We read in the Brooklyn Tablet that another Catholic parish in the New York area is in danger of closing. 1) Transfiguration church (by now in a combined parish with St. Stanislaus Kostka) was a Lithuanian national parish in Maspeth, Queens. Time has not been kind to the Lithuanian presence in New York – remember the old parish of Our Lady of Vilna in Manhattan. We read that nowadays only one mass a month is offered in Lithuanian at Transfiguration. In 2024 a congregation of, on the average, five people attended this mass. Total attendance for the three “weekend”  masses is around 150. Massive repairs to the church and rectory are also needed. 

This parish was of some interest to us because in the not too distant past a traditional mass was regularly celebrated there. 2) I do not read any more about that in the current discussions within the parish on how to rescue the church. Quite the contrary! –  ideas suggested to keep the church open include “seeking landmark status, applying for grants to pay for repairs and reaching out to underserved communities.” Adds one parishioner: “one of those underserved groups is working people.”

We cannot say that Transfiguration church is a masterpiece of architecture. The current parish church from 1962 reflects the uneasy transition, typical of that time, from traditional architecture to modernity (or at least what passed for modernity in the Catholic Church)

The diocese of Brooklyn has not yet made a final decision whether to keep Transfiguration church open.

1. Katinas, Paula, “Transfiguration Church in Danger of Closing: Pastor,” The Tablet at 10 (March 29,2025).
2. The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “New Sunday Traditional Mass in Queens,” (September 23, 2019); “Traditionalism in Brooklyn and Queens,” (February 21, 2021)

We read that the New York Archdiocese (in a message from the vicar general, Msgr. Joseph P. LaMorte) )has advised that “there is no need for” altar rails when “restoring places of worship.”.

Archdiocese of New York dismisses increased requests for altar rails, claims ‘no need’ for them.LifeSiteNews (1/7/2025)

Some pastors have been inquiring about reinstalling an altar rail. According to current directives there is no need for it. The General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM) specifies that the normal posture for the reception of communion is standing. To install an altar rail would be to suggest a posture other than the GIRM’s stated norm. 1)

Now only last month Cardinal Cupich of Chicago had stated his displeasure at the faithful kneeling when receiving communion. His argumentation, insofar as he relies on authority at all, resembles that of Msgr. LaMorte. I would be surprised if these developments are unrelated.

Lex Orandi, Lex Credenda, The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (12/13/2024)

 What Cardinal Cupich and Msgr. LaMorte don’t bother to mention is that the GIRM specifically provides for kneeling at Communion. Furthermore, in the United States, the bishops had tried to make standing mandatory – this was changed at Vatican insistence in 2004 (Redemptionis Sacramentum). A position paper of the New York Archdiocese (On Receiving  Holy Communion), upon which Msgr. LaMorte relies for authority does mention the relevant provision of Redemptionis Sacramentum but gives a distorted presentation of the history and current legal status of the issue which exclusively favors standing. (Moreover, it also denies to kneeling and reception of communion on the tongue any special Eucharistic reverence). 2)

Of course, the original (and current) purpose of the altar rail is to mark off the sanctuary or chancel from the nave. It is the descendant of the medieval rood screen or the Eastern iconostasis. It does not primarily derive from the mode of receiving communion. The topic of the altar rail, involving separate ideological issues and ignorance as to what the Vatican Council and the Church actually decreed,  is a separate subject altogether. 

In the Archdiocese of New York itself, as recently as 1998,  a new church (St. Agnes) was built featuring an altar rail. However, as I wrote in 2011:

(C)an the “language” of Catholic traditional art indeed express the modernistic, non-traditional and ever-changing nature of the new liturgy? To point out just one example, by setting up a communion rail, the builders of the new St. Agnes intended to memorialize the return of the traditional mode of receiving communion – kneeling and on the tongue – to the Novus Ordo liturgy. Yet not too many years after the completion of this church, the US bishops tried to mandate receiving communion standing as obligatory in the Novus Ordo. 3)

If I were in a Novus Ordo parish yet desperately seeking to preserve traditional practices of piety, I would be worried. For it seems that some hierarchs would welcome revisiting and overturning  the compromise regarding the posture when receiving communion established in 2004. Cardinal Cupich, after all, has also effectively banned celebrations ad orientem in the novus ordo, which seems to contradict the liturgical books (if not the liturgical practice).4)  And this time there would be no resistance from the Vatican, for Cardinal Cupich enjoys the best of relations with the bishop of Rome. The war of Pope Francis and the progressive establishment against Catholic Tradition is by no means limited to the Traditional Mass!

Yet nevertheless the struggle goes on. As Msgr. LaMorte notes:

No one is sure where the impetus for this (altar rails– SC) is originating, but it seems to be picking up a bit of  steam. 5)

Could it be originating from man’s innate sense for beauty, truth and reverence? A sense that keeps breaking through and making itself felt despite all the official ideologies and attempts at manipulation. Just last year at the church of Corpus Christi in Manhattan, the tabernacle was restored to its old place of honor in the center of the sanctuary – supposedly at the express direction of Cardinal Dolan.  Yet the bulletin of this same parish had published earlier a statement – again by Cardinal Cupich – summarizing ideological reasons why the tabernacle shouldn’t be placed in a central position in a church! 6) The endless ideological conflict that defines the post-Conciliar church continues. Catholic Traditionalists, however,  long ago concluded there is a better way….

