REOPEN Our Lady of Peace Church on East 62nd St., NYC, for ALL SACRAMENTS
- by: Our Lady of Peace Church, NYC, Parishioners, Friends, and Neighbors
- recipient: His Holiness, Pope Francis; His Eminence Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect Congregation for the Clergy; His Eminence, Antonio Maria Cardinal Veglio', President, Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People; His Eminence, Timo
Blessed Virgin Mary Patronal Feast will be held at 5:30 p.m.on Sunday, September 16, 2019 at Our Lady of Peace celebrated by Father James Loughran. Download and print the program.
Program for BVM Patronal Feast 2018
The 99th Anniversary of the Dedication of Our Lady of Peace was held on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. celebrated by Father James Loughran. Download and print the program.
A Cent'Anni!
On September 8, 2017, we were able to celebrate the BVM Patronal Feast on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!
This wonderful event was a high mass, including Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Anointing of the Sick. With so many in attendance, there is proof of a strong community of faith to support this church in the future.
And we were able to celebrate and fill to standing room only our 98th Anniversary of the Dedication of Our Lady of Peace inside our beloved church on Good Shepherd Sunday, May 7, 2017!
But our journey is not finished! These events have given us a deeper appreciation of our faith and the promise to generations of Catholics. We want the doors open again for public and private worship and the sacraments!
The Congregation for the Clergy sent us notice that our case files have been sent to the Vatican Supreme Court, the Apostolic Signatura, for review. The Congregation issued their decree regarding the merger and closure of Our Lady of Peace on December 28, 2016. The news reached parishioners in January 2017. While the decree provides the minimum rights of entry - Masses on the patronal feast and solemnity of the anniversary of the dedication of the church, parishioners will appeal to the Apostolic Signatura, the supreme court of the Vatican. The decree also provides that the church will be open for private and public worship. But the church remains locked and has only been opened for 3 funerals and one previously scheduled wedding since closure.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan revoked the original Nov. 2, 2014 decree of merger on April 28, 2016 and then immediately published two additional decrees: one on the boundaries of Saint John the Evangelist, and a second decree of merger for Saint John and Our Lady of Peace. These decrees were issued on April 27-29 and can be viewed by clicking here: NEW DECREES ISSUED APRIL 2016
The Archdiocese did not wait for the matter of the merger to be resolved. They simply went to civil court to merge the church corporations without the knowledge of the parishioners of Our Lady of Peace. They used the same trustees for both church corporations to consent to the civil merger in June 2016.
SEE ALL UPDATES HERE.
YOU CAN HELP US!
Although the church was closed on July 31, 2015, you can still help save Our Lady of Peace Church, founded in 1918 by Italian immigrants! First, we thank you for whatever you are able to do. Please begin by reading and signing our petition and following us on Facebook, Twitter, or our blog. You may write letters of support to the Vatican and to New York state and city officials. If you live in NYC, you can bring an ivory candle to the church steps and help keep our Perpetual Light Vigil. You are welcome to join our 54-Day Rosary Novena each day at 6:00 p.m. at the church steps. If you would like to do more to preserve the church, please click on this link to review the Friends of Our Lady of Peace Fundraising Campaign. Your many acts of kindness are appreciated.
The Archdiocese of New York notified 55 churches that they will be merged, as reported in the New York Times, the result of an initiative, Making All Things New. Merged is code for eventual closure! Also see the New York Times article about the NYC Mass Mob on January 25. But the Archdiocese did not publish the decrees regarding these mergers until February 11, 2015. For more than 3 months, the parishioners of these churches had been unable to obtain the copies they needed to appeal to the Vatican for recourse. On February 13, 2015, the New York Times broke the story, New York Archdiocese Parishioners See System of Secrets as They Fight Church Closings. Parishioners have appealed to the Congregation for the Clergy to stop the closure scheduled for August 2015. The Vatican first notified us in March that they will study this recourse until June. On June 1, the Congregation for Clergy mailed us a letter that they would continue to study our recourse through September 1, 2015. See Vatican to Review Some N.Y. Churches Set to Merge or Close in the Wall Street Journal.
In August 2014, most parishioners first learned that the Archdiocese recommended merging Our Lady of Peace into St. Vincent Ferrer. Friends of Our Lady of Peace Church disagreed with this for reasons cited (click Petition next to Overview above), including solvency of the church, landmarked status, community outreach, and neighborhood value. On Nov. 2, Cardinal Dolan sent a letter with his decision to merge the parish of Our Lady of Peace into St. John the Evangelist at the archdiocese headquarters on 55th Street and 1st Avenue.
