Jazz Concert Friday Evening at Apreiskimo in Williamsburg

The Plight of St. Vincent's: It takes a Village, Old and New United

Todays New York Times, one of my 3 sources of morning adrenaline, addresses the current crisis at St. Vincent's Hospital in a piece titled The Decline of St. Vincents. The piece attributes financial woes of the institution to a composite of forces including the Sisters' of Charity exercise of, well, charity:

"How St. Vincent’s went from a cherished neighborhood institution to one threatened with extinction is a chronicle of increasingly troubled management whose problems were made worse by the economics of the health care industry, changes in the fabric of a historic neighborhood and the low profit potential in religious work."

The article also states that the hospital did not change with the neighborhood and quotes Susan Sarandon:

“I would not want to bring my children there,” Ms. Sarandon declared at a landmarks preservation hearing."

The article opens with the following description:

For more than 150 years, St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan has been a beacon in Greenwich Village, serving poets, writers, artists, winos, the poor and the working-class, and gay people."

It goes on to describe the current clientele:

"In short, many of the patients who frequent St. Vincent’s are part of the old Village rather than the new Village, as was clear from a tour of the emergency room last week. It was electric with activity, every bed filled. Many of the patients were elderly, from Chinatown, or grizzled remnants of the Village’s old working class."

Wouldn't it be great if the denizens of the "new Village" took a page from the Sisters of Charity and behaved like neighbors rather than consumers, becoming activists for the cause of St. Vincent's? Why do we have this "old Village/new Village" healthcare consumption dichotomy? Can't we have one Village that embraces everyone?

Susan Sarandon: Please become part of the solution.

Demolition Worker Killed on Site of St. George's Church, Shenandoah, PA

John Usalis' piece in today's "Standard Speaker,"County man killed in fall at St. George describes a fatal fall that took the life of John Martz and injured his co-worker, Anthony Webb.

A quote from parishioner Charles Vascavage:

""I'm a parishioner and I've been here every day since they started," Vascavage said, who has come to know the workers doing the demolition.

"These guys are like friends to us," Vascavage said. "I'm very sorry that this happened. I'm going to pray for this man for the rest of my life. We told them all that we wished them no ill will. This is almost like a family member getting hurt."

Let us pray for the soul of John Martz, the restoration to health of John Webb and for everyone touched by this tragedy. Like Charles Vascavage, for the rest of our lives.

Freising on Broome Street

dotCommonweal brought my attention to the fact that on January 16th honorary citizenship of the City of Freising was conferred upon Pope Benedict. The blog excerpted his brief talk. Everything he said of the Cathedral is also true, in my estimation, of Our Lady of Vilnius. Below I present the Pope's speech in grayscale sentence by sentence followed by my minimal paraphrase, in black italic. Here goes:

"Today Munich airport is located at the gates of Freising." Today Our Lady of Vilnius is located at the mouth of the Holland Tunnel. "Those who land or take off from there see the towers of Freising Cathedral, they see the mons doctus, and can perhaps understand a little of its past history and of its present." Those who are idling in traffic, awaiting passage to New Jersey, see the squat, begrimed little church, they see the humble surroundings and fading signs and can perhaps understand a little of its past history and of its present. "Freising has always had a sweeping view of the chain of the Alps." Our Lady of Vilnius has always been overshadowed by its taller neighbors. "By means of the airport it has become, in a certain sense, also global and open to the world." By means of the tunnel it has become, in a certain sense, also global and open to the world. "And yet I want to say: the Cathedral with its towers points upwards to heights that are loftier by far and very different from those we reach in airplanes; the true heights, the heights of God from whom comes the love that gives us authentic humanity." And yet I want to say: the church with its small striving towers points upwards to destinations that are loftier by far and very different from those we reach in any vehicle; the true heights, the heights of God from whom comes the love that gives us authentic humanity. "Yet the Cathedral does not only indicate the loftiness of God who forms us and shows us the way, but also indicates an expanse, and this is not only because the Cathedral embraces centuries of faith and prayer, because it contains, so to speak, the whole community of saints, of all those who went before us who believed, prayed, suffered and rejoiced." Yet the tiny church does not only indicate the loftiness of God who forms us and shows us the way, but also indicates an expanse, and this is not only because the church embraces a century of faith and prayer, because it contains, so to speak, the whole community of saints, of all those who went before us who believed, prayed, suffered and rejoiced. "It indicates, in general, the great host of all believers of all time." "Thus it also shows a vastness which goes beyond globalization, because, in diversity, even in the different cultures and origins, it gives the strength of inner unity, in other words it gives that which can unite us: the unifying power of being loved by God." Thus, though small, humble and locally beloved, it also shows a vastness which goes beyond globalization, because, in diversity, even in the different cultures and origins, it gives the strength of inner unity, in other words it gives that which can unite us: the unifying power of being loved by God. "Thus for me Freising also continues to point out a path." Thus for me, for countless travelers and for the Lithuanian diaspora, Our Lady of Vilnius also continues to point out a path: a path that I hope our church will continue to illuminate with the Holy Spirit for years to come.

I wish that we were in a time when we could venture forth in our sandaled feet to kneel before the Pope to present our petition for the survival of our parish. I can't help but believe that Pope Benedict would listen and respond with kindness. I believe that he would feel our sadness and acknowledge the great value that this holy place had, and continues to have, for so many? How can we reach him? How can we reach their hearts?

Hey! That name rings a bell!

Galante? Where did I hear that before?

