anapolis Star boasted of a current recovery.rnThe problem is that the mild upturnrnis fueled to a large extent by thernprospect of significantly cheaper housing,rnall within a relatively reasonablerncommuting distance to the north side ofrnhidianapolis. Although I am glad forrnthe financial boost to my brother-inlaw’srnhometown, it will no longer be Andersonrnthat is prospering. It will cease tornbe an independent community and turnrninto a mere suburb of Indianapolis. Peoplernwho work in Indianapolis and live inrnAnderson only because the housing isrncheaper will not be real citizens in anyrnsense of the word. They will not pass onrna sense of joy and pride in their hometownrnand will resent any taxation thatrngoes to support the local community.rnThis attitude will be passed on to theirrnchildren, who will long to be somewherernelse than their hick town and would neverrnthink of passing up a night of MTV tornattend the Indians game at the Wigwam,rnone of the truly great places to seerna basketball game. Or they will root forrnMichigan against our Hoosiers and die inrnforeign lands without ever lifting a fingerrnto help their neighbors.rnIt will be a sad day when the Wigwamrnno longer reverberates to the passionaterncheers of those who live and diernaccording to the success of their boys. Itrnwill be an even sadder day when the localrncommunity spirit, which made Americanrndemocracy function, becomes a relicrnof the past.rnWilliam L. Isley, jr., writes from Carmel.rnLetter FromrnMilwaukeernby Christopher CheckrnNew and Old CatholicismrnThe Archdiocese of Milwaukee is keepingrnpace with the rest of the Church inrnAmerica as it embraces the usual causesrnand crusades under the banners of “community”rnand “equality” while all butrnshedding Catholic inconveniences likernMortal Sin and Sanctifying Grace. Apparentlyrnsalvation now depends more onrnthe sincerity of your handshake of peacernthan on works of charity. What sharpensrnthis tragedy in Milwaukee, however, isrnthe incongruity of so much hand-holdingrnamid so many beautiful churches. Arncity architecturally endowed to preservernthe past is abandoning tradition as quicklyrnas our “sisters and brothers” in youngerrnparts of the nation.rnVenue is not essential for pious worship,rnbut for those of us whose faith hasrnnot yet achieed mustard-seed size, Milwaukeernprovides many turn-of-thecenturyrnchurches whose vaulted ceilingsrnand gilded statues make them ideal forrnfervent prayer and ritual. Out of placernare the diluted pro-life homilies that suggestrnour respect for life should also embracernthe antitobacco and antipollutionrnefforts. In spite of this spiritual banality,rnanyone with a modest amount of devotionrncan spend a rewarding weekend exploringrnmanv of Milwaukee’s churches.rnThe three that should not be missed arernthe St. Josephat Basilica on the southrnside, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel on thernMarquette University campus, and OldrnSaint Marv’s Church downtown.rnThe story of St. Josephat’s is as impressivernas the building itself. Built byrnthe faith, pennies, and second mortgagesrnof Milwaukee’s Polish immigrants, thernbuilding originally stood as the ChicagornCentral Post Ofhce. When the foundationrncracked in 1888, Chicago plannedrndemolition. Milwaukee Poles, seekingrnto build a church but too poor to affordrnquarrying and stonecutting expenses,rnbought the post office, dismantled it,rnmarked the pieces, and carted them tornMilwaukee in over 500 rail cars. Thernpastor. Father Wilhelm Grutzka (arnskilled blacksmith), along with a professionalrnarchitect, redesigned the buildingrnusing St. Peter’s as a model. Constructionrntook only six years. Plagued by ineptrnfinancial management, the parishionersrnrelinquished control in 1910 to the Franciscans,rnwho prevented foreclosure andrnhave kept the parish out of debt everrnsince. (At one point creditors hadrnplanned to convert it to an opera house.)rnThough one of only 22 basilicas in thernUnited States dedicated exclusively “AdrnMajorem Dei Gloriam” St. Josephat’srnmust now be razed when it can no longerrnserve that purpose. The faithful of thernparish hae delayed destruction with arntwo million-dollar restoration plan,rnwhich will include a new copper dome.rnThe St. Joan of Arc Chapel, also arntransplant, was built in the 14th centurvrnin southeastern France, where, originallyrnnamed for St. Martin of Sayssuel, itrnserved the nobility and villagers ofrnChasse. Time and the French Revolutionrntook their respective tolls on thernsmall oratory, leaving it in ruins by thern20th century. In 1927, aided by anrnarchitect named Jacques Couelle,rnGertrude Hill Gavin had the chapel dismantled,rnmoved to her Long Island estate,rnand rebuilt adjacent to a Renaissancernchateau, also imported fromrnFrance. The estate changed hands inrn1962 to the Rojtman family who threernyears later donated the chapel to Marquette,rnwhere it now rests rededicated tornits current patroness. The austere yetrnstirring interior contains a diverse collectionrnof artifacts, including the tombrnof a French knight buried in 1524; crucifixes,rnsmall statues, and an altar clothrn(all from the 16th century); a medievalrnbaptismal font; and a faded tapestry.rnTwo of the chapel’s treasures have intriguingrnstories. An engraver’s plate fromrn18th-century Poland depicting the Crucifixionrnwas once the cherished possessionrnof a young immigrant. About tornboard ship for America, he realized hernhad forgotten the plate and rescheduledrnhis oyage. The ship on which he wasrnoriginally booked was lost at sea. A flatrnstone built into the wall behind the altarrnonce supported a statue of the BlessedrnVirgin, before which Joan of Arc is said tornhave prayed, ending her prayer by kissingrnthe stone. The popular belief, confirmedrnby the Geology Department atrnMarquette, is that the stone is severalrndegrees cooler than those which surroundrnit. My wrist test was inconclusive,rnbut 1 am not against believing.rnIn 1846, German immigrants builtrnOld Saint Marv’s of the same CreamrnCity brick found in Milwaukee’s earlyrnbreweries. Exactly as old as the city itself,rnthe building is Milwaukee’s oldestrnCatholic Church. Among its beautifulrndecorations is an oil painting of the Annunciationrngiven bv the King of Bavariarnin 1848. The painting is framed b- arnmassive, intricately carved main altar ofrngilded wood. The recently restoredrnhand-painted stained glass windows, se-rneral life-size statues of major saints, andrnthe three bronze church bells are all fromrnMunich.rnThese glorious buildings witness dailyrnthe misguided antics of the modernrnChurch. At St. Josephat’s I overheard anrnaging feminist chirp insistcndy, “and becamern’one of us,'” during that portion ofrnDECEMBER 1993/41rnrnrn