From Eyewitness News:For decades St. Augustine Church in the Bronx has been a place of great joy and sorrow.
Generations have received communion here, been baptized, married and laid to rest.
But today's Sunday mass will be the last at this site.
"Our hope is to take down the church and rectory and convent and put up affordable housing here and with the money from the housing put up a smaller church across the street next to the school," Rev. Thomas Fenlon said.
Ah, that old gag. Yes, yes, "affordable housing" is what your congregation really needs.
7 comments:
This is a heartbreaking story. All the personal ties, the unity of a congregation, gone.
Our only consolation is that it goes to a Christian use. Better that a church be used for housing the poor, healing the ill or feading the hungry than as a den of iniquity such as the Episcopal church that turned into Limelight.
Thousand uses can be found for this church rather than this.
We are going to see an epidemic of chruch teardowns.
Thanks Sacred Sites - I guess this did not make your little 'list' but since MAS, like HDC and the other groups, are controlled by rich white people all is fine in the world of community preservation.
BTW, is anyone in preservation going to demand these secret little 'lists' be made public?
Naw, that would require backbone and run the risk of your sorry assed 'access'
I bet if they made an effort to contact the community, other uses could be found.
But they never do. Remember the quip about mushrooms?
Its not heart breaking at all.
Pray ALL you want, this church wont be saved.
Either god exists, or we have free will. One has to go.
The Landmark West people are pushing to save a church in their community, a community that has dozens and dozens of landmarked buildings.
Spread the wealth.
The worst part is not the loss of a landmarked building, but the loss of a neighborhood and a community.
I remember visiting Ireland with my father and being shown the sites where Cromwell put priests to the sword or pulled down Catholic churches.
Churches can be a very important force to protect and unite a community and the loss of one is like the loss of a school--tragic.
Sad story, but so typical QNS.
Does anyone know when the senior housing will open? Any phone numbers?
My 90 year old grandma lives in our livingroom, this would be ideal for us.
Any other senior housing leads in the neighborhood would be appreciated too. Thanks.
cescacelia@yahoo.com
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