AmericaLTV airs video of 3rd anniversary candlelight vigil

Hillary Clinton congratulates Lithuania on the 20th anniversary of re-establishing independence

"And while we celebrate this two-decades old rebirth, we must look to the future with the same strength and unity. These are trying times, with an uncertain future, but the United States remains your steadfast partner and your loyal friend, and we will face the challenges of the 21st century together.

Once again, congratulations Lithuania."


Click here to read text and view video.

Click here to go directly to video

Say it again, Saulius

Saulius' comment following "The Villager's" online coverage of our candlelight vigil is reprised in the current Edition as a letter to the editor.

"Lithuanians built church

To The Editor:

Re “Keeping faith, Lithuanians pray church will reopen” (news article, March 3):

Our Lady of Vilnius Church is a cherished monument to Lithuanian immigrants and an adornment to Manhattan. The hierarchs did not build the church and should not be allowed to sell it for financial gain.

Saulius Simoliunas"

Stella Marcinauskas has passed away

Word has come from Shelton, CT via North Carolina to Pat Sidas at Apreiskimo that Stella Marcinauskas passed away at the age of 85. She was born in New York City to Our Lady of Vilnius parishioners and was a member of our Council 12 Knights of Lithuania.

I am proud to be part of this community that, despite time, space and the closing of our parish, binds us to Stella Marcinauskas. Let us keep Stella and her family in our hearts and prayers.

Click here to read her obituary in the CT Post.

A Religious and Ethnic Monument Belonging to All People

March 9th, 2010 at 1:12 PM - Saulius Says:

"The church is a religious ethnic monument belonging to all people and can not be sold for profit to anyone. Lithuanians have two monuments in NYC consisting of Darius and Girenas monument in Brooklyn and the Statue of Jagiello donated by Polish Government in Exile. Our Lady of Vilnius Church will be the third monument preserved by the loyal parishioners and friends. "

Among our defenders from far afield is Saulius from Detroit, by far the most vigorous. He has charged into every internet forum in both English and Lithuanian to declaim our cause. He posted the above as a comment on "The Villager" website in response to their coverage of the candlelight vigil held in front of the church on the third anniversary of its closure on February 26, 2007. I have put it here so more people can see it and so that it can be a springboard for discussion about our future efforts to save the church.

What do you think? Please let us know. Comment below, or e-mail us at olvnyc@gmail.com.

A Church Too Loved to Have Been Closed

In today's New York Times, Not Your Banks’ Bailouts: Stores Too Loved to Fail by Jim Dwyer documents the ongoing saga of a Lower East Side neighborhood coming to the rescue of Ray's, a 24-hour establishment that apparently anchors the neighborhood over there. Ray's story has been chronicled in real time on a daily basis in Bob Arihood's blog Neither More Nor Less.

Salient quotes:

"His friends see injustice, not debt, and will fight. As the menu for the new delivery project says: “How could we sit idly while Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks slowly killed everything we cherished about our community?”

And there is a matter of loyalty to someone who was willing to cut kids a break on a plate of fries, said Arianna Gil: “He’s an icon of our childhood.”

In February of 2007, Bob Arihood came to our candlelight vigil on the evening of our closure and posted some fine photos in which the faces say it all.

On the East side there is a store too loved to fail. On the West side there is a church that did not fail, a church too loved to close which, nonetheless remains closed. May our friends see injustice and continue to fight and pray for the restoration of our parish to the west side community,

St. Stanislaus Kostka Update

According to a browse of the Houlihan & O'Malley website, St. Stanislaus Kostka church is "Under Contract". Click here to view multiple listing service fact sheet for my former parish church.

Third Anniversary Video from AmericaLTV

AmericaLTV features a chilling video shot in the interior of our shuttered and pillaged church

How did he get in there?

"The Villager" reports on our anniversary vigil

This week's edition of "The Villager" once again provides coverage of our situation in Lincoln Anderson's piece, "Keeping faith, Lithuanians pray church will reopen". Thanks to The Villager for keeping an eye on us and keeping us informed about the wider context of our neighborhood.

The Third Anniversary of Our Closing

And still praying for a miracle...

On February 26th, 2007, I went down to Our Lady of Vilnius for noon Mass. I suspected that it might be the last Mass I would attend there. I knew Father Sawicki was scheduled for a meeting with Cardinal Egan at 9:00 AM that morning. When I got there, people were arriving for Mass and standing, stunned, in front of the locked church as Joy, Father's assistant, repeated the story of how the locksmith and church officials came to the rectory and locked the church and the parish hall.

