under the cap
Remove/replace/reset all granite treads and railings at the entrance on the south building elevation
Replace copper flat seamed roof on the east building elevation at the exit door
Replace all damaged exit doors
Replace/repair damaged slate shingles
Reinstall missing gutter hangers
Scrape, repair, prime and paint all exterior wooden trim

Thank you for your continued support!
Linda Normandin
President
St. Joseph Church Preservation Society

Donation Information: The Preservation Society is welcoming donations at this time! Donations can be made payable to: St Joseph Church Preservation Society and mailed to: P.O. Box 145, Laconia, NH 03247-0145 or use the DONATE button on this website to contribute on-line.

February 26, 2025: The St Joseph Church Preservation Society has begun our efforts to prepare for a capital campaign to restore and preserve St Joseph Church. We’ve partnered with Guidance in Giving, a Catholic development firm, to facilitate this crucial process. To gather invaluable input, Guidance in Giving will conduct personal interviews with community leaders and other members of Laconia and the surrounding communities. The feedback we receive from the interviews is crucial in helping us develop a detailed, actionable plan.

Over the last seven+ years, through the passionate and dedicated work of the Laconia community and the St. Joseph Church Preservation Society, an agreement was reached with the Diocese to not only “save” St. Joseph’s but also to transform it into a beautiful columbarium and chapel—preserving this treasured Catholic and civic
landmark for generations to come.

While this was a significant victory, there is still significant work to be done to restore the St. Joseph Church building as it requires extensive restoration and repair. With the blessing of Bishop Libasci, the St. Joseph Preservation Society is undertaking a comprehensive Planning Study to guide us.

These interviews, taking place between Monday, February 24th, and Friday, March 14th, will allow us to gather important feedback. All input from the interviews will remain confidential within the Guidance in Giving team. It will not be shared directly with myself or the Board. The Board will receive a report of the overall findings
from the interviews.

A meeting was held on May 29, 2024 with the Diocese of Manchester representatives Mac Bryant and Rob Eib, Fr. Marc Drouin, Paul Simoneau from SAB, and members from the St Joseph Church Preservation Society.

Everyone at the meeting agreed that the fundraising effort to preserve St Joseph Church and utilize the inside as a chapel (in the front) and a columbarium (in the back) will be a joint effort by the Diocese of Manchester, St Andre Bessette Parish and the St Joseph Church Preservation Society.

Since the last meeting in December, an Administrative Agreement for the St Joseph Church was reached and negotiated by the Diocese of Manchester and Father Marc Drouin with the pastoral and finance councils’ approval. The title of the church was transferred over to the Diocese. The Diocese will be responsible for the church structure and operation. The St Andre Bessette Parish will be maintaining the building and grounds for the Diocese. The Parish will be reimbursed for all operational expenses. These funds will come from a special account specifically for St Joseph Church which has already been set up.

Rob Eib, Director of Real Estate & Construction indicated he is still waiting for the design documents and the construction/scope of work documents but expects to have them by the end of June 2024. He needs these documents before he can request bids for completing the work.

The total cost to preserve the St Joseph Church building is estimated to be $2 million. Once all the details and the breakdown have been finalized, the Diocese of Manchester, St. Andre Bessett Parish, and the St Joseph Church Preservation Society will partner together to actively move forward with a capital campaign to help raise the necessary funds to preserve this historic Church.

At the meeting, it was reported that David Gabert, Director of Cemetery Operations has received bids from three vendors. Dave is currently vetting them and upon completion will make a decision on who will be used for this part of the planned use of the church.

The Preservation Society left the meeting feeling very positive and anxious to get the details “buttoned down” so we can secure the preservation of the beautiful historic church in the heart of downtown Laconia, NH.

The fourth meeting with the Diocese of Manchester had been scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2024 but, it was canceled. Unfortunately, the new dates proposed by the Diocese did not work for several of the St Joseph Church Preservation Society members.

