A Maryland hotel has a bar at the altar of a former school chapel, and critics want it moved
2025-01-03
Category: media

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition urging the owners of a chapel-turned bar in a Maryland Marriott property to abstain from serving liquor from the former high altar. Catholics are asking the Wye Oak Tavern in the recently opened luxury boutique Visitation Hotel in Frederick, Md., to restore the dignity of the chapel. The restaurant features a bar around the former high altar, which is flanked by large stained-glass windows and statues of kneeling angels.&nbsp; The restaurant, which opened on Dec. 19, is located in the former chapel of the Visitation Convent and Academy, a Catholic all-girls school that was established in 1846. It shuttered its doors in June 2016 due to low enrollment and was then purchased in 2017 and opened as a hotel in 2024.&nbsp; Elyssa Koren, lawyer, mother of five and alumna of the Visitation Academy's class of 2000, launched the petition on December 15 on Change.org, asking the owners of the Visitation Hotel to "restore the dignity of the chapel by relocating the bar." SOUTH CAROLINA MAN TOLD HE NEEDS A PERMIT TO HOLD A SIGN ABOUT HIS FAITH ON PUBLIC SIDEWALK  "Even though the chapel was properly deconsecrated - for the girls of Visitation, for Christians, and for people of goodwill everywhere, this is an evident and painful misuse of the space," the petition reads.&nbsp; "We, Visitation Academy alumni, concerned citizens of Frederick, Maryland, and others dismayed by the use of this space, request you to make the necessary changes as soon as possible to restore its dignity and respect its holy heritage - either by removing the altar and tabernacle or relocating the bar to another location," the petition adds.&nbsp; Koren told Fox News Digital the petition was delivered to the hotel on Thursday morning and that a meeting with hotel management had been requested, but she said they have not heard back.&nbsp; The Visitation Hotel notes on its website that following its sale in 2017, the site was no longer consecrated.&nbsp; "The sale stipulated that the property and chapel be used for non-religious purposes," the hotel website states. "Sacred objects have been removed from the chapel. Any remaining items are present solely to maintain the building's historical character, as required by secular authorities." Jim O’Hare, co-developer of the Visitation Hotel, said he and his team paid the Archdiocese $2.75 million dollars for the property in 2017 and took every step requested by the Archdiocese, including having the chapel officially deconsecrated, as well as returning the tabernacle and the relics which were found in the altar.&nbsp;&nbsp; PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP APPOINTS OUTSPOKEN CONSERVATIVE AS VATICAN AMBASSADOR: ‘BLESSINGS AND RESPONSIBILITIES’ "Because we wanted to be respectful of the prior use of the chapel, we went well beyond just deconsecration," he said. "We removed the post-Vatican II altar which was used for mass and sacraments. We donated stations of the cross and crucifixes to local churches.&nbsp;We moved statues of Virgin Mary and Joseph to our courtyard garden. And, we very purposely have constructed the bar to be separate from the historic altar."  But, Koren told Fox News Digital that as an alumna, it was important for her to launch the petition in order to "stand up for the historical and sacred integrity of the former chapel."&nbsp; "The response to the petition makes clear the level of outrage and pain that the developer’s decision has caused many alumnae and other members of the community," she said. "The chapel turned tavern still carries the look and feel of a Catholic Church with many of the holy objects remaining. This has caused many to express serious discomfort with the location of the bar directly at the high altar." "They could have put the bar anywhere, but the choice to put it there shows an evident disregard for the holy heritage of the space," she added. "Others have commented that while they are not religious, they find this extremely disrespectful - you don’t have to be a Christian to see this as deeply offensive. And, many have left comments that they will avoid Marriott properties until this is remedied." Koren noted the 150-year history of the Catholic school, including serving as a cloistered convent, all-girls school and Civil War hospital. &nbsp; "The most reasonable solution is to simply relocate the bar to another place," she said. "However, the owners could also consider working with the local historical society to remove the marble high altar." FAITH A STRONG FORCE IN JIMMY CARTER'S LIFE, SAY LEADERS: ‘HEART OF A SERVANT’  "Top Chef" star and James Beard semifinalist Bryan Voltaggio, along with his brother Michael Voltaggio, are leading the charge at Wye Oak Tavern. "We’re here for the drama. Welcome to Wye Oak Tavern," the restaurant posted on its Instagram two days after the petition was launched.&nbsp; "Respecting a former place of worship isn’t drama," Koren said in response. "It’s basic decency." Virginia Leary, who had three aunts who served as nuns at the Visitation Convent and Academy for decades, including one aunt who served as the Mother Superior, told Fox News Digital that the chapel was the heart of the convent.&nbsp; Because of that, she said the altar bar is personally offensive to her and her family because of what it symbolized to her aunts and the other nuns, who devoted their lives to their faith, community and the school's students.&nbsp; "The understanding was all involved would ‘honor and respect previous uses,'" she said. "That was my expectation until a Visitation nun from a different monastery contacted me to tell me about the petition."  "How does converting the altar to a bar represent honor and respect?" she asked. "I believe something is missing if we have to explain why converting an altar to a bar is wrong and offensive." GREG LAURIE: 2024 IS ALMOST OVER. HERE'S HOW TO RUN A GREAT RACE IN 2025 O'Hare explained that he himself is a Catholic and that it was very important to him that the design honor and respect the nuns who lived and taught at Visitation, as well as the girls who studied at the school.&nbsp; "I believe that we have accomplished that," he said.&nbsp; "The alumni that started the petition have not seen our efforts in person," he said. "They are reacting to pictures in the local paper. I encourage them and anyone who has concerns to come see for themselves the great care we have taken to respectfully repurpose the chapel." In 2024, the Baltimore Archdiocese announced the closure of 31 churches in the Baltimore area. O'Hare said if the churches cannot be adaptively reused, then they will be demolished, they will not generate revenue and their history and those who worshiped there will be lost.&nbsp; "That would be a bad result for everyone," he said. "We have been open for 10 days and, thankfully, demand for the restaurant and the hotel has been very strong." "Our guests have expressed no concerns about the use of the former chapel," he added. "In fact, people love hearing the stories that make up the history of Visitation. We tell those stories throughout the property, and on our website." When reached for comment, the Archdiocese of Baltimore told Fox News Digital he is sympathetic to those who have raised concerns about the situation.&nbsp;  Richard Griffin, the economic development director for the City of Frederick, told Fox News Digital that the city is "delighted" to have the Visitation Hotel as the first hotel in Downtown Frederick in 50 years. "The historic building was left vacant after the Visitation Academy was closed nearly a decade ago," he said. "It takes great vision and private investment to renovate and adaptively reuse a large vacant historic structure like the Visitation building which no longer met contemporary building codes for handicap accessibility, life safety, and utilities." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "If not for their multi-million-dollar investment, it is likely that the building may have remained vacant and languished for years,"&nbsp;he added. "As a result of their investment and vision, thousands of visitors will be able to see the fully restored building and many will have business and family events at the facility. This results in jobs, tax base, and visitor spending that is beneficial to the revitalization of historic downtown Frederick and the region."