The Analects of Joseph Zwilling: On the Extinction of National Parishes (Annotated)

“As is happening elsewhere, so-called national parishes, at one time established to serve the needs of a particular national or ethnic community, are being discontinued ..."

OK, first off, I object to "discontinued."  It is a corporate, not a canonical term.  Is the corporate mentality so entrenched in the Archdiocese that its spokesman spouts it like national parishes are a product line that is not putting enough value into the bottom line?

Second, I think identifying a class of parishes and blanket extinguishing them all for the same reason violates canon law.  To the only surviving national parishes in the Archdiocese I can only say, "YO!  Heads up!  Maybe you're next."

Many national parishes are being "discontinued" a hundred years or more after they were established.  They have a potent and unique charism grown from the foundation laid down by the founding parishioners and enriched by those who were later drawn to worship there.  In the intervening years they retain  their cultural characteristics but evolve to include diverse parishioners who are attracted to community values, the residual customs and the living examples of faith given by the old timers.  When it closed 100 after years, St. Stanislaus Kostka's Mass was in English.  Some Polish hymns were played on special occasions and potluck dinners had servings of kielbasi and pierogi which were enjoyed by all.  All were welcomed into the community and people of all ethnicity were drawn to the simplicity and warmth of the parish.  At one time we had 2 young choristers of African American/Filipino heritage singing heartily in phonetic Polish.  

"...and the members of those parishes are being integrated into the local parishes,” said spokesperson Joseph Zwilling.

OK, now I object to the term "integrated."  I have experienced 2 parish closings and in neither case was I included in a planned "integration."  My churches were abruptly locked.  That was it.

When a parish is extinguished, the material assets are supposed to follow the former parishioners to the parish into which the extinct parish was merged.  Mr. Zwilling's statement is grammatically ambiguous.  I hope the sheep aren't being dispersed to multiple folds while the monies go...where?

“...There are a number of reasons for this, the two most important being the desire to create vibrant, thriving communities of faith, and, with a declining number of priests, to utilize our clergy as effectively as possible to meet the needs of the people,” the statement continued."

I would like Mr. Zwilling to explain how closing churches and extinguishing parishes against the wishes of parishioners, beginning with Cardinal Egan's "Realignment" in 2005, has created vibrant and thriving communities of faith.  If the communities of faith were so vibrant and thriving, would we be suffering an increasing paucity of vocations to the priesthood?

The "declining number of priests" is a compelling problem, but is it a valid reason for targeting national parishes and closing them?  No.

In my personal experience the reasons for closing parishes advanced by the Archdiocese can be plausible, may even be true.  But are they causal?  We can have our suspicions but we can't know because so far, the Archdiocese has remained opaque, offering the public sporadic and advantageous tokens of transparency. To learn more about the situation at the former St. John Baptist de la Salle R.C. Church, read Uncertainty looms over Staten Island church as Archdiocese declines to renew lease.

Bishop Whelan Now Sits on Corporate Board of All Parish Corporations in the Archdiocese of New York

I am saying it again because not everyone knows that underlying your parish, there is a civil corporation.  The corporate board consists of the  Archbishop, the Vicar General, the Pastor and two lay trustees. When a church is closed and relegated to profane, but not sordid, use, this board votes on the disposition of the real property.  

It was announced today that Bishop Edmund Whelan will succeed Joseph P. Lamorte as Vicar General, making him Archbishop Ronald Hicks' right hand man and giving him a seat on every parish corporate board in the archdiocese.

Read all about it on the Arch's Good Newsroom: Vicar General Monsignor LaMorte Retires, Bishop Whalen Appointed New Vicar General, Bishop Colacicco Vicar for Clergy

New York City Council Confers Individual Landmark Status on the Lithuanian Alliance/SLA

The beloved SLA on 30th off of 8th has served the Lithuanian community of New York since 1910.  The loss of Our Lady of Vilnius in 2011 left it the only Lithuanian outpost in New York City other than the consulate.

It began as an insurance concern/fraternal association for immigrants and evolved into a vibrant cultural center and gathering place.  It has seen good and bad times but has survived and, in recent years, thrived.

Laima Mihailovich, Dainius Glinskis and a host of supporters crafted an application that won the SLA a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.  Today these prime movers can celebrate the designation of the SLA as an individual landmark by the New York City Council.

Read all about it:  LPC Designates Three Buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn Linked to New York City's Rich Immigration History

 

In Memory of Monsignor Hugh Corrigan, December 24, 1938 - September 7, 2025

Msgr. Hugh Corrigan is the spiritual father of St. Mary's as we know it today.   He is present even to those who never met him.   The rectory and convent gardens, parishioners' reminiscences and the welcoming spirit of St. Mary's community are his living legacy.

He had an opportunity that few pastors today will get: to lay a foundation for a parish's future.  Msgr. Corrigan served St. Mary's for a total of 31 years, 26 as Pastor and 5 more as Administrator.  He saw a lot of history in that time, writ large as world and national events and in fine detail through the lives of his parishioners.

