Members of Chicago church ask judge to stop foreclosure sale
CHICAGO - Parishioners on the North Side are hoping a bankruptcy judge will side with them and not allow the sale of their church.
The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church has called the Belmont Cragin neighborhood home for exactly 122 years Tuesday.
The church was in foreclosure and sold last month around the same time a painting inside the church of the Virgin Mary was seen "crying." The congregation believes that was the first miracle and now they are hoping for a second, asking the judge to stop the sale now that they've raised nearly $2.5 million, which is the same as the sale price.
An attorney for the parishioners says proper procedures were not followed and if they were, parishioners may have raised the money before the sale.
The president of the church admits he did not pass along the information to the congregation, and says he was trying to save the charter and not let the church cease to exist.
“My instructions came from above that we have to do what’s best for the church, not necessarily the building,” Stanley Andreakis said.
Life-long parishioners packed the courtroom Tuesday and walked out hopeful.
The judge says he will take about a week to make the decision on whether or not the sale will take place.