This past Friday evening, as the city began to dig out of a big nor'easter, we gathered in front of the church and we had to dig, too.

Due to the weather, we were small in number. We prayed. One by one we spoke about how we felt at the three year mark. Lincoln Anderson of The Villager took notes and Mindaugas filmed.

Three years out: more about heritage, less about parish. We prayed for the dead of our parish, Danute Strout, Dalia Bulgaris and some that were not familar to me.

I interjected the name of Frankie Pretzels, of "Pretzels and Provolone" fame.

Carmen Villegas was there with her unique blend of faith and humor. Carmen had been arrested 3 years ago for declining to leave Our Lady Queen of Angels when the archdiocese came to lock its doors. It was a gift to have her with us, praying and encouraging us to keep the faith.

Lately there is talk of a different goal, of preserving the building, saving it for an "alternate use," perhaps a Lithuanian cultural center. I still hope for a parish. St. Brigid's was revived long past the 11th hour as a court date loomed on the horizon. I pray for a similar outcome. It will only be impossible if we choose to abandon that vision.

Pray.

Tomorrow is the Third Anniversary of the Locking of Our Church

This is one of the videos that brings it all back. We hope to have a candlelight vigil in front of the church tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM to commemorate the event, to thank God that the church is still standing and that we still have the strength to work for the restoration of our community and the perpetuation of our heritage. We hope that the weather will permit this gathering, and if it does, we invite you to join us.

Archbishop Dolan Reflects on His First Year: Affably Refers to Financial Woes of Archdiocese (and Remedies)

Archbishop Dolan sat down for an interview with ABC Local and reflected, but not terribly deeply, on his first year at the helm of the Archdiocese of New York. Amidst the humor and charm, a stark message:

"Whammy number one, more people are coming to church for help. Whammy number two, we have less money to give out," Dolan said.

His predecessor, Cardinal Egan, closed many schools and parishes to help balance church finances. It's a painful process and one that may not be over.

"Will there be future school closings? I wish I could say no. I sure hate doing it, but I'm sure there will be," he said."

When there are, please consult us for advice.

Another Contrarian's Lament

Today's NY Times energized me in a positive way today rather than making my hair stand on end in terror. The "Metropolitan" section ran a piece on Brooklyn College professor Sharon Zukin titled A Contrarian’s Lament in a Blitz of Gentrification.

The article describes the gentrification process as limned by Ms. Zukin:

"The pattern in places like Williamsburg and Atlantic Yards, Ms. Zukin said, is dreary and inexorable: Middle-class “pioneers” buy brownstones and row houses. City officials rezone to allow luxury towers, which swell the value of the brownstones. And banks and real estate companies unleash a river of capital, flushing out the people who gave the neighborhoods character."

Ms. Zukin will be discussing her book “Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places” tomorrow evening at the CUNY Graduate Center. Alas, though free, the event is sold out. I can console myself with the book, but how can I bond with the other attendees?

OT: Men's Figure Skating

Сор Лузер!

St. Stanislaus Kostka mourns the loss of Eugene Quillen

St. Stanislaus Kostka parishioner Gene Quillen passed away on February 16, 2010. Though the church of St. Stanislaus closed in October 2005 and the parish suppressed at some indeterminate time a few years later, the community lives on through coffee social at St. Matthew's, the Holy Rosary Society and the occasional dinner at the Polish Community Center in Yonkers.

Gene Quillen was an integral part of this community, displaying the fortitude, heart and humor that characterize the St. Stanislaus Kostka community. I could also imagine him in the basement of Our Lady of Vilnius, happily kibitzing with our Knickerbocker Council Knights of Columbus. Gene had been absent from our events for some time due to illness, but we stayed in touch with him through his wife, Ann, and he was always with us in our thoughts and prayers. He will remain with us in that way forever.

Read Gene's obituary here.

A Pilgrim Finds Our Lady of Vilnius Church Closed

On Thursday, October 11, 2007, "Andrew the Sinner" began to visit one church in Manhattan each week and to document his experience of worship in his blog, Catholic Churches of Manhattan.

This Sunday, he visited Our Lady of Vilnius and found it closed. Consistent with his mission, he nonetheless documented his experience and I thank him for creating a lovely record in his post, 86. Our Lady of Vilnius (CLOSED).

