Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued support in our battle to save the Chancery!It has been quite a struggle and I wanted to bring you up to speed.

On Friday, May 17, Winnebago County Judge Lisa Fabiano granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) halting the demolition of the Chancery Building. Earlier that morning, the City of Rockford had to issue a stop-work order when the Diocese attempted to start the demolition of the Chancery without giving proper notice to the neighbors and despite knowing that the TRO Hearing was scheduled to take place later that morning. The combined effect of the stop-work order and the TRO halted demolition, at least temporarily.

Since the TRO was put in place, the Diocese was granted last week a change of judge. The matter is now before Judge Donna Honzel and is set for an update on the litigation Tuesday, May 28. We hope that the Court continues the TRO until we can have a full hearing in what is known as a Preliminary Injunction Hearing. At that time, evidence would be brought forward on our allegations that the City of Rockford acted improperly when it rejected the unanimous advice of the City's Historic Preservation Commission that the Chancery met the criteria for Landmark Status.

We are very appreciative of the financial support that has enabled us to continue to fight the battle in court. To support our continued efforts, a GoFundMe account has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/save-piety-hill-chancery?sharetype=teams&member=2307100&rcid=r01-155904580696-00bea0a608324b86&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w

Any donation is welcome -- even the smallest gift shows our continued broad base of support for saving the Chancery and the incredible cultural and architectural treasures of Piety Hill.

I've linked to a recent news story that goes into more depth on the litigation. I expect to have more news soon and will keep you posted.

Thank you again!

Larry