St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church in Portland opened in 1893, built as a labor of love by Irish immigrants.

It closed as a church 105 years later because its dwindling congregation couldn't afford the $1 million needed to repair it. Still, the beautiful building with its high vaulted ceiling and magnificent stained-glass windows lives on as the Maine Irish Heritage Center.

That nonprofit center is dedicated to documenting Maine's Irish past and ensuring Irish culture continues to thrive in the state. Raising money through donations, grants and fees, the center is not only restoring the historic church building but holds programs and events that enable the church to retain its role as a place for the community to gather.

St. Dominic's is a success story, but other older and historic churches around Maine are in danger of permanently closing their doors and perhaps being torn down or remodeled beyond recognition. "They're dying of no money and no people," said Roxanne Eflin, director of Maine Preservation.

That's why the Portland-based nonprofit organization, dedicated to protecting Maine's historic places, decided the theme of its 33rd annual conference will be protecting Maine's churches.

Entitled "Sacred Spaces at Risk," the all-day conference will be held Friday, with the morning session at the Maine Irish Heritage Center at Gray and State streets, and afternoon sessions and events will be held at other nearby churches.

The purpose of the conference is to address concerns and focus on suggestions and solutions to help save churches. Those attending are expected to include preservationists, clergy and congregation members, community leaders, elected officials, planners, architects and historians.

One of the featured speakers will be Sarah Peveler, training director for Partners for Sacred Places. That Philadelphia-based, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization works with preservation groups and congregations and religious organizations to save old and historic church buildings.

Peveler said whole communities should get involved with saving churches because "churches open their doors to their community. They do it often without asking anything or much in return." For example, she said, a wide variety of community groups such as the Girls Scouts traditionally have relied on churches as places to meet.

"If they close their doors, the community loses," Peveler said.

John O'Dea, executive director of the Maine Irish Heritage Center, also will address the conference. "My comments are going to be about the necessity of developing a sustainable business model (for preserving a church)," he said. "Unless there's somebody who can simply write a check, it has to be preserved in a way that's economically viable."

The Irish Heritage Center, for example, earns some funds by offering programs such as dance and language classes, as well as renting the church out for weddings. It also draws the community together by holding events such as the John Ford Film Festival, to be held at the center Oct. 7-9. The real name of Ford, a legendary filmmaker known for such classics as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Quiet Man," was John Martin Feeney. He grew up in Portland and was once an altar boy at St. Dominic's.

One of the center's major fundraisers is its annual silent and live auction, to be held Sept. 10. O'Dea said items up for auction include hand-knitted sweaters, a week's vacation in Ireland, and an oil painting worth $6,500. The center also depends on donations from individuals and foundations and grants. O'Dea said a $50,000 grant from the city of Portland is being used to help repair the church's bell tower.

St. Dominic's no longer functions as a church, but the State Street Church United Church of Christ, just a few blocks away, has a different survival plan. It continues to be a vibrant faith community, but the congregation also rents out the church as a venue for musical concerts, weddings and other events to help maintain the building and pay for lights and heat.

"I think that clearly the church is trying to preserve its sacred space that has been there since 1852 and also to be a dynamic, meaningful faith community in Portland and the greater Portland area," said the Rev. Jeanette Good, interim pastor of the State Street Church.

She said the congregation of 250 reflects the diversity of Portland. It includes professionals as well as people who are homeless. The church would like to serve even more people and hopes to get that message out.

For example, she would like to include "a little something in the pews" that lets concert-goers know they are welcome to return Sunday mornings or to contact her to talk. "We want this church to be a place that is a meaningful faith community every day of the week," she said.

Also on Portland's peninsula is the 193-year-old Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building is deteriorating, and the heating oil bills climb as high as $10,000 per year, said the Rev. Jim Dodson. He said that's why the small congregation has decided to sell the church and its surrounding property to a private developer. The half-acre site includes a parking lot, a gymnasium and a few apartments.

"We're fortunate to have a buyer," Dodson said. "Many old churches are sitting on property that nobody wants."

Dodson said the congregation hopes to find a new location somewhere on Munjoy Hill. Its last service in the Chestnut Street building will be in January.

Dodson is heartened that the developer, Richard Berman of Berman Associates and his partner Evan Richert, say they hope to preserve the old church itself while developing the rest of the property around it.

Richert said that "our first hope is that we'll be able to resell the church back to another faith-based group." He said they are talking to Interfaith Maine about the possibility of that group buying the building. Richert declined to discuss the asking price.

Interfaith Maine, a Portland-based, nonprofit organization that works to promote interfaith understanding and relationships, hopes the church could become an interfaith spiritual center in downtown Portland, said Doug Cruger, the group's treasurer. However, Cruger said, buying the church "is really a long shot because Interfaith Maine is a very small organization, and we don't have any money." A major funding commitment would be required, he said.

Richert said that if the church doesn't go to a faith-based group, it may be turned into an arts education center or offices. He said an architect is looking at how to alter the interior while still preserving many of its original features. "It will be very important to honor the sanctuary," he said.

Staff Writer Tess Nacelewicz can be contacted at 791-6367 or at:

tnacelewicz@pressherald.com