He shared this history in his book, The Parish of St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception, Yonkers, 1848-2016".  He has a an easy, flowing style and produced a work that is a both historical document and a good story.  

He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery on September 25, 2025.  The photo above was taken by Bob Lynn, who placed the palm cross on his grave during a St. Patrick's Day visit.  Bob grew up in the parish, graduated from St. Mary's school and still drives in from  Pennsylvania to pay respect and tend the graves of loved ones in St. Mary's cemetery.   

That is the spirit of St. Mary's.  Let us pray that this parish will have the future Msg. Corrigan envisioned.

Msgr. Corrigan's obituary

A sample of his writing: A New York's priest's memories of an historic event in the civil rights struggle

Look Out for St. Mary's in Yonkers' St. Patrick's Day Parade This Saturday

In the NY metro the Feast of St. Patrick is a month, not a day.  Cities, towns and villages each have their own parades, some before, some after the big one down Fifth Avenue in NYC on March 17th.  Yonkers is throwing their party on Saturday, March 21, with a parade up McLean Avenue followed by festivities in Coyne Park at the end of the march. 

A contingent from St. Mary's will be joining in honor of the Irish immigrants that built the church with their own hands and monetary donations.  We will march with gratitude for our Irish forbears who laid a firm physical and spiritual foundation for successive waves of immigrants.  And as we march we will be praying to St. Patrick, patron of the Archdiocese of New York, to drive out some snakes here, too.

The parade kicks off from McLean and Hyatt Avenues at 1:00 PM.  It will be a happy madhouse, so visit the Yonkers St. Patrick's Day Parade website for details.  There will be shuttles running to and from free parking at Empire City Casino on the corner of Yonkers & Central Avenues.  Details about that are available on FAQ page of parade site under "Where can I park the day of the parade?"

St. Mary NYC News Item Missing?

On Friday the 13th I saw a headline in Lo-Down, a Lower East Side news site, announcing that St. Mary's had been landmarked.  Wait...what?  Reading further I learned that St. Mary's on Grand Street was designated an individual landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

The sentence that stood out like a neon sign observed that the Archdiocese of New York did not oppose the application.  A preservationist that supported the application noted that it was rare for a Roman Catholic church to be landmarked.

When I went back to read and post, the article was gone!  I thought I had verified the designation on the LPC site, but maybe my hunger for good news caused me to misread the designation of St. Mary the Virgin, aka "Smoky Mary."

Maybe the editor of Lo-Down is waiting for the New York City Council to approve the designation and make it official.  I sure hope this piece returns.  In the meantime, please read this excellent item about St. Mary NYC's journey toward this moment.  It provides a lot of context:  Campaign to Landmark Church of St. Mary Inches Ahead

First there is a...then there is no...then there is.  Hit it, Donovan. 

Jo Dereske on Saving/Losing Churches

"I wish Nostalgia and tradition were money! We could have bought these places many times over."

"I recall the losing battle of saving various Lithuanian-based churches, which I imagine is still ongoing.  I think the Sisters of St. Casimir (who taught me) sold their convent a while ago."

-from an e-mail from Jo Dereske

RIP Jo Dereske

I first encountered Jo Dereske through Miss Zukas, specifically her novel "Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence."  I was being facetious because Our Lady of Vilnius had its own Miss Zukas.  I read the book, loved it and read the rest of the series.  Dereske's Miss Zukas is a Lithuanian-American librarian living on one of the islands of Washington State.  She is smarter and tangier than the average "cozy mystery" heroine and the books share some pointed but subtle social commentary about gentrification.  She shares her Lithuanian heritage in the persona of Zukas's grandmother, whose very good recipe for kugelis appears in one of the novels.  There is even a Lithuanian Catholic church in Zukas's midwestern hometown.

I think one encounters a lot of Jo Dereske in Ms. Zukas and some of Ms. Zukas has filtered into me.  I now say "Oh, Faulkner" instead of the alternative and refer to any oppressors as "Dos Passos."

I had the pleasure of exchanging a few e-mails with her and learned of her passing via Google, as I was checking up on her because I had not written to her in a long time.

My condolences to all who are suffering her loss.

Here is her obituary:  Jo Dereske,  October 1, 1947 - July 5. 2025

A tribute from a friend on SleuthSayers blog: Farewell, Ms. Dereske

Playing Chess with the Archdiocese of New York: Church of the Most Holy Redeemer

When you hear that your church is being closed or your parish is merging with another it is news to you.  But it isn't news to the Archdiocese of New York.  They are playing a game of chess from a playbook of time tested moves.  The reasons put forward for closing or merging may be true, but they are not necessarily causal.  The standard reasons:

• Reduced attendance
• Shortage of priests
• Problems with the structure or condition of the church

The unvoiced causal reasons: the Archdiocese needs money,  a party expressed interest in the property, a party made an offer on the property, anticipated legislation forecasts revenue from the property.

Phyllis Eckhaus's piece, Battle to Save East Village Church Goes to the Vatican in the Village Star-Revue is a very readable introduction to the machinations used to close churches and the methods parishioners can use to save their spiritual home.