1.  Combined Mailing, Archdiocese of New York (December 2024). This entire publication, apparently intended for priests and religious of the archdiocese, is most interesting in its tone and subject matter.
2. Archdiocese of New York, On Receiving Holy Communion.
3. The Churches of New York VII: the Reform of the Reform, The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (4/13/2011)
4. Msgr. LaMorte recently assumed the duties of pastor at Holy Family parish in New York City. Under the prior pastor, Fr. Gerald Murray,  the Novus Ordo service was celebrated ad orientem. I recently observed that the parish is now back to the “mainstream.”
5. See footnote 1 supra.
6. A Visit to Columbia, The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (11/16/2023) (all links accesssed 1/10/2025)

UPDATE: I have added some clarifying comments and notes here and there in this article.

I recently paid a visit to the neighborhood of Columbia University. That institution is currently almost on lockdown,  with all the entrances to the “quad” controlled by security guards. We all have heard of the recent clashes related to Gaza.  But this security and surveillance environment is more fundamentally the inevitable result of the woke ideological domination there. As for the Catholic Church, its presence near Columbia is divided between two churches, Corpus Christi to the north on West 121st St. and Notre Dame to the south on West 114th St. (I recognize that the Catholic churches I am discussing have responsibilities beyond just caring for the Columbia Univerity community; I think that aspect, however, is more interesting to outsiders.)

For decades the face of Catholicism to the Columbia University community was Corpus Christi parish – culminating in the idiosyncratic regime of Msgr. Myles M. Bourke from the 1960’s until 1992. He did foster his own unique liturgy – nevertheless he was devoted to Catholic truth and above all to the continuation of an outstanding music program superior to that of almost any other church of the archdiocese of New York.

Since his departure, the ecclesiastical situation between West 144 and West 121 Streets has been fluid. Institutions, personnel and philosophies have abruptly appeared and disappeared – sometimes very publicly, often with little notice or explanation. Notre Dame parish, originally separate from this world, was drawn into it when the chaplaincy of Columbia university was first shifted there. 

Currently there is now one Catholic parish:  the “Parish of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame.”  The “parish church” of the united entity is Corpus Christi church.  The chaplaincy of Columbia University, however, was installed in the rectory of Notre Dame parish – at considerable expense.(initally a figure of $10 million was claimed) I believe the intent of these changes is to make Notre Dame primarily a chapel for the Columbia community while Corpus Christi retains its status as the local Catholic parish.(see footnote 4 below)

This return of the chaplaincy to Notre Dame – it had already operated out of that church between 2003 and 2011 – should be a significant upgrading of the architectural image of the Catholic church in the eyes of the students and faculty of Columbia. For Corpus Christi church, however elegant, was designed in the 1930’s in part to appeal to the supposed expectations of protestant America. Notre Dame church, on the other hand,  is exuberantly Catholic – even baroque, if in a restrained, classicizing 17^thcentury French form. 

Undeniably,  positive changes have been made under the united parish’s current leadership. At Corpus Christi church, the tabernacle has been returned to the center of the high altar. Indeed, the parish bulletin compared the new arrangement of the tabernacle with a photograph of the 1950s. And, by all appearances, Corpus Christi’s tradition of musical excellence continues – backed by financial support independent of the parish.

Analogous changes to the layout of the church of Notre Dame also have been made, if with less publicity. At some point in the recent past, an altar – and the tabernacle – were placed, rather incongruously, inside the church’s Lourdes Grotto, which now serves as a kind of Lady Chapel. The previous location of the tabernacle in a side chapel has been terminated; whether the Blessed Sacrament in this church has now been restored to the “center of the sanctuary” literally depends on your point of view.

I recently attended the 12:10 PM weekday mass in the Grotto. A congregation of 25 to 50 was present, which isn’t bad at all for New York City ( I would guess 150 or so attend the weekday mass at around the same time at St. Patrick’s cathedral). The priest gave a detailed explanation of  Saint Albert the Great which particularly impressed me as I had studied in Cologne where the saint is buried. The mass concluded with the recitation of the prayer to Saint Michael and the singing of the Salve Regina. Both would have been virtually unthinkable at the campus ministries (including those of “Catholic” universities) of  the 1970’s.