I've added Andrew's blog to my sidebar because I am going to be a frequent visitor. I would like to see what he has to say about the other churches and to visit the comprehensive library of interesting links on his sidebar.

Join Our Lady Queen of Angels Tomorrow Evening in Observance of Third Anniversary of Resistance

Tomorrow evening at 7PM, the parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Angels at 232 East 113th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) in East Harlem will observe the third anniversary of their struggle to save their parish.

Three years ago tomorrow night, these same parishioners were forcibly evicted from their church, and six of them were arrested for trespassing in their own sanctuary.

Please join them on the same sidewalk where the people of OLQA have gathered together with family, friends and supporters every single Sunday morning since the night the church was locked up.

You know that they have gathered there to pray together in all seasons, in rain and in snow, in the summer heat and in the chill of spring and fall, always keeping the faith, always hopeful, always trusting that their prayers will be heard and will be answered.

They will gather once again Friday night to pray together, to sing together, to be together as the struggle continues.

Let us all join them and support them in their continuing efforts to find a way to save the faith community of Our Lady Queen of Angels.

Please forward this message to family and friends.

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.

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.

To Whom Shall WE Go?

On January 20th Archbishop Dolan made a post in his blog, The Gospel in the Digital Age titled To Whom Shall We Go?

This phrase, from John 6:68, is the inscription on the Archbishop's coat of arms. In this post Archbishop Dolan synthesizes his reaction to hearing "Lady of Knock" sung at Monsignor John Keaveney's funeral with his personal spiritual heritage as delivered to him through his ethnicity. He proceeds to tie this experience to the collective Irish-American Catholic heritage and its role in forming the Catholic Church in the United States. He widens the circle yet again to included the Irish Catholics of the present, who are suffering in the wake of the revelations of the Murphy Report.

This is the final paragraph of the post:

"This great-grandson of a Cavan man, this boy who learned the greatest lessons of life from Sisters of Mercy from Drogheda, and from a humble parish priest named Callahan at Holy Infant Parish in Ballwin, Missouri, who now offers Mass daily in a church on Fifth Avenue, dedicated to Patrick, over the tombs of men named Hughes, McCloskey, Corrigan, Farley, Hayes, Spellman, Cooke, O’Connor, and Sheen, believes with all his heart and soul that the Prince of this World will not triumph! The Queen of Ireland already has! Yes, there seems an abundance of thorns right now, but the “Golden Rose” will blossom!"

As a granddaughter of Mary Brown whose ancestors hail from County Cork, I can to some extent share in the Archbishop's ethnic pride. But I am also the granddaughter of John and Benedicta Nakraseivicius, who came from Lithuania, met in New York and were members of the faith community of Our Lady of Vilnius. Why is the spiritual heritage of one ethnicity celebrated in the Archdiocese of New York while another ignored, exiled and perhaps even banished?

Ultimately we, the parishioners of our Lady of Vilnius, continue our lives as disciples of Our Lord, quietly and independently worshipping outside our cultural heritage, our historical context and the community that we loved. The "Golden Rose" of Ireland is none other than "The Fairest of Lillies" of Lithuania. To whom can we go in the Archdiocese of New York so that we can celebrate our faith in the historical context of our culture, as Archbishop Dolan has? What priest, bishop or cardinal in the Archdiocese of New York will be our alter Christus, will gather us, the sheep who have been dispersed and dismissed? Who will provide us with shelter and feed us as a flock?

This is not a rhetorical question.

The Destruction of the Church of St. George, Shenandoah, PA

"For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

The Demolition of St. George's Church, Shenandoah PA

Today I received this picture via e-mail. The parishioners of St. George had tried to save the church, closed in 2006, with a civil suit. On December 1, 2009 the court ruled that the plaintiffs did not have a property interest in the church and, therefore, lacked the rights to interfere with the Diocese of Allentown's plan to demolish. (See Pottsville Republican and Herald article)

The St. George web page, not updated to reflect this painful turn of events, is a testimony to the efforts to save this parish. God bless the parishioners of St. George as they face their reluctant sacrifice.

The Irish Echo brings news of St. Brigid's

The Irish Echo piece St. Brigid's Rebuilds provides us with an update on the parish of St. Brigid, which had been closed, then subsequently revived by a $20,000.000 anonymous donation. The article contains some quotes from Ed Torres who steadfastly led the effort to save the church. Ed recently had the opportunity to re-enter the building for the first time since the church had been closed.

