The End Of the Churches: The End of a Dream

That didn’t take long!

On 5/20/2024 the Archdiocese of New York published the decree of merger of the parish of St. John the Evangelist into the parish of Holy Family. On 8/6/20024 the archdiocese announced the “relegation” of the church of St. John the Evangelist to profane use in anticipation of the sale of the Archdiocesan headquarters within which it is located. In addition to the usual boilerplate and questionable assertions, some of the decree’s stated reasoning is ludicrous:

“whereas the desire to adopt a more modest lifestyle reflects the teaching of Pope Francis”

This appears to have been a prerequisite to start the sale of the Archdiocesan headquarters. Until the closing of that sale happens, or until the Archdiocese vacates 1011 First Avenue (whichever occurs last), St. John’s will remain a “sacred space” and be “open for public and private worship.”

“Decree on the Relegation of Saint John the Evangelist, Manhattan, New York”

Thus ends the existence of what had been one of the most historic parishes on New York City. The decree is one of a series issued by the Archdiocese starting in 2023. In contrast to the Making all Things New program in 2014/2015, these more recent mergers and closings are not held out as part of some grand over-arching strategy. It seems that Making All Things New has by no means solved the Archdiocesan problems, of which I would highlight, using Cardinal Dolan’s own language:

“Whereas the Archdiocese faces a decline in the number of priests, and whereas parishes are faced with a declining number of faithful attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis.”

“Decree on the Merger of the Territorial parishes of Holy Family and Saint John the Evangelist – Our Lady of Peace, South Manhattan 1), New York.”

Certainly the Archdiocesan handling of the Covid crisis only exacerbated these underlying issues.

But the fate of St. John’s is not merely a crisis of recent pastoral planning in New York but of the Conciliar culture itself. For, built in 1970, the church of St. John the Evangelist was the examplar of the new Conciliar style: tucked away anonymously in an impersonal high rise, adorned in large part with non-figurative art, with the tabernacle relegated to a side corner, and all attention focussed on an altar occupying the center of the space – St. John’s had everything! Yet it appears that this jewel of modernity never gained traction, prompting subsequent efforts to soften the initial radicalism by adding stained glass, statues and devotions. It seems the laity did not respond to the grand renewal and its new aesthetic – or to the bureaucracy that was supposed to implement them.

The same fate had been experienced earlier by another “Conciliar” church, Nativity parish – built in 1969, closed by 2011, sold in 2020 and razed shortly therafter. The parishes of St. John’s and Nativity at first could not appear more different. While St. John resided in the Archdiocesan headquarters, located adjacent to the very elegant neighborhood of Sutton Place, Nativity was, at the time of its construction, in one of the least attractive parts of New York – just a short stroll from the Bowery! And the dire economic situation of the surroundings was reflected in the obvious poverty of the resources allocated to its construction. Yet this church of the poor displayed ideas very similar to those governing the construction and decoration of its comtemporary, wealthy uptown sister parish. Both were post-Conciliar creations – replacements for grander, historic parish churches. Both had the same layout: a central altar set in a simple rectangular space, with tabernacle, baptismal font, statues and confessionals arrayed around it. And both parishes never “went anywhere.” It is the end of the Conciliar dream – that radical liturgical changes, combined with the wholesale adoption of a version of the style of European modernity, would “revitalize” an allegedly moribund Church.

Of course today the economic situation of the neighborhood of Nativity parish is a far cry from what it was 55 years ago! A developer bought the church of the Nativity in March 2020 for $40M. The church was demolished shortly therafter. 2)

1. The anomalous term “South Manhattan,” as applied to a church located on East 55th Street, stems from a 2021 Archdiocesan reorganization which divided Manhattan into two “deaneries”: South Manhattan includes everything below 96th Street, East and West.
2. Joy, Stacie (photos by Cohen, Idan), “A look inside the soon-to-be demolished Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue,” East Village Grieve (3/24/2022) (with photographs of the interior as it was demolished!); Here’s the first look at the new residential building coming to 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street,” East Village Grieve, (8/22/2022) (Both accessed 8/23/2024)