Happy Columbus Day to all the paisanos of Our Lady of Vilnius

There was never a strong partition between the living and the dead of Our Lady of Vilnius, so on this Columbus Day we honor the Italians and Italian-Americans, among us and gone home to God, that contributed to  the parish, among them Frankie Pretzels and his buddy, Provolone, Tony Zaggarino,  Gerard DeSapio and his son,  Carmine DeSapio, who donated the painting of St. Anthony of Padua over the West Altar, pictured above.  We offer special prayers and remembrance for Joe Zaccaria, who devoted so much time, energy and emotion to the effort to save our parish.

Me too, Father Groeschel

Paul Vitello's obituary of Father Groeschel, "Benedict Groeschel, 81, Dies; Priest Aided Poor and Drew a TV Flock" appeared in today's New York Times print edition.  The final quote:

 “I used to be a liberal, if liberal means concern for the other guy,” he said. “Now I consider myself a conservative-liberal-traditional-radical-confused person.” 

Increased Offertory Campaign Week 3 "Blurb" from cardinalsappeal.org

"Week 3

 As a result of the “Sharing God’s Gifts” program, the parish has received many commitments from faithful parishioners to increase their weekly contributions.  Overwhelmingly most of our congregation has given us good feedback. As usual, there were those who were slightly critical of the parish request.  For most, after more was explained to them about the needs of our parish, they were quite satisfied with the clarifications.  One way to contribute is to use the automated pay method-the PARISHPAY Program.  Once you sign up for this program, ParishPay will collect monthly contributions from your checking, savings or credit card account and then send it to the parish. There is no cost to you to participate in the program.  You may log on to www.parishpay.com or you may call 1-866-727-4741 ext. 1. Let us pray that our Stewardship of our parish is successful."

This is an excerpt from a document called "Increased Offertory Campaign Blurbs" that I found by Googling "Increased Offertory".  

RIP Father Benedict Groeschel

After Our Lady of Vilnius was closed Rita decided that we needed to seek the counsel of Father Groeschel in our endeavor to save the church and our parish community.  She had seen him on EWTN speaking about 9/11 and was impressed that he didn't come out with the usual content.  So we made a pilgrimage to a talk that he was giving on positive psychology at the Church of the Holy Innocents.  We enjoyed the lecture, stayed for the Mass and then stood on line to share our concerns.  Most of the people on the queue in front of us were waiting to express praise and gratitude or to request his autograph.  We were last.  Rita deferred to me because she thought I, as a native speaker, spoke better English.  "We are from Our Lady of Vilnius and we would like to talk to you about our parish," I declaimed formally, as I was somewhat starstruck.  Father showed his familiarity with the case by reiterating some of the reasons for closing OLV outlined in the archdiocesan press release:  poor attendance and broken roof.  When I challenged, he listened.  I told him that there would be no Lithuanian presence in the archdiocese when Our Lady of Vilnius closed: no hymns, no Our Lady of Siluva, no Rupintojelis.  He said that, if that is the case, it would be the Lithuanians' own fault.  He then made some good suggestions for approaching the archdiocese in order to integrate these things.  Rita was flabbergasted at his brusqueness and one of the young Franciscans tending to him explained that it had been a long day for Father and that he was always in pain.

I was disappointed at first, but the more I engaged in the effort to save OLV, the more I saw that he was right:  if we wanted to have a place at the archdiocesan table as a culture, we had to make it happen and in a highly specific way.

Though this is my most significant memory of Father Groeschel, I have others:  hearing him speak about the Eucharist at Dunwoodie, seeing him on the altar at major liturgies at St. Patricks, seeing him as a lone, hooded figure praying outside the Womens' Center in Dobbs Ferry.  I remember praying for him at the time of his accident, marveling at his recovery and enjoying him on Sunday Night Live.

He was a singular intellect with a no B.S. tone, his mixture of erudition and working class smarts bracing and funny.  He spoke and lived his truth.  May all of us who feel his loss carry him with us by becoming more like him.

News of impending Our Lady of Vilnius demolition picked up by LTUworld on Facebook

Thanks to LTUworld for picking up Yannic Rack's "The Villager" story.  Please visit and comment.

