Just days after St. Nicholas Church on East Ohio Street was closed as a parish church, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced that a newly formed committee will study whether the church can be turned into a national cultural center or shrine to St. Nicholas for the Croatian community.

		Previous coverage Final bells are tolling at St. Nicholas church (12/8/04) Diocese closing St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church tomorrow (12/6/04)

"We have always recognized the importance of this building," Rev. Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman, said yesterday about the historic onion-domed church on East Ohio Street, which was the first Croatian Roman Catholic parish in America.

Lengwin said the diocese has never previously spoken about any alternate ideas for the church because its fate had been in the hands of the St. Nicholas parish in Millvale. The parish, which had two worship sites, decided to close the North Side church on Dec. 7 for economic reasons.

Yesterday, Lengwin announced that the diocese will advance $50,000 to install a new boiler at the East Ohio Street church. The church was closed several weeks ago because a leaky boiler was emitting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Lengwin will chair a committee that includes Dr. Marion M. Vujevich, honorary consulate of the Republic of Croatia in Pittsburgh; Bernard Luketich, president of the Croatian Fraternal Union of America; Donald Langenfeld, a member of St. Nicholas parish; Msgr. John Kozar, a Pittsburgh priest; and Rev. Gabriel Badurina, pastor of St. Nicholas parish.

"It certainly makes me happy to hear this," said Robert Sladack, co-chairman and trustee for Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation, which has been fighting to keep the church open as an operating parish.

Sladack said he is interested in learning more about the ideas that the diocese is considering. His group is scheduled to meet with diocesan officials next week.

Whether the Preserve Croatian group will be asked to join the committee is unclear.

Vujevich said Lengwin called him yesterday and asked him to join the committee.

"St. Nicholas on East Ohio is really a historical and cultural monument to the Croatians who came here," said Vujevich.

Back in 2000, the diocese agreed to sell the church to PennDOT, which planned to demolish the building to make way for a widening of Route 28, the congested highway that runs in front of the church.

"Now PennDOT has indicated that they will build around the church," said Lengwin, adding that the diocese is willing to listen to all ideas.

He emphasized, however, that the building definitely will not be reopened as a parish church.

Lengwin said whatever the committee decides to do with the old church needs to happen quickly.

If the building is sold, Lengwin said, the proceeds of the sale will go to the St. Nicholas parish in Millvale, which will continue to function as a Croatian parish.

"While there is no guarantee that this will assure the preservation of the East Ohio Street building," Lengwin said, "we will certainly explore every appropriate alternative use."

St. Nicholas parish on the North Side was founded in 1894 by Croatian immigrants who purchased a building on East Ohio Street and converted it into a church.

In 1899, the congregation split over where to build a permanent church and in 1901, two churches were built -- one on East Ohio Street, the other in Millvale.

The two parishes operated as separate entities until 1994, when they were merged into a single Croatian parish by the diocese.