The Fate of the Churches: around Penn Station I -Addendum

Our post about the – former? – parish of St. Michael the Archangel on West 34th Street attracted some interest among those with knowledge of the situation.

One reader wrote:

In addition to the physical restoration of the church, Fr. Rutler also undertook its liturgical and musical renewal according to the principals of the “reform of the reform”. Under the direction of Robert Prior (RIP), the previous longtime music director at Our Saviour, sacred music was reestablished in the parish and expanded under his successor George Nowak. The full Gregorian mass ordinaries were sung weekly and the complete Propers in Latin (including the gradual) were sung by the cantor or schola, although often in simplified form and following the modifications required by the new calendar.  Repairs and restoration work to the organ were also undertaken although there was more to be done. 

Beginning in fall 2016, Sunday Masses were celebrated ad orientem, followed eventually by all the parish Masses.  The principal sung Masses were all celebrated with incense, boys and men served in cassock and surplice, and the full ceremonies of Holy Week were offered (except during the 2020 lockdown). 

Attendance was hit hard by COVID and then the immediate uncertainty surrounding the departure of Fr. Rutler, but activities stabilized and began to grow again under the parochial vicar, Fr. Joseph Marabe, who generously stayed on long past his canonical retirement age, and continued to support these liturgical initiatives. The most precipitous decline began after his departure when Masses were supplied by an unpredictable rotation of visiting priests, whose varying approaches to the parish’s established customs led to great uncertainty about what would transpire any given Sunday.  

The same reader commented: 

I generally agree with your assessment of the situation and I will note that although the physical facilities at Most Holy Redeemer are arguably better for the traditional rites (that magnificently large sanctuary!), both St. Michael’s and Holy Innocents are in more accessible locations for regional transit and daily office/commercial foot traffic, and in an area that is slated for massive residential re-development if the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan zoning changes go through ( https://www.midtownsouthplan.nyc/ ).  Some of those 10,000 new housing units might house Catholic families and all could be potential converts!

Presumably the boiler project will also facilitate the separation of convent, school, rectory, and church for separate use or sale (the systems were previously interconnected).  The rectory, I believe, is the only “single-family” historic residence remaining on 34th Street and so seems would be enormously valuable even without its air rights or if landmarked. 

The additional mentioned work around the “assembly space” seems to be a project to renovate the basement for use as a parish hall or regional facility serving multiple parishes, adding bathrooms and bringing it up to code, requiring asbestos abatement and new emergency exits on ground level through the sacristy on the Epistle side, which should not require visible alteration to the sanctuary or side altars.  

I am not certain there is any natural constituency for a landmarking initiative remaining among parish and school alumni but perhaps readers of this blog will make connections to facilitate something.  

The new baldacchino arrangement at least leaves the crossing altar accessible from both directions, reducing the temptation to mess with the original sanctuary should a new administration be insistent on Mass “facing the people”, and preserving the apse and high altar intact for its eventual restoration as the primary altar in the church.  I hope at that point whoever takes over will have the grace to repurpose the canopy for sacred use elsewhere, showing respect for the donors and artists involved as Fr. Rutler did while incorporating the existing structure (and unlike the dishonorable stripping of Ken Woo’s artwork in Our Saviour’s in 2015).

Another reader commented:

I read with great fascination your article about St Michael’s on 34th Street and how it has been closed for some time now, with no indication if/when it might reopen. Keeping a church closed for that long seems fatal in the Archdiocese of New York.

I, too, was surprised to see the cathedraticum and the interest owed to the diocese were so high. I’d like to propose the idea that these numbers were disproportionate to the offertory income because they were owed in arrears to ADNY. I remember another parish had an internal audit after a transition of leadership which revealed that the parish hadn’t fulfilled its financial obligations to the diocese. Of course, the diocese wasn’t going to forgive the debt! 

Nonetheless, St Michael’s in in a perfect location to minister to Catholics in the Hudson Yards neighbourhood. ADNY has a unique opportunity to ensure the vitality of the parish and the community it serves.

The first reader’s point about the interconnectedness of the parish systems may indeed explain what is going on. The project may not be merely (as initally announced) “replacing a boiler,” but redoing the entire infrastucture of the parish to prepare for the separation and sale of the other buildings of the parish (rectory, two schools, convent). Another knowledgeable reader – but only speculating – has pointed out to me that a sale of real estate may require curing outstanding deficiencies or complexities of all kinds – and that may paradoxically require additional investments before a sale can be made. In conclusion, the fate of St. Michael’s may not be an all-or-nothing proposition!

The second reader’s observation about the cathedraticum and school tax merits further discusion. In looking at comparative data from other parishes I could not immediately identify a relationship between the income of the parish and the level of the Archdiocesan charges. I believe the “school tax” or “school assessment” arose from the separation carried out years ago in the Archdiocese between the parochial schools and their home parishes. The schools were set up on a separate basis and supported by an assessment on all parishes. That arrangement has not prevented the schools’ further decline in number and enrollment.

Below is the financial statement for St. Michael’s for the FY ended August 31, 2022 (FY 2023 is in the original post). Note that, but for two extraordinary government benefits, the Archdiocesan assessment woud also exceed the parish revenue in that year.

I have put together a brief comparative schedule based on readily available online information for the FY ending in 2024 of New York City parishes stronger financially than St. Michael’s.

• St. Francis Xavier (Total Revenue: $3.1M; Archdiocesan Assessments: $0.494
• St. Ignatius Loyola (Total Revenue: $4.45M; Archdiocesan Assessments: $0.232
• Blessed Sacrament (Total Revenue: $1.75; Archdiocesan Assessments: $0.161
• Epiphany (Total Revenue: $1.15; Archdiocesan Assesssment: $0.601

Now there may be finer distinctions behind these numbers: both St. Ignatius Loyola and Blessed Sacrament parishes have or had viable parochial schools that may not have been consolidated with the Archdiocesen-wide effort. As to Epiphany, the pastor notes:

This year, for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024, we incurred a deficit of $383,713, mainly be-
cause of an extraordinary assessment from the Archdiocese in the amount of $500,000 to carry
on with its charitable works. Thankfully, most of this was covered by several generous supporters
who included Epiphany in their final testaments (bequests). Obviously relying on bequests is not
a sustainable way forward.

(The assesssment, as noted above, is $600,000. And a special assessment for “charitable works” seems very odd. I wonder what the deceased donors would think if they knew their bequests were being used to cover a current operating deficit – created by the Archdiocese?)

Sources:

1. St. Francis Xavier 2024 Annual Report
2. St. Ignatius Loyola 2024 Annual Report
3. Blessed Sacrament 2024 Financial Statements
4. Epiphany Church Financial Report 2024

(All acesssed 9/26/2025)