Same Feelings, Different Church: Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church in Harlem

Since the real estate market in New York City is decimating the natural habitat of churchgoers, stories about churches gone condo and or simply gone will proliferate.  In today's New York Times, David Dunlap turns his gaze toward the Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church in Harlem, his piece "After 90 Years, a Harlem Church Vows to Endure Amid Relentless Change" chronicling the building's history and drawing familiar sentiments from its Senior Pastor, Dedrick L. Blue:

“The beauty of Harlem is being lost,”Dedrick L. Blue, the senior pastor of the church, said in an interview last week. “Pieces of its history are being destroyed by modern development and greed.
 “The steeple represents certain things that must endure. Faith must endure. History must endure. In a city where people see churches only as relics, this steeple says, ‘No, this is an act of faith.’ And it is an act of faith to stay here."

Amid relentless change, why would the faithful want all things to be made new?

A Rose by Any Other Name: Yannic Rack's article about us in Downtown Express

Yannic Rack's article about Our Lady of Vilnius appears in The Villagers sister paper, Downtown Express, as "Parish Hopes for Salvation at Vilnius Church".  Thanks to Milda DeVoe for stepping up and offering her pithy, on-target commentary.  Please don't hesitate to join her.

Things Made New: Our Lady of Vilnius gets mention in NY Times piece on church-to-condo trend

James Barron's piece "A Difficult Passage from Church to Condo" focuses on the transformation of the former First Church of Christ, Scientist on Central Park into condominium.  In the process, he recaps other church-to-condo transactions, stating  "Last month, a developer filed plans to build an 18-story condominium building on the site of the former Our Lady of Vilnius Roman Catholic Church, on Broome Street near the Holland Tunnel. "   The article thereby groups us with "...congregations (that) struggle to afford the maintenance of buildings that were designed to hold far more congregants than now attend services, " but we were never one of those.  At the time of its closing, Our Lady of Vilnius was solvent with a positive bank balance.  The roof could have been repaired had the archdiocese given permission for the repair, as insurance monies were available and a donor had stepped forward to fund the shortfall.  

We are going to hear a lot about dwindling congregations and responsible stewardship as all things are made new.  Will they all be accurate?

Wednesday, 9/24/2014, 4:56 PM: Another Fire at Our Lady of Vilnius, 570 Broome

According to Wikipedia, "Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that Divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness."

Maybe the brick and mortar of Our Lady of Vilnius church is indestructible due to the collective holiness of its community of saints and sinners throughout the years.  I ran it by a friendly priest who laughed and said, "Well... that one would really make them grind their teeth."

It sounds near-psychotic, but miracles are irrational.  Continue to pray for divine intervention in the case of Our Lady of Vilnius.  Ask for the intercession of Blessed George (Jurgis) Matulaitis who said Mass there in 1926.

"State of the Parish" and "Increased Giving" in the Archdiocese of New York

Do Pastors Feel Sheepish?  Maybe they should.

Last week some devout Catholics of my acquaintance received a mailing; a roughly 6"x 8" cardstock inviting them to specific Masses at their parish of contribution in order to hear a "State of the Parish" address.  With "Making All Things New" hanging over the archdiocese like the sword of Damocles, this advance mailing created suspense, even among the not endangered.

I attended Mass last evening to kill this suspense.  The big reveal was the presentation of the Archdiocese of New York "Increased Giving" campaign.  Apparently the "tax" levied on parishes by the archdiocese is increasing, as are other expenses, so pastors have been directed to urge the dwindling faithful to contribute more in a systematic way, which leads me to a hail of bullet points:

• Closed churches and schools have been sold for millions since 2007 including the soon-to-be demolished Our Lady of Vilnius.
• Making All Things New will close 60-100 parishes, no doubt creating more real estate revenue.
• Many church closures will be attributed to "dwindling attendance" and "structural instability" - things that could have been addressed the archdiocese before they became rationales for closures.
• St. Patrick's Cathedral is undergoing a $200 million dollar renovation.
• They are paying at least one consulting firm  for strategies and euphemisms.  Couldn't they conserve funds by assembling a brain trust of Roman Catholic volunteers in the "Capital of the World?"

They are scattering communities and breaking hearts.  Now they are asking for more from the least.   For the sake of the Church, get real with us, the laity. 

Latest edition of "The Villager" chronicles the latest episode of the Our Lady of Vilnius saga

Just as The Villager began to chronicle our struggle in 2006 with "Lady of Vilnius and 'Pretzels ''Provolone' may lose home", so Yannic Rack has shared the story of our proposed demolition and transformation into condos in Thursday's piece, "No Last Minute Miracle for O.L. Vilnius Church? Tower plan is filed."