Yet how sustainable are these gains? As the recent history of these two  churches near Columbia has shown,  in the current state of the Roman Catholic Church everything depends on the personality of the current pastor (and bishop). Yes, remarkable achievements have been made, but at the same time attitudes and ideologies persist that implicitly or expressly challenge these accomplishments. For example, the pastor of Corpus Christi has emphasized the role of the restoration of the tabernacle to its central place as a key step in the “eucharistic revival” in the Church. 1) Yet, a month earlier, in the same bulletin of this church, a lengthy quotation of Cardinal Cupich appeared:

As Cardinal Cupich and other commentators have recently noted, since the Eucharist is our Life, it is more an action (taking, blessing, breaking and sharing) than an object. We should focus on the dynamic action and prophetic challenge of the Eucharist….more than on the worship of Jesus present on the altar. Likewise, our liturgy should be a community action and consciousness, rather than an act of individual piety. The very fact that the Eucharist is under the forms of bread and wine shows that it is essentially transitory, made to be consumed by us to transform us, all together into the Body of Christ….2)

Cupich clearly is setting forth the reasons why the tabernacle was moved off the high altar in the first place. 

Further, the Catholic chaplaincy also has just offered the “Annual Thomas Merton Retreat” led by Robert Ellsberg,  the son of Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame. He has long been a stalwart of Catholic religious and political radicalism. The advance publicity for the retreat would seem to promise an uncritical presentation of the thought of Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day, among others. And of course, Ellsberg now can draw on papal authority:

Pope Francis has distinguished between what he calls a “laboratory faith” and a “journey faith.”  The first can appear like a “compendium of abstract truths” while in a “journey faith” we find God along the way…3)

We could also mention the uncertain existence of the mysterious “personal parish” of St. John Henry Newman for the students and faculty of Columbia University. 4)  And Fr. Roger Landry, installed as chaplain to Columbia University with great fanfare in 2022, and who led a procession with the Blessed Sacrament at Columbia this year is leaving at the end of December 2024 for bigger if not better administrative responsibilities. 5) The parish of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame also has more mundane problems not dissimilar to those besetting many parishes in the city and beyond. The number of masses in the combined parish has had to be reduced because of the shortage of clergy. A French Sunday school associated with the historic French mission of Notre Dame parish recently moved out because of the lack of French families living in the vicinity of Notre Dame parish.

In summary, much has been improved on the Upper West Side. Yet, as always in the Novus Ordo, all such favorable developments remain linked to the current leadership of the parish. With new clergy, a different direction could be taken. That is why traditionalists place their trust not on present spiritual leaders,  however charismatic, but on the fulness of the faith, in liturgy, theology and morality.  

(Above) One of the plaques in their original location – St. Vincent de Paul church. Perhaps we cannot fully comprehend the identification of the French cause in World War I with the will of God. (Photo 6/2008)

(Above) Commemorating the reinstallation in 2017 of these memorials in Notre Dame parish. Perhaps if these worthies had shown more energy in the past St. Vincent de Paul parish could have been saved. (Photo 11/2024)

1. Parish Bulletin, August 18, 2024. (with a picture from the 1950’s!) The bulletin claims the move of the tabernacle to the side altar (or room) was made around 1990. Also: “This restoration is part of a larger, more long-term renovation, in which we plan to move the baptismal font to where the tabernacle has been, and to install an accessible restroom where the baptismal font currently sits.” (Accessed 11/16/2024)
2.  Parish bulletin, July 14, 2024. (Accessed 11/16/2024)
3. Corpus Christi Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society, “A Journey Faith (sic): walking with Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and other Companions along the Way,” (handout in Corpus Christi church; no author given)
4. “Decree erecting the Personal Parish of Saint John Henry Newman for the Pastoral Care at Columbia University in New York” (9/28/2023). “The church of Notre Dame, in the parish of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame, is herewith designated as the parish church of the newly erected personal parish.”
5. Murphy, Alyssa, “‘Luckiest Priest in America’ Leads His Last Eucharistic Procession on Campus,” National Catholic Register ( 11/12/2024) (Accessed 11/16/2024)

We had last reported on Holy Rosary Parish on East 119th Street in 2015. The parish was closed in that year. 1) It is reported that in August of this year the church was sold to a developer for $5 million.

Church sales are seemingly popping up more often in New York as the developers seek sites for housing and religious organizations try to shore up their financial spreadsheets. 2)

Now it seems that plans have been filed and demolition might be imminent. 3)

(I am grateful for the suggestions received from our readers. My apologies if I do not acknowledge you – but some want to remain anonymous. I have not had the chance recently to personally visit the churches of East Harlem; I hope to provide a fuller report later. )

1. The Churches of New York LXX: “A Mighty Fortress….” The Society of St Hugh of Cluny (1/10/2015); The Churches of New York LXXV Losses 10, The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, (7/20/2015)
2. TRD Staff, Kahen Properties buying dilapidated East Harlem church, The Real Deal (8/27/2024); Khalifeh, Ramsey, Archdiocese of NY plans to sell 124-year-old East Harlem church to property developer, Gothamist.com (8/25/2024) (with pictures of the interior!).
3. Cuba, Julianne, Historic Harlem church slated for the bulldozer, Craine’s New York Business (10/9/2024)

(All of above acccessed on 10/17/2024)

A. Sacred Heart of Jesus Church (457 West 51st Street)

The parish of Sacred Heart was once prominent in the Archdiocese: “The Queen of Hell’s Kitchen.” To believe the sources, its intricate facade of brickwork and terra cotta was widely admired when new in the 1880’s. In the 1960’s the church “benefitted” from the first postconciliar “renovation” in the Archdiocese. It was all eventually to no avail. On January 1, 2024 the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was merged into St. Malachy parish to the south. St Malachy becanme the surviving parish church, with Sacred Heart’s church surviving as a “worship space.” 1)

On recent visits, regardless of the published opening times, I found the church padlocked. The current church bulletin reports a morning weekday mass three days a week as well as masses on the weekends – presumably the church is still open at these times. And through the doors I did see a bank of (electric) candles burning….