When asked how he felt Ed said:

"I did get a sense of satisfaction, absolutely. But I always had that faith that I would be back in there."

Imagine. Have faith. And pray.

Good News at St. Peter's, Boston, MA

An update from a parishioner:

"The fire was limited to one small room, while the church was full of smoke, damage was limited and repairable with no structural damage. Thankfully the fire fighters arrived before it could spread. Currently cleaning and construction company crews are at work so that we will be able to hold the Christmas Eve Mass (Kucios) in the church hall and have the Kucios dinner in the lower hall afterwards."

Read today's follow-up story in the Boston Herald.

Prayers Needed for Parishioners of St. Peter's Church, Boston, MA

The picture above accompanies today's Boston Herald story, Blaze ravages old Boston church.

The fire broke out during an Advent service and was confined to the sacristy. Damage is estimated at $100,000.00. There were no serious injuries, but Father Stephen Zukas was taken to the hospital for observation.

St. Peter's had been slated for closure in 2004. Cardinal O'Malley reversed this decision in 2005. The parishioners had been instrumental in saving the parish, replicating the hill of crosses in front of the church as a physical embodiment of their hopes and prayers.

My heart goes out to the St. Peter parishioners. Let us keep in touch with this situation and offer prayers for them and their parish as well as Father Zukas, who sounds like a real mensch.

Visit the parish web site.

Archdiocesan Transaction Watch

Touro College to buy New York Medical College for $60M

This story appeared in today's Journal News, the Gannett newspaper for the lower Hudson Valley. Interesting communicative style:

"Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the archdiocese, confirmed the medical school's Catholic identity will end. He referred questions about what that will mean to the medical school."

The medical school, in turn:

"I can't confirm that the agreement has been fully executed, and until it is, I can't comment on what's in the contract," Moriarty said."

God bless them for extracting the story!

Mindaugas Rallies Our Supporters

Most Sundays since the doors of Our Lady of Vilnius were locked, we have gathered across from St. Patrick's Cathedral at 10:30 AM. We sing, we pray, we hold up our signs of plea and protest and we talk to anyone who will listen.

Afterwards, we make our way downtown to Broome Street where we pray and then have a social gathering much as we did after Sunday Mass when the church was open.

Mindaugas usually sends out an e-mail reminder of this every Friday or Saturday. Today he attached the picture, above. This shot was taken in November, when we celebrated the feast of our Patroness, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, the 3rd such feast celebrated outdoors. Though the church is closed, we are happy that it is still standing and happy that we are together.

Please join us in prayer, whether you attend or not.

Local Color: "The Haunts of Miss Highsmith"

This morning's New York Times ran a piece about the author Patricia Highsmith and the neighborhood in which she lived. The occasion of this piece was the release of Joan Schenkar's biography, "The Talented Miss Highsmith." Ms. Schenkar and the author of the article, Patricia Cohen, retraced the paths that Miss Highsmith had beaten through Soho and the Village. The print version featured the map, above. Unmarked at the southern end of the map sits Our Lady of Vilnius, well within Ms. Highsmith's radius, but not on her radar .

The phrase in the article that caught me was:

"We were engaging in ambulomancy or “divination by walking,” Ms. Schenkar explained, stepping through Highsmith country in order to understand the writer herself. “Every physical location is also an emotional location,” Ms. Schenkar noted."

"How true," I thought. Then I thought of Our Lady of Vilnius, the church and the rectory, silent, empty and unmarked at the southern end of the little map that will be seen by thousands, if not millions, today. Over fifty years since I first set foot in this church and nearly 3 years after the church was closed, I am still imbued with its flavor. When we visit the church, we pray that this emotional location, so important to many of us, will not be lost.

Immaculate Conception....Yaayy!

In my little world the word "Yaayy!" follows "Immaculate Conception" like the knee jerks in response to the doctor's hammer. As soon as I could talk my mother amused me with the Immaculate Conception's (Tuckahoe) basketball cheer:

Jigga jigga whole potato,
Half-past alligator,
Ram, ram bully jam,
Jig-wah do,
Chigga-boom, chigga-boom,
Chigga-boom, boom, boom,
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, YAAYY!

A day to rejoice, a step closer to Christmas as we continue to wait in joyful hope. Immaculate Conception, YAAAYY!.

P.S. Remember to go to Mass. Alternate side of the street parking is suspended in Our Lady of Vilnius country today: another reason to give thanks and praise!

