Gee, why didn't they do something like this for St. Mary's?
“At this point St. Mary’s can only be saved by the people who care.” These are the words of Brody Hale, the attorney who is guiding St. Mary’s through the intricacies of Canon Law. Brody will be holding a Zoom meeting at 7:00 PM on May 27, 2026. If you care, please attend. The more who are there, the better the chance that things go well for the church in the future.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE YONKERS LANDMARK PRESERVATION BOARD
To the membership of the City of Yonkers Landmark Preservation Board:
"The news about the latest round of forced fundraising about to hit the parishes will not be widely discussed and pastors will not take the case to their parish communities. “It is not going to be totally democratic,” acknowledged a pastor."
- Keith Kelly, The Spirit
"Instead, the archdiocese will be sending representatives to meet individually in the next few weeks to meet with pastors, the two lay trustees of each parish and the financial committee to determine how much each parish will be asked to contribute."
It sounds like these get togethers are going to be more like a vote than a consultation, given the presence of the lay trustees. I hope the trustee know that they are voting. It may not be formal.
Please read all about it at The Spirit. Mr. Kelly does a good job of placing this development in the context of archdiocesan finances and real estate transactions: Archdiocese to Pastors: Raise Millions for Sexual Abuse Victims or go Bankrupt
Every Sunday at St. Mary's I put some cash in the basket. Since Cardinal Dolan issued another decree on December 17th, St. Mary's is not a parish. I am not sure that my gift is being used to promote St. Mary's survival. My crumpled bills accompany the envelopes to St. Peter's Church, the parish church of St. Peter-St. Denis-St. Mary's Parish. I don't know what happens after that or where the money goes. Like the people sitting around me at Mass, the money I put in this basket is a prayer for the future of St. Mary's.
I do know that, despite St. Mary's shifting canonical status, the civil corporation called "Church of the Immaculate Conception" exists. I know this because, on November 14, 2024, the "Church of the Immaculate Conception" joined the Archdiocese of New York in suing the City of Yonkers to remove landmark status from St. Mary's.
The "Church of the Immaculate Conception" is the civil corporation that owns and manages the real assets of St. Mary's Parish. It sued the City of Yonkers to remove the landmark designation that parishioners sought, obtained and celebrated. There was never a ruling in the case. Attorneys representing the "Church of the Immaculate Conception" proposed a settlement that may make it easier to close the church. The City of Yonkers agreed to it.
Did our coins, bills and envelopes pay for a lawsuit that paves the way for the demolition of our church? Maybe. There is no transparency.
Today I was alerted to two articles stating that the Archdiocese of New York is asking parishes to fund reparations to abuse victims to prevent the Archdiocese from declaring bankruptcy:
Archdiocese of NY warns priests of bankruptcy — unless hundreds of millions are raised to pay sex abuse victims by Rich Calder of The New York Post“As is happening elsewhere, so-called national parishes, at one time established to serve the needs of a particular national or ethnic community, are being discontinued ..."
OK, first off, I object to "discontinued." It is a corporate, not a canonical term. Is the corporate mentality so entrenched in the Archdiocese that its spokesman spouts it like national parishes are a product line that is not putting enough value into the bottom line?
Second, I think identifying a class of parishes and blanket extinguishing them all for the same reason violates canon law. To the only surviving national parishes in the Archdiocese I can only say, "YO! Heads up! Maybe you're next."
Many national parishes are being "discontinued" a hundred years or more after they were established. They have a potent and unique charism grown from the foundation laid down by the founding parishioners and enriched by those who were later drawn to worship there. In the intervening years they retain their cultural characteristics but evolve to include diverse parishioners who are attracted to community values, the residual customs and the living examples of faith given by the old timers. When it closed 100 after years, St. Stanislaus Kostka's Mass was in English. Some Polish hymns were played on special occasions and potluck dinners had servings of kielbasi and pierogi which were enjoyed by all. All were welcomed into the community and people of all ethnicity were drawn to the simplicity and warmth of the parish. At one time we had 2 young choristers of African American/Filipino heritage singing heartily in phonetic Polish.
I am saying it again because not everyone knows that underlying your parish, there is a civil corporation. The corporate board consists of the Archbishop, the Vicar General, the Pastor and two lay trustees. When a church is closed and relegated to profane, but not sordid, use, this board votes on the disposition of the real property.
It was announced today that Bishop Edmund Whelan will succeed Joseph P. Lamorte as Vicar General, making him Archbishop Ronald Hicks' right hand man and giving him a seat on every parish corporate board in the archdiocese.
Read all about it on the Arch's Good Newsroom: Vicar General Monsignor LaMorte Retires, Bishop Whalen Appointed New Vicar General, Bishop Colacicco Vicar for Clergy
It began as an insurance concern/fraternal association for immigrants and evolved into a vibrant cultural center and gathering place. It has seen good and bad times but has survived and, in recent years, thrived.
Laima Mihailovich, Dainius Glinskis and a host of supporters crafted an application that won the SLA a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Today these prime movers can celebrate the designation of the SLA as an individual landmark by the New York City Council.
Read all about it: LPC Designates Three Buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn Linked to New York City's Rich Immigration History
He had an opportunity that few pastors today will get: to lay a foundation for a parish's future. Msgr. Corrigan served St. Mary's for a total of 31 years, 26 as Pastor and 5 more as Administrator. He saw a lot of history in that time, writ large as world and national events and in fine detail through the lives of his parishioners.
