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

The Connecticut Right to Life Conference will take place on Sunday Sept. 29 at St. Patrick’s Oratory in Waterbury, following the 10:30 am Sung Traditional Mass.

by  Ida Friederike Görres

Translated by Jennifer S. Bryson

Cluny Media LLC, Providence RI ( 2023) 

Ida Friederike Görres, a German Catholic writer and apologist well known in her day, slipped into undeserved obscurity after her death in 1971. In recent years devoted followers of hers like Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz and Jennifer S. Bryson have labored to rescue Görres from oblivion. Jennifer Bryson maintains a  website that covers all things related to Görres, to which she has recently added a substack. Jennifer Bryson is also the translator of The Church in the Flesh (in other words, the Church incarnate, the “really existing” Church), a volume originally published in 1950. 

Now The Church in the Flesh differs from two works of Görres I have previously reviewed, which, consisting of diary entries or letters, commented on a wide range of literature, personalities and current events. 1)  The Church in the Flesh, in contrast, is a more integrated,  theological presentation –  an apologia of the Catholic Church as she concretely exists.   But Görres seeks to link this description and defense of the Church to the subjective spiritual life of the believer. She employs more concrete, conversational,  and emotional language then one would encounter in a neo-scholastic treatise on the subject. In a sense, The Church in the Flesh is also a work of Catholic spirituality

The Church in the Flesh takes the form of letters addressed to (fictitious?) correspondents.  Görres’s dialogue partners present objections to – or at least raise doubts regarding – the Catholic Church to which Görres responds at length. The criticisms of her correspondents are not those of a theologian or philosopher but platitudes one commonly encounters in the news media or educational establishments in 1950 and today. So, for example, the chapter “The Nuisance of Morality” deals with the claim that the Church is reducible to a system of morality and, simultaneously,  with the opposite position: that the Church has nothing to do with morality. Long ago I heard the first statement solemnly uttered by a representative of a much older generation; the second, of course, is something we hear now every day. So, the questions Görres addresses remain relevant.

Görres emphasizes that the Church is not a disembodied idea or “religious concept” but a concrete reality. “The Church has always understood herself to be historical, that is, to exist in time and space.”  And that is because the Church is an extension of Christ, both God and Man. In the incarnation, God really entered our world. So we have to deal with Him here from now on:

with the traces and witnesses, the memories and attempts of this long-standing interaction with Him – you see, this life and its visible manifestation are what we call the Church. (p.15)

Thus, a believer’s relation to the Church is also his relationship with Christ. 

The Church has not deviated from an allegedly perfect “Early Church” but has developed from it. Görres argues for the role of tradition,  drawing heavily on Cardinal Newman’s thought on the development of doctrine. Tradition is a support for the believer  – but it also includes development. And one cannot absolutize any given era in the Church’s history. 

In the chapter “Church of the Saints “ Görres writes perhaps the most eloquent and passionate pages of this book. For hagiography was her profession.  Why does she write books on the saints? They are not, after all, necessarily perfect. 

Yes! For me, the saint is the most important person, not only in the Church. The saint is the most important person on the world because the saint is the decisive answer to the big riddle: What is a human being? … Humans are beings who can already partake of God’s holiness in this mammalian body, in this so widely explorable, transparent, predictable soul, in the midst of this world: visible, verifiable, real.  The human is created and called to be perfected in such holiness and to exist in it for eternity. (p. 184)

Throughout this book Görres writes of “the Church” being this or “the Church” teaching that. The Church, in her institutions, practices and doctrine, appears as a uniform, coherent bloc. This is entirely typical of the self-understanding and self-presentation of the Church in that period. Today, of course, we can hardly think of any teaching or aspect of the Church that is not questioned or outright rejected by a party within the institutional Church itself. Today the Catholic can no longer state baldly “the Church” teaches or does this or that without specifying who in the Church teaches or does it.

Görres sets out an extremely “conservative”  (in other words, limited) explanation of papal infallibility – quite different from ideas of some Church circles in that day or what is asserted now for Pope Francis. She indeed wishes to deemphasize the Catholic fixation on this doctrine. Instead, she speaks warmly of the infallible “ordinary magisterium” of the universal Church.(pp. 88-89)

Curiously, while emphasizing the living presence of Christ in the Church, Görres devotes relatively few pages to the liturgy. There are exceptions -such as the following eloquent passages on the witness of the liturgy to the reality and necessity of the personal spiritual struggle:

The liturgy is also full of evidence of this struggle(against the devil – SC). Every baptism begins with an exorcism. demands the solemn renunciation, of the Devil. his works, his splendor. …The Holy Mass , the memory of the Lord’s Death, brings before our eyes the terrible seriousness of this struggle, its final consequences, and the cost of this victory, and even over the coffin of a person we beseech God that it would please Him to deliver at the gates of hell the soul that He has recalled.

Have you ever taken part in the wonderful rite of the consecration of water [for the baptismal font] on Holy Saturday where the “water, a creature,” the eloquent symbol of everything elemental,  unsubdued, of the netherworld in and outside of man, is taken into consideration and is called to be a means for his rebirth.