Apellate Division Rules Against Columbia U. in Eminent Domain Case

On January 11 of last year I posted on the case of Nicholas Sprayregen fighting the loss of his property through eminent domain (Variations on a Theme). In that post I referenced a New York Times article titled Pushing Back as Columbia Moves to Spread Out in which Mr. Sprayregen was quoted as saying:

"Property rights abuse is running rampant, but what’s unique in this instance is that eminent domain always seems to be used against the down-and-out, people who can’t afford to fight back in a meaningful way. I can. But I think it’s anti-American that I’m probably on the losing side.”

Today's New York Times ran a story titled Court Deals a Blow to Columbia's Expansion Plans. The story describes a ruling by the Apellate Division of the State Supreme Court stating that the state could not use eminent domain on behalf of Columbia University to obtain parts of a 17-acre site in West Harlem.

Read the article in its entirety, then visit my imaginary (and imaginative) friends at dotCommonweal, where Paul Moses has addressed the topic in a post titled Columbia’s not-so-eminent domain. Strike the harp and join the forum!

"Latin Mass Appeal"

Today that famously anti-Catholic newspaper, the New York Times, published an op-ed piece by Kenneth J. Wolfe titled Latin Mass Appeal. The piece recounts the origins of the Mass that we currently attend, surmises that some of the ills that plague the church today spring from this liturgy and cites evidence that the Latin Mass is the wave of the future.

Too bad the extraordinary form was not the law of the land when Our Lady of Vilnius was closed on February 27, 2009. The Archdiocesan press release on this topic , STATEMENT OF JOSEPH ZWILLING, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS ON THE CLOSING OF OUR LADY OF VILNIUS CHURCH , offers Father Sawicki's lack of acumen in Lithuanian as one of the justifications for closing the church. Having heard Father's "Veni Creator Spiritus," I am sure that fault would not have been found with his Latin Mass.

"Mental Reservation"

I first encountered this term in Grant Gallicho's dotCommonweal post on the Dublin clergy-abuse report. He quotes the Irish Times as stating:

"Church authorities used the concept of “mental reservation”, which allows senior clergy to mislead people without being guilty, in the church’s eyes, of lying."

This concept is explored in an Irish Times piece Church 'lied without lying'

The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia entry for this term boggles the mind with its precision and fine distinctions between lying and making statements that are likely to mislead.

DotCommonweal commenter Bill DeHaas offers this reference on mental reservation, its definition and use by the Church.

Well, this scholarly excursion goes a long way towards explaining the archdiocese' press releases regarding the closure of Our Lady of Vilnius. I advise everyone to follow these links. It will help to explain the past and prepare for the future.

"Devastating failings of the past”

Yesterday news broke on the release of a 700-page report, prepared by a group appointed by the Irish government and called the Commission of Investigation Into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The investigation concluded that the police and the Roman Catholic hierarchy colluded for decades to conceal cases of child abuse by priests of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The NY Times presented the story in this morning's edition with a piece titled "Report Says Irish Bishops and Police Hid Abuse".

Grant Gallicho has posted on this topic at the dotCommonweal blog (Dublin clergy-abuse report released)

Rocco Palmo, of Whispers in the Loggia, has also posted (In Dublin, "A Perversion of Power.")

Giving Thanks

This morning I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV and heard a guy named Billy Currington sing these words from a float:

"God is great."

"Beer is good."

"People are crazy."

And for this, those of us who love Our Lady of Vilnius joyfully give thanks!"

Good! We need consolation..

Monday is "Hug a Lithuanian Day". I learned this from Facebook. Now if Blumberg would only suspend alternate side on this special day.

The Demolition of St. George's Church in Shenandoah, PA

Today I received e-mail from a fellow Our Lady of Vilnius parishioner regarding the case of St. George's Church in Shenandoah, PA. St. George's is the oldest Lithuanian church in the United States. My fellow parishioner said:

" A page and a half in Lithuanian Newspaper Draugas (Chicago) details the impending shameful destruction of St. George's church in Shenandoah PA Church. It is the oldest Lithuanian Church and parish in the USA. The diocese of Allentown employed virtually identical formula that was used to liquidate OLV. "

News of the demolition is also available via a piece on the WNEP website, Historic Church Demolition Begins".

