St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, the oldest-standing Catholic church in Butler County, as seen on March 6. The church is being repurposed into a community center after years of being closed. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Is there such a thing as too many community centers?

Are there ever too many options for places to hold a wedding, a meeting, a fundraiser?

A historic building in a historic location in Marion Township is going to test that theory.

A report by Eagle staff writer Irina Bucur on the cover of the Monday edition told of brewing plans for the former St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Marion Township.

More than 180 years since St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church was erected, descendants of Murrinsville’s figurehead who owned the land and helped build the church are hoping to honor an agreement he made with the Catholic Church.

John Murrin stipulated in the 1840s that if St. Alphonsus were to close, the property would be transferred to the Murrin family for the use and benefit of the community.

The founding Murrin surely would agree, the Murrinsville Community Center has a great ring to it.

John Murrin was the son of Hugh Murrin, who immigrated from Ireland. After fighting in the Revolutionary War, Hugh Murrin was given acres of land in Butler County, some of which were later used to build a stone church with stained glass windows known as St. Alphonsus.

The church’s doors have been closed since 2019. But Mary Murrin and Neil Kennedy, who are third cousins and descendants of John Murrin, are heading an effort to transform the property into a community center.

They said repurposing the church could revitalize Murrinsville, an unincorporated village in Marion Township, as well as the surrounding community.

During a meeting last fall, people offered suggestions for the use of the community center, ranging from renting the hall for ceremonies and events to hosting technical classes and creating an association for residents who are visually impaired.

The former St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church isn’t just any old community center. It’s, well, a former church, an 180-year-old stone church. It’s got great potential.

If this sounds like a sales pitch, it wasn’t intended to be. But the opportunities for this property are endless. And that’s good news for the folks who want to see it viable in the community again.

— RJ