"Biggest Loser, Parish Edition"

Back in November, thanks to the Murphy Report, "mental reservation" got a lot of press. Mental reservation is a longstanding sin-evasion tactic that involves the clever juxtaposition of facts to present the "receiver" with the opportunity to draw a conclusion favorable to the "reserver" even if the conclusion is not true. One of my readers (I have 2 that I know of) commented on my post of November 28:

"You know how the Fox network has that show called "Lie to Me"?....maybe EWTN could have "Amphibologize Me." Is that where we get the word "fib"?"

Well, today's New York Times piece, Catholics Reel as a Diocese Whittles Its Parishes, describing the "consolidation" process in the archdiocese of Camden suggests another potential blockbuster for EWTN: "Biggest Loser, Parish Edition".

Across the nation archdioceses are toppling like dominos in response to financial woes and lack of priests. The archdiocese of Camden is the one most recently publicized in the press, but the repetition makes it no less painful. There is no "they" here. "They" are "us", suffering the same pain and sorrow of loss and receiving, at least in the press releases, little pastoral comfort from the top of the hierarchy.

Today's Times article focuses on the parish of the Most Holy Redeemer in Deptford Township, NJ. Salient quote from parishioner:

"“There is so much blood and sweat in that church,” said Mrs. Medany, who raised four children in the parish, including Deptford’s current mayor, Paul Medany. “We have a church here we busted our humps for. It’s gorgeous and we love it. And we are very upset.”

This is what the archdiocese says:

"Bishop Joseph A. Galante, head of the Camden Diocese since 2004, said his decision to consolidate parishes, although difficult, was pivotal to revitalizing Catholicism in South Jersey.

“With all these individual parishes, effectively we’ve lost 76 to 78 percent of our people who don’t practice the faith,” the bishop said. “To keep doing the same thing over and over again in the same way and expect different results, as you know, is a sign of insanity.”

He said that parishes needed a critical mass of worshipers to attract young people and immigrants, two points that parishioners have made to him. Parishes must also be big enough to pay staff members and not rely on volunteers."

What is being mentally reserved in this statement? Maybe EWTN could create a winning line up by running "Amphibologize Me" and "Biggest Loser: Parish Edition" back to back.

Archdiocesan leaders could learn a lot about doing it right by consulting with parishioners where they've done it wrong. Having lost our churches, we are also concerned about losing our Church. Maybe "Extreme Makeover: Archdiocese Edition" would draw big numbers among the laity. If the powers that be are concerned about "branding," they should consult me. My iron is hot!

Archdiocese of New York Mourns Benefactor

Yesterday in the archdiocese, another life was celebrated and another death was mourned. This obituary appeared in my local Gannett paper. Another man that I never met, though his life surely touched mine through the many institutions and agencies that he helped and guided.

How many of us that never knew need to thank Mr. Harrington with our prayers?

Another Soul for the Our Lady of Vilnius Basement of Kindred Spirits

Some time ago, January 19, to be exact, I lingered over the obituary of David Sarkisyan. I had never heard of him during his lifetime, but he is someone that I regret not meeting, a man whom I would have gladly staked to a Svyturys at the OLV bar above. Some defining paragraphs from his obit:

"Mr. Sarkisyan, who was appointed the museum’s director in 2000, warned of a “cultural catastrophe,” saying that Moscow was losing its face and character. He was highly critical of Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and his wife, Yelena Baturina, a billionaire real estate magnate.

His battles were hard fought but often futile. Thousands of signatures collected by the museum and vocal protests were not enough to save Voentorg, an early-20th-century department store located directly across the street from the museum’s main building. It was replaced by a new building that many regarded as a poor imitation of the old one."

Today, the New York Times ran another piece about Mr. Sarkisyan, An Appraisal: The Keeper of Moscow's Architectural Conscience"

Andre Ilyin's photo, below, accompanying the article, shows Mr. Sarkisyan in his office surrounded by a glorious jumble of archetypes and artifacts, a scene that evokes the Our Lady Vilnius Rectory office.

The following quotes cemented my feelings of solidarity with this man:

"...he was an extraordinary if anachronistic example of what a single person at the helm of a crumbling institution with few financial resources could accomplish — even in a world that seemed bent on silencing him."

And:

“He was not interested in having a comfortable life; he didn’t follow any of the normal rules,” Peter Noever, director of the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, said in a recent telephone interview. “He stood for resistance.”

Thanks to all the people who are trying to save the natural habitat of the artistic spirit, possibly the Holy Spirit.

St. Vincent's Hospital is Endangered

Today as I got my morning jolt of reality from WNYC, I heard that St. Vincent's Hospital as we know it is endangered. The New York Post, in its inimitable style, covers this item in today's article, Prayin' for St. Vinny's. This piece is subtitled "Bishop Leads Fight."

Many Our Lady of Vilnius parishioners receive their care from St. Vincent's, and several compare the quality of care favorably to the higher profile uptown medical centers.

In this fight, we are on the Archbishop's side.

Our Lady of Vilnius on E-Bay

THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT

An Our Lady of Vilnius parishioner called my attention to this coin, which is for sale on E-Bay. Apparently the coin was issued by the Republic of Palau in 2009. It is no longer surprising to me that devotion to Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is so far-flung. In 2005, while St. Stanislaus Kostka was still open, I sat next to a visiting priest, Father Joseph,and showed him pictures of Our Lady of Vilnius church on Broome Street. He immediately identified our altar icon as "Our Lady of Ostra Brama," with whom he was familiar from his boyhood church in Indonesia. I was happy to imagine her serenely gazing over a congregation on the other side of the world.

The text associated with the coin for sale on E-Bay is taken from Wikipedia's entry for Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn and makes brief mention to the closure of our Broome Street church, which it once referenced as one of the of the "Shrines in Other Locations."

Though US currency bears "In God We Trust" (and so do our courtroom walls), the relationship between church and state is always controversial in this country. It is interesting that Palau minted a coin bearing an image of Our Lady.