Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Struggle to Save Our Lady of Loreto

Our Lady of Loreto is the last Italian national church in Brooklyn. A New York Times article, A Church That Held the Neighborhood’s Heart, presented its story in December of 2008: a story of Italian immigrants creating a house of worship and a community through sweat equity and donations from their hard earned pay.

Over time the neighborhood demographics changed and the Brooklyn Archdiocese, having merged the parish of Our Lady of Loreto into Presentation in Bed-Stuy, plans to demolish the church and proceed with a plan to construct low income housing on the site.

Those involved in the preservation of the church have proposed a plan of their own that saves the church, transforming it into a community center and cultural pavilion that would anchor the housing development. The archdiocese has expressed a determination to stick to their plan, which they say is "shovel ready." The New York Times revisited Our Lady of Loreto today with a piece, A Fight for a Church Is Evoking Introspection. The Times piece elicited a post from Margaret O'Brien Steinfels at dotCommonweal, What sbout the Italians - in America?

The people trying to save the church make an appeal to Archbishop DiMarzio in this brief video:

Learn more about the church and the cause at the following sites:

Save Our Lady of Loreto
Our Lady of Loreto

As we enter Holy Week, please include those who loved, and are trying not to lose, Our Lady of Loreto.

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