The cult of the martyrs, the oldest cult of saints in the Church, the veneration of the Holy Cross, the whole Good Friday liturgy, mean exactly the same thing as the sacrament of the Eucharist on every weekday: the Church knows that the victory of God in this world is only visible by exception; that it must time and time again take place the form of destruction, in the testimony of defeat.

(pp. 174-175. Of course, these examples are taken from the traditional liturgy!)

Towards the end of this book, Görres makes an extraordinarily perceptive observation in critiquing a somewhat esoteric spiritual temptation of some contemporary Catholic writers. Their characters refused the support and consolation of the spiritual treasures offered to them by the Church and elected to “go it alone” and rely on their own spiritual experience.

In his War Journals, Ernst Jünger makes this very fitting remark: “Property is considered suspect not only by outside observers, by the disinherited; it becomes suspect, even burdensome and boring, from within, for the owners themselves…  Possessions require the strength to possess…. (p. 203) 2)

Görres applies this profound insight to a problem of personal spirituality,  but does it not also perfectly describe one of the main (unspoken) psychological motivations of Vatican II and its aftermath? The mania for simplification in the liturgy, the abandonment of fasting and other ascetical practices, the jettisoning by the religious of their habits and rules, the scorning of traditional ecclesiastical art– had not all these spiritual “possessions” or “inherited wealth”  (Görres’s phrase) become dubious – too burdensome, too boring, to hold on to –  at least in the minds of the clergy and religious? 

Yet Görres’s defense of the Church as she concretely exists is not at all unqualified. She writes of internal conflicts, of failings, even of spiritual decline. The criticisms of Görres have a certain vagueness and lack of specificity. Yet we can discern the beginnings of  lines of thought that would later be used to justify radical change in the Church.3)

For example, at the very beginning of this book, Görres gives us a kind of “parable” which I quote at length:

[W]hen I ask converts what the first noticeable reason was for their turning to the Church, their answer almost always mentions one of the things that you summarized in exasperation (I already know what you meant!) under the word “knickknacks“: the impression from a Mass, the sight of penitents waiting in front of the confessional,  a procession,  the chance participation in a Catholic funeral, a Marian devotion in May, a stay in the hospital under the care of Catholic sisters, a visit to a monastery – in short,  an encounter with precisely that visible, tangible element of the Church that so many of her own children call burdens and embarrassments and even view as objectionable.  4)

On the other hand,  when I asked a French worker-priest from that bold vanguard of the Paris Mission what actually prevents the majority of workers from believing,  whether it is the dogmas,  the strictness of Catholic moral demands …. (He said) ”Oh no, that’s all too complicated, too fundamental; the external manifestation of the Church as she is, that is the big obstacle.” 5)

There is room for both statements; both concern us.“ (Pp. 3-4)

The author seems to regard this asserted dualism with a certain ambivalence. The external manifestations of if the Church are both an attraction – at least for outsiders – and a stumbling block for “so many of her own children.”  But is not this comparison weighted?  The layman (especially the convert!), captivated by so-called externals, is contrasted with the “bold” clergy who reject them in favor of direct communication and social action. In the 1960’s, of course, the clergy would wage war upon these “externals” and would feel empowered to forcefully enlighten the benighted laity attached to them. One is reminded of the insights of Fr. Bryan Houghton on this very subject.6)

In The Church in the Flesh Ida Görres undertook to justify the Church to “modern man” utilizing fresh language and concepts.  As always, her work is studded with brilliant observations and beautiful passages. At the same time, we can discern ideas, if only in inchoate form, that later became the dogmas of a future Catholic revolution. Indeed, some  of the criticisms Görres addressed in this book are today routinely restated by those holding the highest offices in the Church herself!  But these were future developments which Görres herself would be unable to support. In dealing with “timeless” issues raised by the Church’s presence in the world, The Church in the Flesh remains a valuable resource –  and also an intriguing witness to a particular moment in the history of the Church. 

1.  Broken Lights: Diaries and Letters 1951-1959 (1964); „Wirklich die neue Phönixgestalt?”  Über Kirche und Konzil: Unbekannte Briefe 1962-1971 an Paulus Gordan (2015)
2. The translation of Jünger’s diary quoted in The Church in the Flesh omits several words, which obscures the meaning of what he  – and Görres –  are saying. See Jünger, Ernst, Strahlungen II, at 276 (Ernst Klett Verlag, Stuttgart, 1949). I have taken the liberty of amending part of this quote.
3. Coincidentally or not, in the immediate post-World War II period, another female German Catholic author, Gertrud von Le Fort, was also creating  a minor uproar with her 1946 novel The Wreath of the Angels.  It set forth a precursor of the moral philosophy we have since seen expounded in Amoris Laetitia.
4. This recitation of aspects of Catholicism resembles certain statements of Simone Weil (for whom Görres later expressed dislike).
5. The “worker-priest” movement would experience grave conflicts with the Vatican beginning shortly after the publication of this book. 
6. Especially Judith’s Marriage (published in 1987,  but describing the Catholic world from the 1950’s to 1968) (Angelico Press, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2020)

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)