Linda Normandin, President of the Preservation Society expressed to Diocese that the next
meeting is best suited to be scheduled in May, 2024. There are several reasons for pushing the meeting date out a few more months. A majority of Preservation Society’s members are not able to commit sooner than May due to prearranged plans schedule over this period. Several members also feel very strongly that it is best to have the majority meet in person and not virtually. More importantly, this should provide enough time for the Diocese representatives to finalize the cost breakdown for the entire project, i.e. repairs, mold remediation, new heating system, ventilation, and the columbarium construction. The vetting process for contractors to handle the repairs to the Church should also be able to be completed, as well as, the final selection for the columbarium contractor.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $2 million. Once all the details and the breakdown have been finalized, the St Joseph Church Preservation Society will actively move forward with a capital campaign to help raise the necessary funds.

Donation Information: Please make donations payable to: St Joseph Church Preservation
Society, P.O. Box 145, Laconia, NH 03247-0145 or use the DONATE button on this website to contribute on-line.

On Monday, December 4, 2023 the Preservation Society had a third meeting with Fr. Marc Drouin, Paul Simmoneau, Parish Finance Advisory Chair, and from the Diocese of Manchester Mac Bryant, Finance Officer, David Gabert, Director of Cemetery Operations, and Robert Eib, Director of Real Estate & Construction.

Robert Eib is responsible for the restoration, repairs and interior changes to St Joseph Church. The scope of the work still needs to be defined in order to receive bids from potential vendors. Currently, he has cost estimates for the external repairs of the Church and for the mold remediation, which does not include the stairwell to the choir area and the stain glass window frames.

David Gabert is responsible for the construction of the columbarium. The back section of the Church will be partitioned off and used for the columbarium. Since October’s meeting he has sent RFPs to eleven (11) vendors. To date, five (5) vendors have responded, two (2) vendors that are very interested and three (3) that passed on the project.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $2 million. Donation Information: Please make donations payable to: St Joseph Church Preservation Society, P.O. Box 145, Laconia, NH 03247-0145 or use the DONATE button on this website to contribute on-line.

On Monday, October 2, 2023 the Preservation Society had a second meeting with Fr. Marc Drouin, Paul Simmoneau, Parish Finance Advisory Chair, Mac Bryant, Finance Officer, David Gabert, Director of Cemetery Operations, and Robert Eib, Director of Real Estate & Construction from the Diocese of Manchester. Other than Robert Eib working on firming up quotes on the repairs/maintenance and David Gabert working on bits for the columbarium part of the building, there has been little progress since the last meeting in August. The Preservation Society wants to see all the costs broken down so donors can see what they are contributing to when we roll out a formal campaign. It was clear to the Preservation Society it will be the spring before we can go full force raising the necessary funds to preserve the Church.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $2 million. The St Joseph Church Preservation Society continues to be committed to preserving St Joseph Church.

On August 7, 2023, the Preservation Society Board members met with the Reverend Marc Drouin, as well as Mac Bryant, Finance Officer and Robert Eib, Director of Real Estate and Construction from the Diocese of Manchester. The purpose of the meeting was to review the cost of implementing the plan approved by the Diocese and to confirm the Preservation Society’s commitment to help raise the necessary funds. The Diocese’s approved plan is for the front section of the Church to continue in use as a day chapel. The Blessed Sacrament will be reserved for prayer and specifically Diocesan arranged services. The back of the Church will be converted into a columbarium. A columbarium is a structure for the reverent housing of cremation urns in niches. This new combined purpose for the Church will secure the preservation of this historic and beautiful Church for the St Andre Bessette and Lakes Region Community to continue to enjoy.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $2 million. At the meeting, the Preservation Society expressed its commitment to jointly work with the St Andre Bessette and the Diocese of Manchester to raise the funds necessary to preserve the church.

We continue to be committed to preserving St Joseph Church.