Thank you for paying attention to Our Lady of Vilnius, the Willy Loman of parishes.  And thank you very much for the question mark.

We continue to pray for that miracle.

Our Lady of Vilnius Demolition in Sight - Filing on DOB Jobs Overview page noted

Some elucidation from a friendly neighbor:

"The job type abbreviation stands for "APPLICATION PROCESSED - NO PLAN EXAM” which means there is an application but nothing has been processed yet. So before anything can be demolished, the applicant still needs to hand in all documentation. And technically, that doesn’t mean that a permit will be approved/issued at all.

So it seems like this is just additional paperwork that they’ve filed - nothing else than the previous application, except that it’s specifically the demolition."

We people of weakness

Are seeking your grace

O Mary, refuse not our prayer

From terror and tempest

From famine and battle

O rescue us, give us your strength.

-from hymn "Marija, Marija"

Hudson Square Connections Business Improvement District is creating open spaces. Oooh!

Most recent e-blast from Hudson Square Connection invites all  to celebrate the Grand Opening of Freeman Plaza East on 9/17 between 12 PM and 2 PM.  Entrance is on Broome and Varick.  This sounds like a good vantage point from which to snap a photo of Our Lady of Vilnius, if it is still standing.

Soon 570 Broome will be an open space, at least briefly, and not one to burble about.

NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade: Is Gay the final frontier of, ahem, tolerance?

How about parishioners left behind by suppressed parishes and churches sold and/or demolished?

Cardinal Dolan is taking some heat from conservative Catholics as he will be Grand Marshall of the first New York St. Patrick's Day Parade to include a gay group marching under its own banner.

Next year representatives of parishes suppressed or churches demolished since 2007 should apply to the committee to march under the banner of their extinguished communities.  We are still here in the Archdiocese of New York, we are still Roman Catholic and we are still orphaned by the loss of our parish families.  Yes, we have step-parishes, but we will be orphans for life.

Next year let's march under a banner reading "The Forgotten Remnant of Our Lady of Vilnius."

Šilinės/Happy Birthday, Marija

Something cooking in Edvinas Minkstimas' Ethnic Kitchen

Edvinas Minkstimas and the Eucharist made beautiful music together at Our Lady of Vilnius, Minkstimas dressed casually and seated at the yellowed ivories of our basement hall piano.  He completed his doctoral studies at Juilliard and continues to grow as an artist.

His most recent e-blast informs us that he scored and performed the music for  a documentary called Ethnic Kitchen produced and directed by Aiste Ptakauske.  Info pasted below:

Dear Friends, I am super-excited to announce the upcoming premiere of the documentary Ethnic Kitchen by producer/director and my dear friend, Aiste Ptakauske, on October 2nd in Forum Cinemas in Vilnius, followed by a tour of presentations throughout Lithuania! I wrote and performed music for this film, which was a wonderful creative experience for me. The film explores experiences and life paths of five women from all over the world, who found themselves living in Lithuania. Moving and funny, the film strikes a chord in each one of us. Upcoming events and presentations in US and elsewhere will take place in a near future. Stay tuned for more news! Aiste's letter is below. You can learn more about this project by visiting www.pasauliovirtuve.eu, and make reservations for the premiere by contacting Akvile at akvile.bliujute@gmail.com Hope you will have as much fun watching it as we had making this film happen! Cheers, Edvinas Brangieji mano bendrazygiai, bendraminciai ir bendraautoriai, Noriu nuosirdziai jums padėkoti uz tai, kad buvote ir esate su manimi "Pasaulio virtuvėje". Jusu dėka, sis projektas man tapo neuzmirstama supratingumo, kurybingumo, kantrybės, meilės ir apskritai gyvenimo mokykla. Kvieciu jus visus pasidziaugti musu bendros virtuvės produktu s.m. spalio 2 d. 19 val. kino teatre "Forum Cinemas Vingis". Kadangi filmo premjera bus nemokama ir atvira visuomenei, vietu skaicius labai ribotas. Tad pirmiausia norime rezervuoti vietas jums ir jusu artimiesiems. Prasome iki rugsejo 15 d. pasisakyti, kiek vietu norėtumėte filmo premjeroje. Savo rezervacijas siuskite musu nuostabiajai prodiuserės asistentei Akvilei adresu akvile.bliujute@gmail.com Gavusi jusu laiska, Akvilė atsius jums oficialius pakvietimus, patikslins visas su filmo premjera susijusias detales ir atsakys į visus jusu klausimus. Iskart po premjeros Vilniuje "Pasaulio virtuvė" isvyks i tura po penkiolika Lietuvos miestu. Jeigu turite draugu, pazistamu ar giminiu, kurie norėtu filma pamatyti savo mieste, sekite musu naujienas tinklalapyje www.pasauliovirtuve.eu arba "Facebook" tinkle www.facebook.com/pasauliovirtuve/ ir registruokite savo pazįstamus į premjeras visuose Lietuvos miestuose! Kiekviename mieste filmą bus galima pamatyti tik po viena karta! Iki pasimatymo "Pasaulio virtuvėje"!"