He shared this history in his book, The Parish of St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception, Yonkers, 1848-2016". He has a an easy, flowing style and produced a work that is a both historical document and a good story.
He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery on September 25, 2025. The photo above was taken by Bob Lynn, who placed the palm cross on his grave during a St. Patrick's Day visit. Bob grew up in the parish, graduated from St. Mary's school and still drives in from Pennsylvania to pay respect and tend the graves of loved ones in St. Mary's cemetery.
That is the spirit of St. Mary's. Let us pray that this parish will have the future Msg. Corrigan envisioned.
A sample of his writing: A New York's priest's memories of an historic event in the civil rights struggle
A contingent from St. Mary's will be joining in honor of the Irish immigrants that built the church with their own hands and monetary donations. We will march with gratitude for our Irish forbears who laid a firm physical and spiritual foundation for successive waves of immigrants. And as we march we will be praying to St. Patrick, patron of the Archdiocese of New York, to drive out some snakes here, too.
The parade kicks off from McLean and Hyatt Avenues at 1:00 PM. It will be a happy madhouse, so visit the Yonkers St. Patrick's Day Parade website for details. There will be shuttles running to and from free parking at Empire City Casino on the corner of Yonkers & Central Avenues. Details about that are available on FAQ page of parade site under "Where can I park the day of the parade?"
On Friday the 13th I saw a headline in Lo-Down, a Lower East Side news site, announcing that St. Mary's had been landmarked. Wait...what? Reading further I learned that St. Mary's on Grand Street was designated an individual landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).
The sentence that stood out like a neon sign observed that the Archdiocese of New York did not oppose the application. A preservationist that supported the application noted that it was rare for a Roman Catholic church to be landmarked.
When I went back to read and post, the article was gone! I thought I had verified the designation on the LPC site, but maybe my hunger for good news caused me to misread the designation of St. Mary the Virgin, aka "Smoky Mary."
Maybe the editor of Lo-Down is waiting for the New York City Council to approve the designation and make it official. I sure hope this piece returns. In the meantime, please read this excellent item about St. Mary NYC's journey toward this moment. It provides a lot of context: Campaign to Landmark Church of St. Mary Inches Ahead
First there is a...then there is no...then there is. Hit it, Donovan.
"I wish Nostalgia and tradition were money! We could have bought these places many times over."
"I recall the losing battle of saving various Lithuanian-based churches, which I imagine is still ongoing. I think the Sisters of St. Casimir (who taught me) sold their convent a while ago."
-from an e-mail from Jo Dereske
I first encountered Jo Dereske through Miss Zukas, specifically her novel "Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence." I was being facetious because Our Lady of Vilnius had its own Miss Zukas. I read the book, loved it and read the rest of the series. Dereske's Miss Zukas is a Lithuanian-American librarian living on one of the islands of Washington State. She is smarter and tangier than the average "cozy mystery" heroine and the books share some pointed but subtle social commentary about gentrification. She shares her Lithuanian heritage in the persona of Zukas's grandmother, whose very good recipe for kugelis appears in one of the novels. There is even a Lithuanian Catholic church in Zukas's midwestern hometown.
I think one encounters a lot of Jo Dereske in Ms. Zukas and some of Ms. Zukas has filtered into me. I now say "Oh, Faulkner" instead of the alternative and refer to any oppressors as "Dos Passos."
I had the pleasure of exchanging a few e-mails with her and learned of her passing via Google, as I was checking up on her because I had not written to her in a long time.
My condolences to all who are suffering her loss.
Here is her obituary: Jo Dereske, October 1, 1947 - July 5. 2025
A tribute from a friend on SleuthSayers blog: Farewell, Ms. Dereske
When you hear that your church is being closed or your parish is merging with another it is news to you. But it isn't news to the Archdiocese of New York. They are playing a game of chess from a playbook of time tested moves. The reasons put forward for closing or merging may be true, but they are not necessarily causal. The standard reasons:
Phyllis Eckhaus's piece, Battle to Save East Village Church Goes to the Vatican in the Village Star-Revue is a very readable introduction to the machinations used to close churches and the methods parishioners can use to save their spiritual home.
Last year on April 16th News 12 aired an item announcing that the Vatican overturned Cardinal Dolan's decree changing St. Mary's from a parish to a secondary church in the Parish of St. Peter-St. Denis. St. Mary's would once again be a parish.
That Vatican decree was issued on March 31, 2025. In News 12's "Easter Miracle" piece a spokesman for the Archdiocese is on record saying that they are reviewing the notice from the Vatican and figuring out the next steps. Here's what those steps turned out to be:
The Archdiocese of New York and the Immaculate Conception corporation brought suit against the city of Yonkers, the Yonkers City Council and the City of Yonkers Landmark Committee on November 14, 2024. The aim of the suit was to remove landmark status from the church.
A court document dated January 7, 2026 indicated that "the parties are negotiating a settlement to present to the court."
The last event logged for the case on legal intelligence database Trellis was January 19, 2026. No future events are scheduled. A deadline of January 29, 2026 was set for the plaintiffs (Archdiocese of New York, et al) to file their reply papers, if needed.
Today it was heard that the City of Yonkers settled, agreeing to rescind the landmark status of the church interior. Later it was heard that the issue was discussed by the Yonkers City Council but not put to a vote.
No information about the negotiations and their outcome was made public by either the City of Yonkers or the Archdiocese of New York.
Stay tuned to learn what you can do to help save this beautiful historic church and home to a warm and dynamic congregation.