Keep abreast of this story on the website of those trying to save this historic church

Feast of Our Lady of Vilnius

"As by miracle thou didst restore me to health in my childhood when, offered by my weeping mother to thy protection,
I raised my dead eyelids, and could straightway walk to the threshold of thy shrine to thank God for the life returned me"

from "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz

Tomorrow, November 22, the parishioners of Our Lady of Vilnius will celebrate the feast of our Patroness. Those that can will gather, first at St. Patrick's Cathedral, later on the steps of our beloved church on Broome Street.

Though we are apart, we will always be together in Christ and in the immaculate heart of our Patron and Protector, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Wrestling with Moses

Those of us who have tussled with Egan can certainly learn something from a woman who took on Moses. Robert Moses, that is. We all should read "WRESTLING WITH MOSES" by Anthony Flint.

Subtitled "How Jane Jacobs Took On New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City," this book was reviewed by Dwight Garner of the New York Times on August 4th of this year in a piece titled When David Fought Goliath in Washington Square Park. The book details a vision that Moses had to build a four-lane highway through the middle of Washington Square Park, raze 14 blocks in the heart of Greenwich Village run a 10-lane elevated superhighway, to be called the Lower Manhattan Expressway, through SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown and the Lower East Side. Thank God and all His helpers that this never came to pass!

Today this book came to my attention again via a comment to a post in dotCommonweal, Eminent domain: Clarence Thomas was right by Paul Moses.

Mr. Moses blogs of Thursday's news that Pfizer is withdrawing from its plan to develop a swathe of New London, CT; a plan that was resisted until 5 justices of the US Supreme Court ruled in Pfizer's favor. (see NY Times story of Nov. 12, Pfizer to Leave City That Won Land-Use Case)

dotCommonweal forum participant Patrick Molloy references Flint's book in his comment to the above post and puts it in a context very local to Our Lady of Vilnius, saying:

"The Jane Jacobs vs Robert Moses story is the subject of a recent well received book:

http://www.amazon.com/reader/1400066743?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fptu

Enter “La Mountain” in the search box to learn about the priest [Father Gerard La Mountain] and the small parish [of the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, now the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz] that were at the center of the battle against the Lower Manhattan Expressway favored by Moses.

The page 172 entry mentions a tree planted by Jane Jacobs in front of the church. Here it is, still the only tree on the block:

Parishioners from Our Lady of Vilnius, the Lithuanian parish whose closure a while back occasioned some comments here, were also involved." [My emphasis]

If anyone associated with Our Lady of Vilnius can reminisce about this period in Village history, please don't hesitate to contact me.

For All the Saints...

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia !

My Other Ethnicity

When I am not Lithuanian or American, I am Slambovian. According to the Slambovian ministry of propaganda, the Circus of Dreams will be leaving their haunts up north to bring good vibes to Manhattan on this spookiest of evenings.

More about Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Laudes Creaturarum

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

Today, all over the world people will gather on the steps of churches with creatures of all shapes, sizes and species. Today, some of my very favorite creatures will gather on the steps of Our Lady of Vilnius to pray for the resurrection of our spiritual home. St. Francis, pray for us!

St. Stanislaus Kostka community loses Sophie Minkewicz

This morning I learned that the St. Stanislaus Kostka community and the village of Hastings-on-Hudson lost Sophie Minkewicz.

When I first moved to Hastings, I was struck by her beauty, friendliness and vitality. She was slender with brilliant white hair in a flattering cut. She was energetic, positive and had a great sense of humor. A friend of mine who was in her class in school pointed out Sophie in a group picture of their first Holy Communion. In the little girl you could see the special beauty that matured undiminished.

I haven't seen Sophie in several years, as she had been sidelined with illness, yet she has been on my mind and in my prayers, as the Holy Rosary Society has always kept her among our intentions and provided updates on her condition.

Tonight we will gather to pay our respects.

Read Sophie's obituary in The Journal News. I have also copied it in its entirety below:

MINEWICZ, SOPHIE C. (CHEMKA)
August 21, 2009

Sophie C. Minewicz (Chemka), a lifetime resident of Hastings on Hudson, NY and a retired secretary for the High School and Village Clerk died peacefully at home on August 19, 2009 at the age of 89. Beloved wife of the late Frank H. Minkewicz. Devoted mother of Frank R. Minkewicz, Francine Burke and Barba Perreault. Dear sister of Julius Chemka, Carolyn Ott and Josephine Miller. Also survived by seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Friends may call at the Hastings Funeral Home, 15 Spring St on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Funeral Mass at St. Matthew Church on Saturday at 10 AM. Interment Mt. Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Hastings Volunteer Ambulance Corps or the Jansen Hospice preferred. To light a candle or to offer words of comfort, please visit www.SinatraFFH.com

Our Lady of Vilnius: Do you remember...

