The former St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Kankakee remains closed and costly clean-up and repairs may keep the status of the building in limbo.

The church was closed in mid-September due to bats in the rooftop area. Getting rid of the varmints may cost up to $18,000. And then cleaning the church of bat droppings could find the cost to be another $62,000.

The church has been out of use because of the bats. In a letter to parish members, The Rev. Santos “Sonny” Castillo explains the situation. The Joliet Diocese recently agreed to form St. John Paul II Catholic parish, which is a combination of three Kankakee Catholic churches... St. Rose, St. Martin of Tours and St. Teresa.

On Sept. 19, a church inspection found not only a rabid bat on the ground, but a bat below the church's belfry level. The bat on the ground was captured and taken for testing where it was found to have rabies.

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