St Joseph’s Chapel, Battery Park City, R.I.P.

St. Michael at St. Joseph’s Chapel.

It was reported last month that the chapel of St. Joseph in Battery Park City (also, the Archdiocesan 9/11 memorial) finally will be closed as of January 2018. This is a consequence of a massive rent hike (the space occupied by the chapel is leased). The art therein will be removed to St. Peter’s (where the “shrine” will be “rededicated” before September 11, 2018).

The “pastoral letter” by the pastor of St. Peter’s church officially informing parishioners of the closure is given HERE. Predictably, the reasons for shutting the 9/11 memorial are not given, except indirectly, nor is any regret expressed. Rather, parishioners are summoned to “move forward” to a “new chapter.”

Thus ends a Catholic presence in that corner of New York dating back to 1890. And thus ends the “Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero” established by Cardinal Egan at a cost of $1.7 million as recently as 2005. As we have noticed in relation to other churches, the existence of a “shrine” plays no role whatsoever in the Archdiocesan determinations as to which churches shall survive and which shall close.  It’s a bit schizophrenic: the creation of a “shrine” at great cost (relative to the size of the chapel) would seem to indicate some kind of Archdiocesan-wide interest and commitment.  Yet the continued existence of St. Joseph’s has been decided exclusively on the basis of the money the congregation of that chapel can raise vis-a-vis the admittedly rising cost of keeping it open.

Of course I don’t think any more than a handful of people living outside of the immediate neighborhood of St. Joseph’s were ever aware it even existed. The so-called “art” on display – despite claims to the contrary – was anything but a major attraction. Finally, as always, despite the ever-growing population of Downtown New York, the Archdiocese was unable to attract enough parishioners to its chapel.