New DOB Filings Since Our Lady of Vilnius Roof Fire

Click image to visit DOB jobs page.

Our Lady of Vilnius Appears in New York Magazine Approval Matrix, 8/25/2014 issue

This NY Mag feature puts OLV in the Highbrow/Despicable quadrant. CLICK HERE to see this in context.

Thanks to the folks at New York Magazine who have watched over us all of these years from their lofty perch:

• OLV has guardian angels at New York Magazine

Mrs. Doubtfire

R.I.P. Robin Williams.

"Fire is doubtful"

There is no doubt that a fire occurred.   Given that, what does this phrase mean and where did it originate?

Calvary, The Movie: A Passion Play for Our Time

Our Lady of Vilnius Roof Fire News Widely Disseminated

Fire on Our Lady of Vilnius Roof Last Night

• 
  
  11:04 PM yesterday

  FDNY@FDNY

  MAN ALL HANDS 570 BROOME ST, HOUSE OF WORSHIP (OUR LADY OF VILINUS) FIRE ON ROOF, UNDER CONTROL
• 
  10:51 PM yesterday

  FDNY@FDNY

  MAN ALL HANDS 570 BROOME ST, HOUSE OF WORSHIP FIRE ON ROOF,

  Reply

In the spirit of OLV

Today the New York Times ran a piece about piano tuner Charlie Birnbaum who is trying to save his parents' house from being taken by eminent domain.  The piece by Joseph Berger, With His Parents' Home at Risk, Atlantic City Piano Man Prepares for a Fight, is illustrated with the photo, below.

Charlie's house is in the center of the frame, in front of the lighthouse.  If Charlie loses his fight, the house will be razed to make way for a resort/casino.  The dynamics of his fight and potential loss are the same as those at work in the case of Our Lady of Vilnius.  Aside from the principle of the thing, what replacement would be more interesting than that house?  Charlie, my heart is with you.  Salient quote:

That is why he intends to fight until the courts rule against him.Said Mr. Birnbaum:

 “I’ll be able to say, ‘You were a mensch, you fought like a mensch, just like Poppa and Momma in difficult times.’ ”

Amen.

Commodification of Our Lady of Vilnius according to Curbed

Again, read it and weep.

Latest Filing for Our Lady of Vilnius, 568 Broome Street

Permits filed for the demise of Our Lady of Vilnius Church

According to  New York YIMBY, permits have been filed for the destruction of our church to make way for 18 story condo building.  Read it and weep.  And still pray for a miracle.  Maybe something really interesting will be found under the floorboards.

"Earlier this year, an entity called SoHo Broome Condos LLC, with an address in the Agime Group’s offices, bought up two adjacent mid-block sites at 568-572 Broome Street – one the site of the old Our Lady of Vilnius Church, from Extell (price tag: $18.4 million), and another a small walk-up from a longtime owner ($12.3 million). In total, the new owner paid $600 a foot for the land, which sits just a few dozen feet east of the entrance of the Holland Tunnel.

And now, the developer – listed on the building permit as Selim Akyüz, with KSK Construction Group – looks ready to go forward with an 18-story, 30-unit condo building on the site. This morning, his architect of record (Tahir Demircioğlu’s Builtd) filed plans for the 60,800-square foot project.

The 30 condos will be divided among 50,705 square feet of residential floor space (for an average apartment size of nearly 1,700 square feet), plus a small 919-square foot retail bay. The project will apparently not have an affordable component, with the one-third density bonus (which would raise the floor-area ratio from nine to 12) not being enough to compel the developer to participate in the inclusionary housing program.