(Above and below) The elaborate decoration of the facade. Regardless of the poster, Sacred Heart church was closed on recent visits.

(Above) the rectory; (Below) the former parochial school. The building, apparently in excellent condition, is still an active Catholic school, the “upper school” associated with Blessed Sacrament Parish. But what will happen if the Archdiocese gets into deeper financial difficulty?

B. Centro Maria –the former Parish Church of St. Ambrose (539 West 54th Street)

Originally the parish church of St. Ambrose – really an all-inclusive parish center – the building on 539 West 54th Street had served a variety of religious purposes since 1938. In recent decades it had housed a residence for women, the Centro Maria, administered by the Sisters of Mary Immaculate. In 2022 the residents (and the sisters) were evicted and the building sold by the Archdiocese. in 2023 the building was demolished. Instead of completing the planned construction, however, the developer apparently is now seeking to resell the property. In 2024 Centro Maria reopened on a smaller scale at a former church property in the Bronx.

(Above) The site of the former Centro Maria. (Below) The view through a peep-hole in the billboard.

C. St. Benedict the Moor (342 West 53rd Street)

The historic black, and later Hispanic, church of St. Benedict the Moor, closed in 2014, was sold by the Archdiocese to a developer in 2023 for $16M. More recently it has been reported that the developer will preserve the church itself as some kind of “house of worship” in the new project – but no longer affiliated with the Catholic Church. 2) As of October, 2024, construction has not yet started.

(Above) The former church of St Benedict the Moor. (Below) The former rectory.

(Above and below) Relics of the past still on display in the windows of St. Benedict the Moor. Somebody, however, inserted the notice of the festival of “Senor de los Milagros” quite recently – but it now takes place at Sacred Heart of Jesus church instead of St. Benedict.

All photos 10/2024. For our previously posted descriptions of these churches/buildings see:

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Centro Maria

St. Benedict the Moor

1. Decree on the Merger of the Parishes of St. Malachy and Sacred Heart Of Jesus, Manhattan (1/1/2024)
2. “The End of the Churches: St. Benedict the Moor,“ The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (2/22/2023); Tanner-Williams, Nate,”St. Benedict the Moor in Manhattan sold to Taiwanese billionaire,“ Black Catholic Messenger (1/17/2023) (including valuable details on the parish’s history); Chen, Chia-Ten Nicole “New Apts to Rise Next to Chelsea Site that was First Black Catholic Church in NYC,” West Side Spirit (10/10/2023)

A. The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Our Lady of the Rosary Church).

The shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (she was not yet a saint when it was built) sits in solitary splendor amid its monstrous neighbors at the very southernmost tip of Manhattan. It was also the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 2015 that parish was “merged back” into the parish of St. Peter (the oldest Catholic parish in New York City). It had separated from St. Peter’s in 1886. In 2023 the parish of St. Peter’s/ Our Lady of the Rosary merged with Our Lady of VIctory/St. Andrew’s. The decree stipulated:

3. The church of Our Lady of the Rosary will maintain a regular schedule of Masses and the celebration of other sacraments.

In 2023, the Sisters of Life, having been “evicted” from the parish of St. Andrew (see below), were made “custodians” of the shrine complex. The website of the parish of St. Peter does not list the Seton Shrine as a “worship site” or mention any religious services that take place here. On a recent visit I found it closed. I would be grateful if a reader can provide more information about the shrine’s current status. 1)

(Above) The (former) parish church. The real reason these buildings (and the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary) exist was the “Irish Mission” for immigrant girls founded at the initiative of Charlotte Grace O’Brien – who was at the time not even Catholic! It is one of many examples refuting the accusations made, e.g., in the recent film Cabrini, that in 19th century New York women were oppressed, Catholics did nothing for immigrants….

The coats of arms of Paul VI (above) and that of Cardinal Spellman (below). These can also be seen set in the floor of Holy Family Church, built at the same time as the Seton Shrine but in a radically different style.

B. St. Andrew’s.

St. Andrew’s was not really a “shrine” but was dedicated to the memory of Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes, archbishop of New York 1919-1938. He had been born in this very neighborhood, near the site of this church. In 1938 Hayes initiated the building of the present church in the newly emerging “Georgian” or “Catholic Meeting House” style we also encounter at the near contemporary Corpus Christi Parish near Columbia, or, later, at the Elizabeth Seton shrine (see above). Stained glass windows inside continue the patriotic theme. They commemorate “American” Catholics like Kateri Tekawitha, Mother Cabrini and Mother Seton (none of whom were saints at the time of the church’s construction).

