Important New Development

Most Holy Trinity church in Mamaroneck, Westchester county, scheduled to be closed has been saved after a decison by the Vatican – the consequence of a tenacious campaign by the parishioners.

Whereas on May 26, 2018, we gave a decree relegating the church of Most Holy Trinity in the Parish of Saint Vito-Most Holy Trinity, Mamaroneck, New York, to profane but not sordid use according to the prescripts of canon 1222 §2 for the grave causes mentioned in said decree;

The decree of May 26, 2018 relegating the church of Most Holy Trinity in the Parish of Saint Vito-Most Holy Trinity, Mamaroneck, New York, to profane but not sordid use according to the prescripts of canon 1222 §2 for the grave causes mentioned in said decree is herewith rescinded.

Decree of the Archdiocese of New York of July 2, 2020.

A Vatican-appointed priest assigned to oversee the case recently ruled that the arguments put forth by the parishioners had merit, Maver said.

Then, last month, Dolan wrote in a decree that, “after prayerful consideration, having weighed all the reasons and causes” he had decided to rescind the 2018 ruling closing the church.

Source. (NY Post 8/12/2020); see also Patch (8/13/2020

It is a remarkable reversal of fortune – one much more significant than it first appears, given the direct Vatican involvement. For in July of this year the Congregation of the Clergy suspended the massive diocese-wide parish restructurings of least two dioceses of Germany. We covered this development HERE. The instruction, The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church, among other provisons, reiterated at VIIa 46-51 that procedures and canon law must be followed in carrying out the suppression of any parish. This, and the Mamaroneck decison above, indicate that for the time being a much stricter review of diocesan parish reduction programs can be expected.

Thanks to James P. Maver, Esq. ( a leader of the parishioners’ fight to save their church.)