The Hudson Square area – above Canal and west of Sixth Avenue, generally – was rezoned in 2013 to allow more residential use, which is what enabled this project to go forward. The rezoning did, however, impose fairly strict height limits on the area given the density allowed, and as a result this project will max out at 185 feet. In addition to relatively low ceilings (barely 10 feet from floor to floor), the height limit means builders will not be able to sell as many units with views of the skyline, cutting somewhat into the prices they’ll be able to get for condos."

"Both love and death laugh in the face of self-improvement."

Read Robert Geroux' dotCommonweal post on "Religion and the "Value-Added" Life".  Very Our Lady of Vilnius.

At the noon Mass attended mostly by area workers (and some who took the subway to get there)  Father Eugene would apply the antidote to the insults of work day by telling us that we are the apple of God's eye.
Why haven't I heard it at more Masses?

Furthermore, who are "32 Dominick LLC"?

Company Name:	32 DOMINICK LLC
File Number:	4461359
Filing State:	New York (NY)
Domestic State:	Delaware (DE)
Filing Status:	Active
Filing Date:	September 19, 2013
Company Age:	10 Months
Registered Agent:	C T Corporation System 111 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10011
Principal Address:	C/O C T Corporation System 111 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10011

Who are "568 Broome Street Partners LLC"?

Company Name:	568 BROOME STREET PARTNERS, LLC
File Number:	5414732
Filing State:	Delaware (DE)
Filing Status:	Unknown
Filing Date:	October 14, 2013
Company Age:	9 Months
Registered Agent:	National Registered Agents, Inc. 160 Greentree Dr Ste 101 Dover, DE 19904

Our Lady of Vilnius Church being demolished as I type...?

A neighbor with a bird's eye view sent me an e-mail saying that contents are being removed from the church and people are demolishing the roof.

If you can take a picture or give us more detail, e-mail us. please.

Upset because your church/parish may close? E-Mail Us!

As  former parishioners of Our Lady of Vilnius, we struggled to keep our church, parish and community alive since 2006.  We failed, but we can advise and console you.

E-mail us at olvnyc@gmail.com to share your concerns.

OLV Watering Hole (Broome Street Bar) sold for $12M

It's sad to see the Broome Street Bar go the way of Our Lady of Vilnius.  When the church was open, those who wanted to continue the conversation after kavine would troop east, past the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, now the Chapel of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, to the Broome Street Bar.

When the church was endangered, we would gather there to strategize and speculate about saving it.  After the church was closed, we would demonstrate and then chow down on those burgers served with the little side salad.

Either way, it was always a good time and we were happy in each other's company there.  According to the New York Post item that shared this sad news:

"The plan is to create a fabulous new Soho restaurant and bar in the spirit of the Soho institution,” said a source close to the deal brokered by Michael Bolla, Wynter Galindez and Lisa Rosenthal."

Instead of a comfortable place where you could linger and talk to people to whom you haven't introduced, it will become a sanitized culinary theme park.

Fabulous.

Changing Pastors/Administrators changes the corporate board of the parish

If the pastor or administrator of a parish changes, this means that the corporate board that would vote on the disposition of church property changes, too.  The pastor is one of the five board members and he appoints the 2 lay trustees.

The Archdiocese of New York is now changing pastors and administrators.  See

• 46 Priests Appointed as Administrators of Parishes  - Catholic New York, 6/15/2014
• Pastor shake-up at Catholic parishes on Staten Island - S.I. Live, MAURA GRUNLUND and ANDREW V. SIMONTACCHI, 6/24/2014

Your parish is also a corporation

Parishes in the Archdiocese of New York are also corporations.  They are incorporated under New York State Religious Corporation Law (RCL).  The members of the corporation are the parish/corp's 5 member board of trustees.  The board members are the Cardinal, the Vicar General of the archdiocese, the parish pastor and 2 lay trustees appointed by the pastor.

After a church closes, the real estate lingers on as a corporate asset.  In order to do anything with that property that is different from the terms of corporation (operate a house of worship), a majority of the board members must vote affirmatively of the proposed action.

To view RCL in action via the case of Our Lady of  Vilnius, visit the New York State Court of Appeals web archive page and click on the link for "No. 231 Blaudziunas v. Egan." You will need Windows Media Player to view this video.

CLICK HERE to go directly to video.