After a long period of dwindling activity St Andrew’s was merged into the parish of Our Lady of Victory in 2017. On 5/10/2023 Cardinal Dolan decreed that Our Lady of Victory/ St. Andrew’s was in turn to be merged into the parish of St. Peter’s. Regarding St. Andrew’s, that decree specified that:

5. The church of Saint Andrew remains open for public and private worship. Mass will be celebrated on the anniversary of the dedication of the church and of its patronal feast. Further Masses and other sacraments will be celebrated as provided by the pastor of the newly merged parish.

Yet the website of the parish of St Peter’s states that:

St. Andrew’s was merged with Our Lady of Victory in 2017 and is currently closed.

This church obviously is closed. Indeed, The Sisters of Life, who in 2018 had moved here when their previous residence on East 71st Street was closed (and sold), in 2023 had to move out again, this time to the Seton Shrine (see above).

(Above) St Andrew’s today is oppressed by a dismal concentration of government buildings (courts, the police headquarters, etc.) and desolate streets (some blocked off). At the time of its rebuilding in 1939 it was already well on the way to being a “commuter church.”

(Above) The entrance (and the steps leading up to it) are now blocked off. Even the benches in front of the church have been disassembled.

(Above) St. Andrew’s was one of the oldest parishes of New York, but the present church was built in 1938/39.

(Above) How long will the bust of Cardinal Hayes continue to preside over the church that he started to build for his old parish? (Archbishop Spellman finished the construction.) (Below) A still-charming if untended Marian garden next to the church forms an extreme contrast with the surrounding desolation.

C. St. James.

To visit the (former) parish of St. James is to take a trip back in time. These few atmospheric short blocks (James and Oliver Streets) miraculously have come come down to us unchanged from the middle of the 19th century. The same is true of the brooding brownstone facade of St. James Church. Few places in Manhattan are so redolent of the past – although we must imagine this neighborhood being much more crowded, dirty and lively in the days of Governor Alfred Smith’s youth! For here, not just the church, but the entire neighborhood is a shrine, commemorating not a saint but a native New Yorker – Alfred E. Smith, governor of New York and who famously ran for president in 1928. St. James was his parish and he received (all) his education at its parochial school. His name has recently been in the news again, because of the Al Smith dinner, a ritual since 1946 commemorating this Catholic hero of yore.

(Above and below) The streets are named after St. James parish. Later, the name of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was added. This Irish society was was founded at this parish in 1836, and was instrumental in saving the church 40 years ago. (In the background is the Mariners’ Temple)

(Above) The old parochial school of St. James, which is still used as a catholic school by Transfiguration parish.

(Above and below). The entrance to the school (with the church of St. James visible on the left). The plaques call to our attention that Governor Alfred Smith his entire formal education here.

In the 1980’s the archdiocese threatened to close St. James. The Ancient Order of Hibernians led the resistence which blocked the closure (as is commemorated by the lower plaque above). But afterwards this church, despite valiant efforts to save her, was permitted to fall into disrepair again and was closed. Finally on 5/10/2023, Cardinal Dolan decided in effect to sell the church. 3) What was the reasoning?

Whereas Father Roger Kwan, Administrator of the Parish of Transfiguration – Saint James – Saint Joseph, South Manhattan, New York, has requested by letter of February 1, 2023 to relegate the church of Saint James, South Manhattan, to profane but not sordid use, because of the immense financial burden on the parish, the required financial resources needed to maintain ten (10) buildings, and the fact that this church was severely damaged by a fire in January of 2011, further adding to the financial burden;

That reasoning seems a little odd to me since St. James had been closed (and seems to have been gutted) years ago. And only Transfiguration parish is involved in the decision regarding one of the oldest amd most historically significant Catholic churches in New York? The next paragraph (quoting the Pope) appears even stranger:

Whereas we should always go first, not so much to our friends and wealthy neighbors, “but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked “those who cannot repay you’ (Lk14:14). There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message.

Or is it just a gratuitous occasion to quote Pope Francis? Of course the notion that the Archdiocese could use such a historic parish for evangelization is not even considered.

Now the voices that were still raised in the 1980’s against such historical and artistic vandalism have fallen silent. The Ancient Order of Hibernians lost control of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade a long time ago and I don’t know what their current level of activity is. Battles like those that erupted 20 years ago over churches like St Ann’s or Our Lady of Vilna – and more recently over Holy Innocents and St. Thomas More – are things of the past. The archdiocese does not even pretend that this and the other closures and sales are all part of some master plan. So this monument of New York Catholic history and art may soon – much more literally – belong to the past.

All photos are from September 2024. These are earlier my write-ups on these churches (and associated buildings):

Our Lady of the Rosary/Elizabeth Seton Shrine

St. Andrew’s

St. James (With pictures of the interior and Al Smith’s pew!)

