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)

On Saturday morning , the National Latin Mass Pilgrimage took place, with a 7-mile procession from St. Thomas More Cathedral, Arlington to St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington DC.

On Saturday, November 9, the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny will sponsor a lecture by the distnguished scholar Dr. Marie Meaney on:

The Beauty that Saves – Simone Weil on Beauty, the Supernatural and the Liturgy

Simone Weil is a towering figure of 20th century spirituality. She profundly influenced such literary figures as Cristina Campo, who, after 1965, organized the first petitions to preserve the traditional liturgy. We are looking forward to hearing about Weil’s insights on beauty and the liturgy!

The event will start at 3 PM and will include a reception. The location is the Stuart and Jill Chessman at 2 Tamarack Pl, Greenwich, CT 06831. We would appreciate if you would let us know if you are coming by emailing:

hughofcluny@gmail.com

Dr. Marie Meaney is a specialist on the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil, on whom she has written two books. She holds graduate degrees in modern languages and philosophy from Oxford University and the IAP in Liechtenstein. She taught at the University of Villanova in Philadelphia before the birth of her daughter. Since then, she’s been an independent scholar, giving lectures, penning academic but also popular articles, working on a book on totalitarianism from the perspectives of Simone Weil and Hannah Arendt, and teaching courses, for example, at the International Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria. She’s also written a book on infertility, When Expecting doesn’t Happen: Turning Infertility into a Journey of Hope, that was published by Emmaus Press but has appeared in other languages as well ( French, German, Croatian, Hungarian, and Spanish).

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.

So, Kamala Harris has turned down an invitation to the Al Smith dinner of the New York Archdiocese. Now some have asked what Kamala Harris may have lost  – or gained –  by not attending this event. I believe she has lost nothing and has avoided some not insignificant political risks. 

The Al Smith dinner, which saw the light of day in 1946,  is a classic relic of the “Age of Spellman.” The Catholic Church after World War II sought to demonstrate its alignment with – and acceptance by –  the governing powers of the United States. Catholics have arrived and are now respected by all  – that was the message. And that alleged newly won Catholic influence was firmly under the direction  of the hierarchy. The dinner took on additional significance when, starting in1960, it became customary in an election year for the two presidential candidates to jointly appear. (There have been several instances since 1960 when they did not.) 

But even in 1946, apparently overlooked by the leadership of the Catholic Church,  the total secularization of the United States government and society was well underway. (e.g., Everson v. Board of Education (1947) and its “wall of separation between church and state”). As the years passed, Cardinal Spellman himself was forced into conflicts with the rising secularist tide. He even lived long enough to see himself demonized as a reactionary by the media. By 2024, what with the “devout” Catholic President Joe Biden fighting for abortion (amid the subdued voices of the American Catholic hierarchy), the notion of any specifically Catholic political influence had become a sick joke.  

Clearly,  Kamala Harris’s presence at an event like the Al Smith dinner, although it may be important to the prestige of the Archbishop of New York,  will have no effect on the actual voting by Catholics. We read that the views of Catholics today on issues traditionally seen as “Catholic” – abortion, “LGBT,” contraception, etc. – track those of the general population.  This moral indifferentism is also implicit in the format of the Al Smith dinner, which attempts to simulate an aura of good feeling, of equivalence between the candidates of the two parties. The message is that their differences may be, after all, not that great. Indeed, did not Pope Francis just recently declare the same thing himself (Catholics should vote for “the lesser of two evils”)? 1) The “seamless garment” has become the de facto ideology of the Catholic Church. 

If Kamala Harris gains nothing by attending the dinner, what risks does she avoid by skipping it? Various commentators have focused on the danger of an unscripted exchange with Trump that could prove damaging to her. For the key to her campaign strategy  is maintaining a totally controlled outward appearance. This point has obviously been raised by the Trump camp. But progressive Catholic commentators devoted to Kamala Harris say essentially the same thing. They assert that Trump would violate the rules of the game of the Al Smith dinner (as he allegedly did in 2016),  go on the attack,  and put her on the spot.1)

Reading carefully this progressive Catholic commentary, however,  I sense there’s a more profound reason why Kamala Harris might have been well advised to avoid this event. The entire focus of this year’s campaign of the Democratic party – and of the American establishment  –  is to depict Trump as an untouchable, a demonic figure, an enemy of democracy. One does not engage in friendly banter with such an adversary! Thus, this strategy directly contradicts the image that the Al Smith dinner seeks to project: that, at some level, there exists an underlying unity between the two candidates and between them and the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, regarding the last point,  Harris might be reluctant to participate in an event with this Church that could raise doubts among her supporters regarding her militancy in favor of abortion.

Is it not a strange outcome? The party of unrestricted abortion is making the (unexpressed) case that, contrary to what the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is explicitly or implicitly teaching,  there is a profound and unbridgeable gap between the two candidates. This remains so even after the recent waffling of Trump and Vance on abortion. For it is one thing to be lukewarm on this issue, it is another to be a fanatic advocate of unrestricted abortion. Kamala Harris is thereby unwittingly but helpfully pointing out the underlying fallacy of the Al Smith dinner itself.

1. Of course, it is ironic that Pope Francis’s recent statement on the American election, along with his repeated gestures in favor of Joe Biden, raise exactly the issue of papal interference in American politics that the opponents of Al Smith alleged in 1928!
2. Winters, Michael Sean, “Why it is smart for Kamala Harris to skip the Al Smith dinner,” National Catholic Reporter (9/24/2024); Spang, Thomas, “Harris meidet Kirchen-Dinner: Verpasste Chance oder kluger Schachzug?” katholisch.de ( (9/27/2024) (From Germany (!) but quoting a professor from Fordham) (Both accessed 9/29/2024)

Remaining Tour Dates: 

Friday, September 20: Nashua NH
 

Saturday, September 21: Providence, RI
 

Tuesday, September 24: Washington, DC
 

Friday, September 27 to 29: Pittsburgh, PA

For more information about locations, times and to register: https://sophiainstitute.com/promo/bishop-schneiders-book-tour/?mc_cid=44d621b4f9&mc_eid=a9c04ed159