The Real Deal reports Our Lady of Vilnius has been sold

E.B. Solomont's item "Developer nabs Hudson Square site for $31M"  seems to give as much detail as has been made public.  18.5 of the $31M goes to the seller of Our Lady of Vilnius. $12.3 goes to next door neighbor, Linda Sousa.

Agirnaslis!  Please don't tear us down.

$acrificed on the Altar of Real E$tate

CurbedNY has a pithy little post titled "Mapping 26 NYC Houses of Worship Being Replaced by Condos"  presented under the catchy rubric of "Losing Our Religion."  Unlike the house organs and press releases of the religious entities offloading the  development sites  churches for hefty proceeds, this little item tells it like it is.

If attendance is floundering, don't blame the sheep.  Look to the not-so-good shepherds.

Mysteries of Our Lady of Vilnius: Architect Harrison G. Wiseman's Only Church

Why was our church designed and constructed by an architect best known for designing theatres?

Does anyone know anything about Mr. Wiseman's life and personality?  All I can find online is "Architect: Harrison G. Wiseman" for a succession of buildings.  The following is excerpted from Emilio Guerra's Flickr page for The Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater/Yiddish Folks.  

The Architect and Design of the Theater Building..Harrison G. Wiseman (1878-1943), architect of the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater Building, was bom in Springfield, Ohio, and is known to have practiced in New York City from around 1910 to 1939 had designed Our Lady of Vilna R.C. Church, 568-570 Broome Street, in 1910. Wiseman worked in association with a number of other architects, including Arthur G. Carlson, from around 1915 to 1926, and Hugo Taussig, in the mid-1920s and early 1930s; original Buildings Department drawings and application for Jaffe's building also list the names of [Hugo E.] Magnuson & [Edward W.] Kleinert. Wiseman designed the William Fox Motion Picture Studios (c. 1919-20) at 800 Tenth Avenue. All of Wiseman's other known commissions, over two dozen, were for theaters, many of them neighborhood movie theaters in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, including a number for the Loew's chain. ..His earliest known theater was the Penn (1910), a nickelodeon at 409 Eighth Avenue (demolished). Wiseman's other Manhattan theater commissions included the Union (1913), 505 West 42nd Street (demolished); the Bluebird (1920), 1763 Amsterdam Avenue; the Delancey (1922), 62 Delancey Street; the conversion of Oscar Hammers tcin's Manhattan Opera House (1906-07) into the Scottish Rite Temple (c. 1923), 311 West 34th Street; the Loew's Commodore (later the Fillmore East, 1925-26), 105 Second Avenue; the Hollywood (1926), 98 Avenue A; the first John Golden Theater (1926), 202 West 38th Street (demolished); and the Waverly (1937), 323 Sixth Avenue.".

Will affordable housing initiative result in segregated micro-hives for worker bees?

Last Friday the New York Times ran a feature by Ronda Kaysen titled "What’s Next, a Bouncer? Rent-Regulated Tenants Excluded From Amenities"  Developers who have provided affordable units in return for tax credits have created separate entrances for the "affordable" tenants or even off-loaded the units to a different site.  If the Archdiocese of New York is partnering with the city in creating affordable housing, I hope that they oppose the segregation of the working class from their well-to-do neighbors.

Under this scheme of things, would Gary Barnett be able to put the affordable units associated with this:

Where this...

now stands?  If so, please keep the facade, give us a space to assemble and give former Our Lady of Vilnius parishioners who qualify first preference.

But better yet:  Let it stand!  And let us pray.

Archdiocese of New York to Partner with NYC in Affordable Housing Initiatives: Will the devil be in the details?

The latest edition of the Archdiocese's house organ, "Catholic New York." features a piece by Ron Lajoie titled "Church Stands Ready to Help in Solving the Housing Crisis".  According to Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, the Church has several attributes that make it a natural for the affordable housing project. First, its theology of housing as a basic human right, second, a long history of providing housing and services for those in need, but third (and here is where the ominous soap opera organ chord sounded):

"The third thing we offer, and the cardinal has indicated this, is we have changing use of church facilities, so that as populations shift and we don’t need some of our properties for certain things there are new possibilities.”

To the best of my knowledge, Our Lady of Vilnius Church is on the market for $19 million.  The rectory is listed for $9 million.  St. Stanislaus Kostka in Hastings was sold, church and rectory.  Mary Help of Christians has been sold for development.