People ask, what will happen to Our Lady of Peace Church if its parish is merged? A recent trend in New York City has seen many churches sold to redevelopers who convert their use, build, and sell residential units. The New York Landmarks Conservancy has described this growing trend as a crisis: "If a substantial number of Catholic churches are closed or redeveloped, all New York City neighborhoods and other denominations will be impacted."
We invite people of all denominations to sign below to preserve this church. Read Our Lady of Peace Church NYC blog and Friends of OLP Facebook page. Email friendsofourladyofpeace@gmail.com Keep comments dignified and respectful.
ITALIANI -PER NOSTRI AMICI IN ITALIA!
SALVA Our Lady of Peace (Madonna della Pace). chiesa fondata nel 1918 da immigrati italiani! L'Arcidiocesi di New York ha notificato 55 chiese che saranno uniti, come riportato dal New York Times. Fusione è il codice per l'eventuale chiusura!
Il 2 novembre, il cardinale Dolan ha pubblicato una lettera con la sua decisione di fondere la parrocchia in San Giovanni Evangelista presso la sede dell'arcidiocesi sulla 55th Street e 1st Avenue.
La gente chiede, cosa accadrà alla OUR LADY OF PEACE (Madonna della Pace) Chiesa se la sua parrocchia è fusa? Una tendenza recente a New York City ha visto molte chiese vendute ai costruttori che convertono il loro uso per vendere unità abitative.
Persone provenienti da tutto il mondo sono invitati a firmare qui sotto per preservare questa chiesa per le generazioni future. Per saperne - OUR LADY OF PEACE NYC BLOG (Madonna della Pace) e Amici della OUR LADY OF PEACE pagina Facebook. Si prega di tenere i commenti dignitoso e rispettoso. Grazie!
SAVE OUR LADY OF PEACE CHURCH, NEW YORK CITY
His Holiness, Pope Francis Apostolic Palace 00120 Vatican City
His Eminence Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect Congregation for the Clergy 00120 Vatican City State
His Eminence Antonio Maria Cardinal Veglio', PresidentPontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People00120 Vatican City State
His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan andThe Most Reverend Bishop John O'HaraArchdiocese of New York1011 First AvenueNew York, New York 10022
We, The Friends of Our Lady of Peace respectfully disagree with the Archdiocesan Advisory Council’s directive to consolidate Our Lady of Peace with St. John the Evangelist (replacing St. Vincent Ferrer) as part of the Making All Things New Initiative. We believe the Initiative’s overall goals are admirable, but this specific consolidation is neither in the best interest of our parish, nor the Diocese for the following reasons:
Our financial position is robust. We have a proven track record of being a consistent net producer for the Diocese, returning twice its Annual Appeal targets on a regular basis.
Our parishioners, friends and benefactors are steadfast in their generosity and loyalty. These tight emotional bonds, forged over many generations, have translated into dedicated engagement and considerable and consistent financial contributions.
Our church and rectory are landmarked buildings, meticulously maintained ensuring stability to this historic area. The history and service of our parish are a source of pride to every member of our community.
Our outreach programs – RCIA, AA, Al Anon as well as Healing Masses, monthly City Harvest food drives and collections for the Henry Street Settlement enhance our community and contribute to a vibrant parish life.
Our future is strong. We have a Parish Council to develop a strategic plan for initiatives to further strengthen and enlarge our community in keeping with the goals of the new evangelization. Most important, we’ve the resources to maintain these programs going forward. We acknowledge the Making All Things New guidelines that “... each situation will require its own solution to ensure that the faithful are being served...”
To sum up, in 1918, the early Italian immigrants sent a petition to Cardinal Hayes to ask permission to found a parish. They established the foundation upon which the church and parish are laid and from which so much has sprung... our present day Our Lady of Peace.
In 2014, the signatures of our parishioners and friends below ask you to reconsider and allow Our Lady of Peace to remain where it has stood for almost 100 years to continue its mission.
***Help us reach 2500 online signatures by April 30.***
ARE YOU A DESCENDANT of ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS and FOUNDERS of OLP? JOIN US!
PROCESSION, FOUNDERS MASS, and CELEBRATION OF ITALIAN HERITAGE on APRIL 26, 2015 Line up for procession at 11:30 AM!
HELP SAVE OLP! CONTACT US BY EMAIL friendsofourladyofpeace@gmail.com
EMAIL US at friendsofourladyofpeace@gmail.com
FOUNDERS MASS on APRIL 26, 2015 - Procession at 11:30 AM
***HELP US GET 2500 by March 31***
DONATE - keep church finances in the black!
LIKE "FRIENDS OF OLP" page on FACEBOOK!
FOLLOW our blog at olpchurchnyc.typepad.com
TWEET @FriendsOLPNYC
PRAY Tuesdays at 7 p.m. VIGIL!
WRITE to POPE FRANCIS and CARDINAL STELLA - TELL OUR STORY!
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