1. The Church of St Peter and Our Lady of Victory; Decree on the Merger of the Territorial Parishes of Saint Peter-Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Victory-Saint Andrew, South Manhattan, New York (5/10/2023)
2. Id. (The same website and decree also deal with St. Andrew’s)
3. Decree on the Relegation of the Church of Saint James, South Manhattan, New York (5/10/2023)

Dear Family of the Archdiocese of New York,  Recently, I met with all the priests of the Archdiocese of New York to update them on our continuing response to the abuse crisis. It’s part of the pledge we made to you, God’s people, to make certain that we are living up to the safe environment policies and practices that we put in place over 20 years ago. It is important that I let you know as well how we are doing, as we also pledged to keep you posted. While even our enemies — and their name is legion — seem to admire and credit our archdiocese in serving all New Yorkers with exemplary reform and progress in this area of protecting our young people, we can never become complacent. Our annual audits by outside agencies, including our regular ones by the universally respected federal Judge Barbara Jones, assure us we’re keeping our promises. It is only right that we continue the essential, sensitive attention to victims and their families, and our scrupulous attention to the promises we’ve made to God’s people to provide a safe environment for their children.  Our vigilance extends as well to ensuring a safe environment for vulnerable adults and in the workplace. Our session rightfully recognized that this is now all fairly considered a big part of the “safe environment” we wish to nurture.I am proud that our bishops, priests, and lay staff all approached the sessions with great seriousness and sensitivity. They continue, as I do, to know that we can never relax in our efforts to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all. I also raise another issue that was discussed at our gathering that has serious implications for the future of the Church here in New York.  You all know, I am sure, of the Child Victims Act (CVA), passed by the New York State Legislature and signed into law in 2019. We have worked hard to settle meritorious cases not covered by insurance, in justice to the victims of years past. We settled over 400 hundred cases through our Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) and 123 more in response to the CVA.  There remains about 1400 cases of alleged abuse, some dating back to World War II! To be clear, not all of these allegations are against priests. In fact, the two largest groups of complaints are against a former volunteer basketball coach and a former janitor.   It has always been our wish to expeditiously settle all meritorious claims. However, Chubb, for decades our primary insurance company, even though we have paid them over $2 billion in premium by today’s standards, is now attempting to evade their legal and moral contractual obligation to settle covered claims which would bring peace and healing to victim-survivors. As a result we have sued them for violating New York’s General Business Law which protects New York consumers from deceptive and fraudulent business practices. In legal documents, Chubb has abandoned its archdiocese and parish policy holders and those people such policies were purchased to protect, the survivors of child sexual abuse. Chubb scurrilously claims that they are not obligated to settle claims because the abuse of victims was “expected or intended” by the Church. You read that right. They make the false argument that people like my beloved predecessors Cardinal Terence Cooke or Cardinal John O’Connor took actions with the intent of harming children, or at least expecting that would be the case. Outrageous!   Why would they make such an egregiously false claim? Easy. To protect their bottom line – one that currently brings in $2 billion per quarter. Their apparent plan, which other Chubb insured have fallen victim to – see the bankrupted Archdiocese of San Francisco, for instance — is designed to delay, delay, and further delay, hoping to force the archdiocese to pay the claims Chubb is legally responsible for paying but has refused to pay. A sad story! In the long run, all these cases are a towering expense for us.  As we diligently continue to shepherd the pastoral life of the archdiocese, we have taken dramatic steps to do more with less, by cutting costs but preserving our faith mission. We will be moving into new smaller offices next year, substantially reducing the cost of our office space, and putting our current archdiocesan headquarters on First Avenue on the market; the proceeds of that eventual sale will be used to ease the financial burden caused by the sexual abuse crisis. Other properties are carefully being considered for sale as well. Our future financial strength will require even more strategy and sacrifice and even more help from the archdiocese and more help from our parishes and people.  Be assured, however, that we can’t and won’t let this destroy us. Our clergy and I remain inspired by and grateful for your generosity. The Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal, for instance — half of which, as you know, is returned to our struggling parishes — is again on target to reach and go over its goal. But,even more profoundly, we have the promise of Jesus that He is with us always, and that the “gates of hell” will not destroy us, even though they sure keep trying! That’s an insurance policy, His Word, that will never fail to pay claims! We may be reduced to the frustrated reply and extended hand of Peter in the Temple Square to the disabled beggar asking for alms, “Silver and Gold I do not have. But, what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk!” And he did.  Cower and hide we will not! Fear we will not! We will stand and walk together through this, as we all did twenty-three years ago after 9/11, as we continue our resolve to compensate and reconcile with survivors, and as we ministered throughout the darkness of COVID. This challenge will strengthen our resolve to rely confidently upon the infinite power of the holy name of Jesus. With Him, nothing is impossible! Without Him, nothing is possible! Be assured of a remembrance in my Masses and prayers each day. A blessed autumn! With prayerful best wishes, I am,Faithfully in Christ, + Cardinal Timothy DolanTimothy Michael Cardinal DolanArchbishop of New York

What is the message here beneath the legal posturing? First, the archdiocese faces a financial crisis. And that directly flows out of the sexual abuse crisis. Second, properties are being sold to cover these “towering” liabilities – and others will be evaluated for sale. I don’t believe I have ever read a statement from the archdiocese tying the sale of properties – like closed churches, rectories schools, convents and now the archdiocesan headquarters – so directly to the settlement of abuse claims. Third, this will not be the end of the process:

Our future financial strength will require even more strategy and sacrifice and even more help from the archdiocese and more help from our parishes and people. (My bolding)

In other words, the parishes will have to contribute to the settlement funds. That may be more dire news for many churches (and nowadays, “worship spaces”) in Manhattan and in the suburbs, given the high real estate values that can be found there.

