They’re out in the cold…
The old people who used to come here every day to play cards and cook now have nowhere to go. There’s no where to celebrate the liturgy. They’re outside in the cold. That’s not right. This is a place where people come to be in the presence of God.
The Rev. Eugene Sawicki, retired New York City firefighter, lawyer, doctor of nursing, judge of the New York Inter-Diocesan Appellate court, and pastor of the suddenly shuttered Our Lady of Vilnius Roman Catholic Church, as quoted in the NY post article Street preach.
That article along with the Post’s Cardinal Sin are a must read. I could reprint excerpts here, each line an indictment befitting the corporate moguls of ENRON, but here applied to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, but to what end? The sheep are out in the cold, their shepherd, the Rev. Sawicki summarily called to the Chancery while the locks on his parish — and his residence — were being changed (only they messed up the lock change on his residence, so he still has a bed to sleep in, for now).
The Our Lady of Vilnius Blog covers it well. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Our Lady of Vilnius. My admiration is with Father Sawicki, who is a true father to his people.
This Sunday we celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Institution of the PNCC. All are welcome. If you would like contacts in the NYC area, who I am sure would welcome you, please feel free to contact me at deaconjim [at] bvmc [dot] org.
For those who like interesting historical parallels, Cardinal Egan scheduled a meeting with Lithuanian Consul General Mindaugas Butkus who was to hand-deliver Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus’ letter to the Cardinal. The Lithuanian President told the cardinal that “we value [the church] very much . . . it has historical value and cultural value.”
Knowing that the meeting was scheduled and the purpose of the meeting, the Cardinal proceeded to forcibly lock the doors of the church prior to the meeting, yet still went on with the show of the meeting, leaving the Consul General in the dark about the closing.
It reminds me of the Japanese ambassador serving a declaration of war on the United States hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor began.
So the Cardinal shows up hours after the closing for diplomatic niceties. A real Prince of the Church.
From the Archdiocese of New York:
February 27, 2007
STATEMENT OF JOSEPH ZWILLING, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS ON THE CLOSING OF OUR LADY OF VILNIUS CHURCH
The parish of Our Lady of Vilnius was closed today. Father Eugene Sawicki, Administrator of the parish, was informed at a meeting that the closure is effective immediately. Although not a part of the recent Archdiocesan realignment process, the decision to close Our Lady of Vilnius was announced on January 19, 2007.
Our Lady of Vilnius, located at 32 Dominick Street across from the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, was a “national parish” founded in 1905 to serve Lithuanian Catholics then living in the New York metropolitan area. National parishes were originally established to serve large numbers of immigrants from a particular country, for instance Germany or Italy, by providing services in their native language and preserving their cultural and religious celebrations.
Sunday and Holy Day Masses were regularly attended by six to thirty persons. They were in English, inasmuch as the priest serving the parish for many years does not understand, read, or speak Lithuanian. There have been virtually no weddings or funerals in the church for years. Moreover, persons wishing to participate in Mass and parish activities in Lithuanian are informed of Lithuanian parishes in the neighboring Diocese of Brooklyn and Archdiocese of Newark.
Monsignor Edmond Putrimas, Delegate for the Apostolate for Lithuanian Catholics living outside of Lithuania, was informed months ago of the situation of the parish and agreed that it should be closed. Similarly, the priest who has been serving the parish for many years was informed of the decision to close the parish also months ago and did not object until recently.
Appropriate steps have been taken to secure and safeguard the church and other parish buildings. All items of liturgical or historical value will be removed and stored for future use in other churches.
Regarding the statement, the Our Lady of Vilnius Blog has parsed out the inaccuracies in the Archdiocese statement. I would refer people there for a further discussion of that issue.
I did make one comment there. What happened to Jesus?
It is clear that the locksmiths came and changed the locks. I am also pretty sure the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the church. I don’t think the locksmiths moved Jesus. The pastor cannot get in the church. As such, it appears that Jesus has been locked inside the church. To me, that’s a scandal beyond that of the closure.
Jesus will be removed with the rest of the property at a later date?