Today is the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola

"Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it

Everything is yours; do with it what you will
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me."

St. Ignatius, pray for us!

Q. What Does "Once Around" have to do with Our Lady of Vilnius?

A. Father William Wolkovich-Valkavicius.

Father William Wolkovich first entered my life after he left his. In 2006, when Our Lady of Vilnius fell under the shadow of impending closure, an interested Bostonian sent me an article from Boston.com titled A farewell with laughter, tears: Father Bill's retirement adds to sadness at church slated to close. The article uses reportage of Father Bill's last Mass at St. George's as a point of departure for a brief bio of Father Bill, a portrait of the parish and an exploration of church closures and their aftermath in the Archdiocese of Boston.

In reading the article, I was struck by similarites between St. George and Our Lady of Vilnius, the most striking being the strong and vital presence of the Portuguese in a parish founded by and for Lithuanians. The other impressive feature was Father Bill's commentary on the impending closure. Elderly, in ill-health and with nothing to lose, he stepped into the pulpit and likened the Church to an alcoholic mother, saying the following:

"The people in the 65 parishes designated for closing don't agree with the behavior of our alcoholic mother," he said. "At present we are living through the worst plague of all in US Catholic history."

"How do you respond to an alcoholic mother?" he asked during his sermon. "Do you abandon her? Do you so focus on her weakness that you forget all the good she has done for you since your infancy? I can only plead with you not to abandon your alcoholic mother. Keep trying to love her, despite the hurt she has caused us. She is unique in our lives."

After reading this article I was so impressed with Father Bill that I trolled the Internet for more information about him. The first thing that I found was an article by him in Lituanus titled THE LITHUANIAN ANGLE IN A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE: AN ANALYSIS OF 'ONCE AROUND'. In this article Father Bill chronicles his role as a technical advisor on the film and his cameo as a priest performing a baptism. He reflects on how the film was true and not true to Lithuanian culture. As I read this article I got a stronger sense of Father Bill as a person, a Lithuanian-American and a priest.

I don't know why, but I finally saw the movie on VHS this weekend. The film features Richard Dreyfuss as Sam Sharpe, a hard driving and free wheeling first generation Lithuanian-American who marries into a close-knit Italian-American family and inadvertently causes strife and havoc. Richard Dreyfuss sings a song in Lithuanian in his wife's hospital room. In a later scene, Father Bill sings "Marija, Marija" after baptizing the baby.

This is the first time I have seen any Lithuanian content in a major-studio American film release.

Bluebirds were rarely seen in Westchester, where I live. People became concerned about this, researched the birds' nesting needs and built houses according to precise specifications, placing them in carefully prescribed locations at a specific height. Bluebirds came and built nests. I have seen them.

I prevail upon our beloved "alcoholic mother" to unboard our habitats so that we can repopulate her home. Father Bill was a rare bird, as was Aldona Kepalaite and Dalia Bulgaris. As are all of us who love Our Lady of Vilnius. I am honored to consider myself a fledgeling in this spiritual lineage, and I will continue to resist extinction.

Post Script:

William Lawrence Wolkovich-Valkavicius died on January 12, 2005, of Parkinson's and Crohn's diseases at the age of seventy-five. On June 14, 2004, he had retired as pastor of St. George's Church in Norwood, Massachusetts, which was then closed. The son of Lithuanian immigrants, he was born in Hudson, Massachusetts, attended St. John's Seminary, Brighton, and was ordained on September 29, 1953. He held various parochial positions in the Archdiocese of Boston before being appointed pastor of St. George's in 1982. Meanwhile he studied the history of Lithuanians in the United States. Five of his books were reviewed in the Catholic Historical Review: Lithuanian Pioneer Priest of New England: The Life, Struggles and Tragic Death of Reverend Joseph Zebris, 1860–1915 (1980); Immigrants and Yankees in Nashoba Valley, Massachusetts. Interethnic and Interreligious Conflict and Accommodation of Irish, French-Canadians, Poles, Lithuanians and Italians (1981); Lithuanians of Norwood, Massachusetts. A Social Portrait in a Multiethnic Town (1988); Lithuanian Fraternalism: Seventy-Five Years of U.S. Knights of Lithuania (1988); and Lithuanian Religious Life in America: A Compendium of 150 Roman Catholic Parishes and Institutions (3 vols., 1991 ff.). Besides his books he wrote more than fifty articles. Father Wolkovich was also a talented musician and renowned violinist who played in many public performances. In 1997 in execution of a decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania he was inducted into the Order of Gediminas at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington, D.C., being cited "for his lifetime historical and musical activities." He had been a member of the American Catholic Historical Association since 1977.