I wonder: with this dramatic letter could Cardinal Dolan be laying the foundation for a subsequent declaration of bankruptcy? All the other dioceses in New York State except Brooklyn have already entered bankruptcy proceedings. The archdiocese of New York has so far avoided that step – which would be a crushing blow to the prestige not only of the archdiocese, but also of the Catholic church in Anerica and indeed throughout the world.

Be assured, however, that we can’t and won’t let this destroy us.

That may be the case – let us hope so – but more Catholics need to start asking how the situation of the Catholic Church could have reached this state in the first place.

Compared to what we saw on our last visit in 2018, the shuttered church of St. Vincent de Paul has changed little. 1) Perhaps only the boards covering the windows have darkened – or have new ones been put up? The immediate neighborhood of the church on West 23rd Street seems ever more decrepit – is that what has slowed down demolition and new construction? Or is the developer only trying to assemble a larger plot?

What has happened is that the Jeanne D’Arc home, 253 West 24th Street – which until very recently still functioned as a a residence for women – has been shut down and sold:

The head of Red Apple Group scooped up 253 West 24th Street this week for $22.5 million after getting the go-ahead from the New York State Attorney General and long-time owner Jeanne D’arc Residence, which is tied to the Catholic Church.

“We got the approval of the cardinal, the pope, the attorney general,” Catsimatidis said.

“Does that make me eligible for sainthood?” he joked.

Red Apple needed the attorney general’s approval because the property was long-held by nonprofit the Jeanne D’Arc Residence, which was run by the Sisters of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Divine Providence. 2)

Now this residence was one of many institutions once affiliated with the parish of St. Vincent de Paul.

In 1896 Father Wucher (the pastor) established a home for French girls called the Jeanne d’Arc home …. The Jeanne d’Arc home, in charge of the Sisters of Divene Providence, has taken care of 12,487 immigrants, and 175 girls enjoy (1914) its hospitality. 3)

Today’s Catholics, with their notion of a “vibrant” conciliar parish, can hardly imagine the scale of the apostolates associated with a parish in 19th – early 20th century New York. In the case of St. Vincent de Paul, those included, in addition to the Jeanne d’Arc home, a “day nursery,” a parochial school, a childrens’ summer home on Staten island, a “home for destitute French women,” an academy, also on Staten Island, and a chapel on Washington Square South. The parish was also involved with the “French Hospital” on West 34th Street. 4)

So the Catholic parishes and institutions(schools, hospitals, residences etc.) once created for (and largely by) struggling immigrant populations are steadily disappearing from the face of New York City…..5)

1. The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “Waiting for the End” (2/24/2018). For a tour and description of the still-intact church see “The Churches of New York XX: Endangered Species” (2/9/2012).
2. Kavanaugh, Suzannah, “Catsimatidis expands Chelsea resi project with $23M deal: Red Apple Group head nabbed Catholic Church’s Jeanne D’Arc Residence” The Real Deal (8/29/2024) (Accessed 9/16/2024)
3. The Catholic Church in the United States of America Vol. III at 380 (The Catholic Editing Compny, New York, 1914)
4. Id.
5. Compare Centro Maria, another womens’ residence (and former parish) on West 54th street, also sold and recently demolished. Beling, Sarah, “Century-Old Hell’s Kitchen Church Residence, Parking Lot Make Way for Apartment Developments,“ w42st.com (5/10/2023) (accessed 9/16/2024) (Photos of demolition)

A. OUR LADY OF VILNA

Recently, in writing an obituary for Fr. Nicholas Gregoris, Fr. Peter Stravinskas recalled:

On September 27, 1987, as I was vesting for the Sunday evening Latin Mass at Our Lady of Vilna Church downtown, a young fellow approached me, cassock and surplice slung over his arm, and asked, “Father, may I serve?” “It’s a Latin Mass,” I replied. “That’s why I’m here,” came the cheeky response. 1)

That “Latin Mass” of course was the Novus Ordo. For it was at Our Lady of Vilna that the “Latin Mass” – in this form – reappeared in New York City. Later, the parish was closed and the church demolished. We have covered these developments on this blog. 2)

“570 Broome” was built on the site of the church in 2016:

570 Broome is a collection of fifty-four contemporary residences located at 570 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013. Inspired by the history and style of West SoHo, these residences offer a modern and stylish living experience. 