The Archdiocese will probably realize quite a few quid in exchange for their quo while piling up ideological ammo against the selfish, sinful idolators who try to save their parishes.  The church should have done more to combat income inequality as it was developing instead of reaping its rewards in the form of real estate proceeds.

Mindaugas Gabrenas: Dreamscapes

One of OLV's artists-no-longer-in-residence encountered this exhibit by chance and liked it.  Although the Our Lady of Vilnius Church, rectory and surrounds are my favorite dreamscape, I will probably go to see these photos before the exhibit closes.  Particulars:

‘Dreamscapes’ in New York

Selected works from Mindaugas Gabrenas ‘Dreamscapes’ series will be exhibited in New York till the end of June.

April 2 – June 27, 2014

Open: Monday-Friday, 8am – 6pm

733 Third Ave, Manhattan, NYC

Visit Mindaugas Gabrenas site: http://www.gabrenas.com/

MOTHER

n Mother's Day in 2006, the last Mother's Day before Our Lady of Vilnius was locked,  Father Eugene gave the final blessing.  He stood in his customary spot on the rough wooden floorboards, a spot worn as thin as a newborn's fontanel.

He looked out over our motley assemblage of sinners and saints and started by blessing the mothers among us.  He moved on to add the mothers in spirit:  the caretakers and teachers, the artists and dreamers. He continued to expand the circle.  By the time he finished, the blessing included the whole world.

This is why Our Lady of Vilnius lives among the petitions that we hold in the silence of our hearts.

Mayor DeBlasio, please help keep us standing!

Today Mayor De Blasio unveiled his $41 billion ten year plan for affordable housing.  (see Bloomberg "New York's De Blasio Unveils $41 Billion Plan for Affordable Housing" )  Just last week I learned that Our Lady of Vilnius is on a list of sites recommended by Community Boards for affordable housing.

This church is our body.  The communion of sinners and saints that has gathered there since 1910 is its soul.  Those among us who are living see this building as a visible symbol of the faith, fortitude and grit of our ancestors.  It is the symbol of the merciful God in which we believe and of the purity and love of His mother Mary.  A blow to this church is like a blow to my body, to our bodies.

Ironically, as Hudson Square is becoming residential and welcoming people who may need a spiritual center, its only church may be destroyed.  The ultimate irony would be if affordable housing, the antidote to the gentrification that led to the church's end, would lead to the demise of this humble but inspiring structure.

We should pray that the Holy Spirit inform the hearts and minds of everyone involved with the future of our body, our pieta.

History Repeating: Archdiocese of New York prepares to Make All Things New by closing churches

As Our Lady of Vilnius, church and rectory, are on the market and Mary Help of Christians has already been demolished, the Archdiocese of New York anticipates more closings as part of their pastoral planning initiative, "Making All Things New."   Many churches will be made rubble and the resurrection will be proceeds. Expect to hear a lot from Joseph Zwilling, but first bone up on mental reservation and be aware that even things that are true may not be causal.

Two items appeared today:

• The Journal News: Parish closings, mergers coming as archdiocese retools, by Greg Shillinglaw
• Capital New York: Archdiocese moves toward large-scale parish closings, by Ryan Hutchins

Hit it Shirley...

Tell Me: Jobs Proposed, Jobs Withdrawn

Since I last looked at the Department of Buildings site, the following jobs appeared between July, 2013 and September, 2013:

07/02/2013	140093271	01	A2	H P/E IN PROCESS	07/02/2013	0027722 RA	SHTEIERM		NOT APPLICABLE
	JOB WITHDRAWN 07/02/2013 HEREWITH FILING TO REMOVE THE FAILING FACADE COMP
	Work on Floor(s): 001 thru 002
08/14/2013	121747958	01	A2	R PERMIT-ENTIRE	09/20/2013	0027722 RA	SHTEIERM		NOT APPLICABLE
	HEREWITH FILING TO REMOVE THE FAILING FACADE COMPONENTS AND REPLACE AS PER
	Work on Floor(s): 001 thru 002
08/16/2013	121751835	01	A3	R PERMIT-ENTIRE	04/21/2014	0033652 RA	STILES		NOT APPLICABLE
	INSTALLATION OF HEAVY DUTY SIDEWALK SHED FOR REMEDIAL REPAIRS. LIVE LOAD 3
	Work on Floor(s): OSP
09/19/2013	121784435	01	A3	R PERMIT-ENTIRE	04/16/2014	0083278 PE	HOQUE		NOT APPLICABLE
	INSTALLATION OF PIPE SCAFFOLD AS PER PLANS. ALL WORK SHALL BE ACCORDING TO
	Work on Floor(s): OSP

Link to DOB page: http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobsQueryByLocationServlet?requestid=16&allbin=1009731&allstrt=BROOME%20STREET&allnumbhous=568

Who owns the building? 
What is being done?  
Why?