Call to Action

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St. Joseph Church Preservation Society
PO Box 145, Laconia, NH 03247

Rally of community support On May 11, 2019, the Laconia Daily Sun reported “Preservationists rally to support St. Joseph Church.” In addition to numerous parishioners and concerned citizens, the city’s Heritage Commission and The NH Preservation Alliance took an interest in saving the church. In early June the City met to create an Historic District, however it was unable to stop the Diocese from filing a demolition permit on June 10, 2019. On August 4, 2019 a crowd of people formed a human ring around St. Joseph Church expressing their desire to save the church from demolition. This made a difference, but the demolition permit still exists!
St. Joseph Church Preservation Society On August 20, 2020, a letter from St. Joseph Church Preservation Society Board was sent to Pastor, Reverend Marc Drouin stating the Society’s mission and steadfast and unrelenting commitment to preserve the church. In May 2021, the Society achieved 501(c)3 status and has now raised over $400,000 in donations and pledges.
Common goals On August 25, 2020, Pastor Drouin acknowledged the Society’s letter indicating he would continue to be in discussion with the Diocese regarding the matters raised in the letter. On September 22, 2020, members of the St Joseph Church Preservation Society met with Pastor Drouin, Monsignor Richard Thompson, Finance Advisory Committee members Paul Simoneau and Thomas Garrity. The Society left the meeting uplifted by the willingness of both groups to work collaboratively to preserve the church.
Uphill battle Through 2020, Pastor Drouin repeatedly declined attending the St Joseph Church Preservation Society’s monthly meetings indicating there were no updates to report. On May 13, 2021, the Society sent a letter to Bishop Libasci and Pastor Drouin inviting collaboration, stating the mission to preserve the church and the organization’s 501(c)3 status. However, on June 7, 2021, Bishop Libasci’s reply stated, “As this is the first notice I have received of the establishment of the Society or its intentions, I am not prepared to respond at this time…” Denying he knew of the Society despite Pastor Drouin’s contact with the Diocese.
St. Joseph Church closed to personal prayer The March 27, 2022 parish bulletin announced: “Until further notice, St Joseph will, unfortunately, no longer be open for prayer as we investigate a potential mold issue in the church.” This notice was followed by a donation offer to remediate the mold. The donation was rejected.
Letters ignored Letters dated April 15, 2022 and September 24, 2022 were sent to Bishop Libasci from the Society outlining a proposal to permanently resolve the future of St Joseph Church for prayer and Catholic worship. The Diocese has not responded.
In April, the Preservation Society met with Fr Marc to discuss the plan for the church and to get some answers to questions we had regarding fundraising. We also made some requests which would help us in our efforts to raise funds to preserve the church, but didn’t get an answer on these requests. A short while after that meeting, Fr Marc contacted me and indicated the Finance Director at the Diocese of Manchester wanted to meet with the Board as soon as possible. Fr Marc did not indicate the purpose of the meeting. Since that request, I have been diligently trying to schedule a meeting with the Director, Fr Marc and the Preservation Society’s Board. There have been a couple of meetings scheduled only to be canceled by the Finance Director as we got close to the date. The latest date scheduled for the meeting is August 7th. In the meantime, the Preservation Society has not held any meetings because we need answers to our questions and requests. Once this joint meeting is held, the Preservation Society will meet.
Help save St. Joseph Church Don’t let neglect or perception that it doesn’t matter be the justification for demolishing St. Joseph Church, when generous donors and the St. Joseph Church Preservation Society are willing to do the work to restore and maintain the church for future generations!

Our MISSION

The mission of the St Joseph Church Preservation Society is to retain in perpetuity St Joseph Church, 30 Church Street, Laconia, NH, as a sacred place of Roman Catholic worship. Honoring the spiritual and historical significance of St Joseph Church, we are committed to raising the necessary funds associated with the church’s continued maintenance and care.

VISION

Our vision is that individuals, families and the community will be enriched by Roman Catholic worship at St. Joseph Church, 30 Church Street, Laconia, NH, for all generations.

VALUES

Our values are to honor the spiritual and historical significance of St. Joseph Church; protect it as a valued, sacred place of Roman Catholic worship; and preserve it for all future generations, in perpetuity.

Who we are

The St. Joseph Preservation Society was formed in August 2019 when it was announced that St. Joseph Church would be demolished. Led by Linda Normandin, the society sought the help of an attorney with expertise in church preservation and Vatican law. The society’s goal was to reverse the decision to demolish the building and raise the funds necessary to work in conjunction with St. Andre Bessette Parish to keep the church open and in good repair, without being a financial strain on the parish. We are members of the community and parish who value the historical, spiritual, and cultural significance of this beautiful building and are committed to preserving it as a place of prayer and reflection.

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