Asking prices for residences on the market range from $1.5M to $2.4M. 3)

B. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP (MANHATTAN)

The parish of our Lady of Perpetual Help was originally Czech and in the care of the Redemptorists. As a former parisioner recalled:

 Being Roman Catholic, Ed Chlanda’s family attended a different house of worship in the area. “The Jan Hus Church is a Presbyterian church and many Czechs went here as their church. The other church would be Our Lady of Perpetual Help, down on 61st St., which has now been demolished. That was a Catholic church.

Were you family regular attendees at the Catholic Church?

“Yes, my mom attended the Catholic Church. My dad was not such a church-goer. “I was baptised at our Lady of Perpetual Help and continued going to Catholic churches as a teen.”

Were the services conducted in Czech?

“Some were. Later on in the ‘50s they weren’t, but some were at that time, yes.” 4)

By the time I got around to writing about this parish in 2010 the church had already been demolished (after 1998). (The site of the church was eventually sold for a reported $21M.)The rectory had been repurposed as a home for retired Redemptorist priests. 5) The rectory was demolished some years later. A complex of modern buildings were erected in 2017 (on the site of the church) and 2020 (on the site of the rectory) and all leased or purchased by the Sloane Kettering Cancer Center. (Only hospitals and universities can compete with developers of luxury condominiums for Manhattan real estate on which Catholic churches, schools, rectories and convents once stood.) 6)

C. ST. JOHN THE MARTYR (250 East 72nd Street)

When we last visited the vicinity in 2014, St. John the Martyr parish was still fearfully hanging on. Affiliated with the parish were two town houses on East 71st Street – one the rectory, the other a convent of the Sisters of Life. 7) As I anticipated, all were subsequently sold and demolished. Now the developer has acquired additional properties and demolished the structures on them. A luxury high rise is in the works. Coincidentally, the (formerly Catholic) college of Marymount Manhattan announced this year that it is merging with ( I suspect “being acquired by” might be more accurate) Northeastern University of Boston.

1. Stravinskas, Fr. Peter, “Reverend Nicholas L. Gregoris, Requiescat in Pace,” Catholic World Report ( 8/27/2024) (accessed 9/15/2024).
2. The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “Our Lady of Vilna RIP” (7/23/2015); “The Churches of New York XXV: Losses, Part II (With a Commemoration of the Restoration of Liturgical Latin in New York)” (5/7/2012).
3. Highline Residential LLC, 570 Broome: 570 Broome Street Condominium in Hudson Square, Manhattan (accessed 9/15/2024)
4. Radio Prague International, “Old Czech New York – a Guided Tour” (3/30/2019) (accessed 9/15/2024)
5. The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “The Churches of New York III: Losses” (9/22/2010)
6. Young, Michael, “323 East 61st Street Nears Topping Out On The Upper East Side,“ New York YIMBY(2/2/20220) (accessed 9/15/2024); Bockmann, Rich, “Sloan Kettering pays $185M for UES medical center” The Real Deal((9/13/2022) (accessed 9/15/2024)
7. The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “The Churches of New York LIX: The Two Churches of St. John I” (7/4/2014); Young, Michael and Pruznick, Matt, “New Rendering Revealed For 252-260 East 72nd Street On Manhattan’s Upper East Side,” New York YIMBY (11/17/2023) (accessed 9/15/2024)Moody, Josh, “Northeastern Expands With Marymount Manhattan Merger,” Inside Higher Ed (5/30/2024) (accessed 9/15/2024)

Parishioners at Most Precious Blood, a 120-year-old Church in Little Italy that is at the heart of the annual San Gennaro festival each September, were told they were going to be assigned a pastor that they will share with an East Village parish. The move comes after Cardinal Dolan rescinded its ten year merger with the Basilica of Old St. Patrick Cathedral on Jan. 1.

Parishioners of Most Precious Blood…. were told on Jan 14 that the church is not for sale presently and that a pastor from a church in the East Village will now jointly administer both parishes. ”The building is not for sale,” Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese said of the building on 113 Baxter St. which also has a door onto Mulberry St. 1)

Cardinal Dolan’s decree only mentions as supporting reasons an “evaluation” and the fact that Most Precious Blood and Old St. Patrick’s are “too different” to continue the merger. 2)

Most Precious Blood church is a veritable treasury of Italian statues and devotions. Indeed, recently new ones from other closed parishes have been added. The church has also been important to the New York Vietnamese community. The St. Hugh of Cluny Society has sponsored several masses there – in connection with the San Gennaro festival and otherwise. 3) We hope this historic church continues in existence and remains accessible – also outside festival times.

1. Kelly, Keith J., “Fate Still Up in Air: Historic Little Italy Church Will Share Pastor with E. Village Church,” Our Town Downtown(1/23/2024) (accessed 8/31/2024
2. “Decree rescinding the Decree of Merger of the Territorial Parish of Saint Patrick Old Cathedral and the Personal Parish of Most Precious Blood, New York” (1/1/2024) (accessed 8/31/2024)
3. E.g., The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, “Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows at Most Precious Blood Church” ( 9/16/2018).