Tell Me: Our Lady of Vilnius site on List of Proposed Affordable Housing Sites

Our Lady of Vilnius (aka 568 Broome Street) is included on a list of proposed affordable housing sites issued by the Manhattan Borough President's Office, dated 4/8/2014.  The header reads:

 "Office of the Manhattan Borough President 4/8/14

Proposed Opportunities for Affordable Housing in Manhattan

 Community Board Recommendations"

The church property is included in the "Hudson Square Special District"  the "Notes" column for this umbrella listing reads "21 or more sites with potential inclusionary housing with bonus FAR. Full utilization of potential 

would create over 700 new units of affordable housing. CPC should consider review to secure AH use
esp. with respect to possible conflict between FAR bonus for commercial use versus inclusionary
housing."

I don't know what the abbreviations mean (FAR, AH) and I don't know the implications for our church.  At this point, I don't even know who owns the church.  Please help me figure it all out.  Here's the link to the document:
 http://manhattanbp.nyc.gov/downloads/pdf/4.8.14%20Manhattan%20Opportunities%20for%20Affordable%20Housing.pdf

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jėzus Kristus prisikėlė ir mes prisikelsime !

"A resurrection, the egg breaking its shell. 

The black Madonna, the mother of watchful God,

 Broods no longer; she knows her son has risen"

-from "Words for the Parish of St. Stanislaus Kostka on the Occasion of its Ninetieth Anniversary" by Stephen Stepanchev

Crux

Seven years later...

We Mourn the Commodification of Our Lady of Vilnius by The Archdiocese of New York

• September 13, 2013 - Hudson Square flip: Barnett’s Extell wants $20M for church site
• Massey Knakal listing for church property - "568 Broome Street offers the buyer an opportunity to develop an iconic structure in the heart of the newly rezoned Hudson Square area."
• Massey Knakal's 21 page color sales brochure for Our Lady of Vilnius: "568 Broome - HUDSON SQUARE DEVELOPMENT SITE FOR SALE
• Douglas Elliman listing for sale of the Our Lady of Vilnius Rectory - " Bring your architect to discuss the endless possibilities to create your dream home."

Tomorrow at noon, when we would normally have gone through the small red door at the right and down the steep steps to the church hall for Mass, let us unite in prayer of gratitude for having lived Our Lady of Vilnius, for having gotten to know each other and for having received spiritual gifts which will last our lifetime and beyond. Let us pray for and to our departed for their intercession in preserving the spirit of our parish within the Roman Catholic Church. Let us pray that against all odds our church will stand as a symbol of God's goodness in this material world.

Our Lady of Vilnius and Cinema Paradiso

This is Our Lady of Vilnius, 568 Broome Street, at the mouth of the Holland Tunnel.

This is Cinema Paradiso in Giancaldo, Sicily, from the 1988 film of the same name.

They resemble each other, no?  Our Lady of Vilnius was the only church designed by architect Harrison G. Wiseman, well known for designing movie theaters. Both Our Lady of Vilnius and Cinema Paradiso housed statues of the Virgin Mary.

At the end of the movie, Salvatore di Vita, once the projectionist and now a famous director, returns home  to Giancaldo for the funeral of Alfredo, his mentor and spiritual father.  As he processes towards the church behind the hearse, he sees that Cinema Paradiso, opposite the church, has fallen to ruin and is to be demolished within days.  One of the people told him that they had closed it 6 years ago because nobody came anymore... the economy, TV, video.  In the film the people stand in a crowd across the square and watch, some crying, as the theater implodes.

As I wept, I kept hoping that history could be rewritten for the little theater and that the fate of Our Lady of Vilnius is not yet sealed.  The church is being promoted as a "development site" by Massey Knackal.

Let us pray that it is purchased by someone who will love and preserve it and that it will not fall prey to the insidious commodification of everything.