Patient Released!

As I blogged, Rocco Palmo of "Whispers" provided an update.

VALIO!

Prayers Needed for Pope Benedict

I just learned from my AM scan of Whispers in the Loggia that Pope Benedict fell and injured his wrist, requiring a surgery that is now taking place.

Join me in prayer for his safety and rapid recovery. Let us ask Our Lady and Blessed George Matulaitis for their intercession.

Lithuanians Stand and Sing in Times Square

A group of spirited Lithuanians and Lithuanian-Americans gathered in Times Square to join Lithuanians all over the world in singing the national anthem in honor of the millenium of the first mention of Lithuania in history.

Many familiar faces from Our Lady of Vilnius were there and it was a pleasure to see them.

Who says we don't need a Lithuanian Church? This would have been a pretty good turnout for Sunday Mass.

Inspiration: Pray the Devil Back to Hell

This evening I found myself on the couch watching TV out of sheer inertia. A few minutes into PBS' "Wide Angle", I began to get energized. The show featured Abigail Disney, producer of the documentary, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" and her protagonist, Leymah Gbowee. It is a story of grass roots organization by Liberian women who wanted an end to war and the promise of a civilized life for their children.

This story illustrates the power of prayer, the working of the Holy Spirit and the true value of humanity. Ms. Gbowee is a radiant mixture of strength, humility, candor and intelligence.

Archbishop Dolan Comments on Our Lady of Vilnius

While covering the celebration of the 200 year anniversary of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street, Lincoln Anderson of The Villager addressed Archbishop Dolan regarding Our Lady of Vilnius:

"Asked later about the fate of another Downtown Catholic church, Our Lady of Vilna on Broome St. in Soho, Dolan told The Villager he was sure his predecessor, Cardinal Edward Egan, made the right decisions. More than two years ago, the archdiocese closed Our Lady of Vilna, citing its damaged roof and a dwindling congregation. But the church’s former members and its supporters in the city’s Lithuanian community contend it is repairable and that it still had a healthy-sized congregation. They filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese last year to reopen the church.

“After eight weeks, I’m hardly versed in all the particulars,” Dolan replied when asked about Our Lady of Vilna. “At a cursory glance, I would say that the decisions that Cardinal Egan reached were very sane.”

Told that Our Lady of Vilna’s supporters want to meet with him, hoping he’ll be more sympathetic than Egan, Dolan responded, “I’m always happy to meet with everybody, but if it’s to change the decision Cardinal Egan made, it might not be that productive.”

Read Mr. Anderson's article Dolan celebrates 200 years of love’at Old St. Pat’s in its entirety and add your comments to the forum.

Coming Clean

"Cleanliness is next to godliness," so they say. There is a certain relief, perhaps even joy, in "coming clean," an item from the North Bronx lexicon of my childhood. The lie or deception between yourself and its recipient goes away. A wall falls. Intimacy is restored and there is a homecoming. The Roman Catholic Church ritualizes this process in its sacrament of Confession, more recently named "Reconciliation." Would that the Church would look us, its members, in the eye and come clean instead of being dragged to the bathtub by the courts and the press.

Paul Vitello's NY Times piece, Bishop Avidly Opposes Bill Extending Time to File Child-Abuse Suits addresses one prelate's approach to proposed legislation that might result in more suits against priests. The print edition subtitles the article "Questions About Church-State Boundaries."

In addition to presenting Bishop DiMarzio's public statements on the topic, the article examines the role of Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who recently wrote a competing bill that would not lift the statute of limitiations on abuse lawsuits, and the forced resignation of Father James O'Shea from his post as executive director of Churches United.

dotCommonweal is already on this scene with Paul Moses' post "The Bishop, the priest and the pol".

Strike the harp and join the forum.

A Matter of Death and Life

The closure of Our Lady of Vilnius has been a spiritual exercise of the highest order. All of this emotion and experience is crystallized in a concert that will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, June 5th at the New York Society for Ethical Culture at 64th Street and Central Park West.

We invite you to mourn and to rejoice.

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