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As Vermont churches close, debates flare up over building use

Mikaela Lefrak
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The former St. Stephen Catholic Church in Winooski, closed since 2020, is set to be demolished. This hour, Vermont Edition explores the possibilities of former worship sites.

Like many churches across the U.S., some of Vermont's are facing dwindling congregations and financial pressures. This hour, we ask, what should happen when a church closes?

Some of Vermont's churches are getting repurposed as community centers, apartments, art galleries—there's even a brewery. Others are being torn down. And some sit empty, as developers, preservationists and clergy debate next steps.

Our guests are:

  • Ron Wanamaker, acting director of Preservation Burlington and owner of in Burlington
  • Rachel Hellman,
  • Anna Cronin, co-owner of Dirt Church Brewing Co. in East Haven
  • Anne Manner-McLarty, Saxtons River resident who, along with her husband, is renovating and living in a former Catholic church

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra worked on Vermont Edition as a producer and editor from 2022 to 2024.