A view of St. Mary’s Church from Yonkers City Hall
By Dan Murphy
We received the following update from a member of the committee that is hoping to come up with a financial solution to save St. Mary’s Church on South Broadway in Yonkers. Built in 1948, St. Mary’s is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Yonkers.
Hello Dan ,
It’s been several months since our group, Friends of St. Mary’s , has been in contact with you and your publication, Yonkers Rising, but we just wanted to assure you , and all of the other thousands of supporters, across the areas of NY and beyond that we’re still on the case.
Since the landmark decision, back in July, that was reached unanimously, by the Yonkers City Council, we have been meeting, via phone conference, weekly, to plan & implement a constantly evolving environment, as it pertains to the merger of St. Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception with the combined parish of St. Denis- St. Peters.
In late July, accordingly with Canon Laws, our group of St. Mary’s parishioners. filed an appeal known as a Petition For Hierarchical Recourse , to the Dicastery for the Clergy in the Vatican on July 22, 2024. This appeals the Decree issued by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, the object of which is the elimination of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception located in the City of Yonkers, and conterminously within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of New York.
The Petition For Hierarchical Recourse is being transmitted to your dicastery ( Cardinal You ) within the 15 useful days available for bringing this appeal following Cardinal Dolan’s rejection of the Petition for Reconsideration that we initially brought to him, a rejection which occurred on July 8, 2024.
The response, From the Vatican, 10 September 2024 is as verbatim ……
DICASTERIUM
PRO CLERICIS
Dear Mr. Tovar et al.,
The Dicastery for the Clergy writes regarding your hierarchical recourse, in conjunction with Ms. Julia Velasco and Mr. Bobby Faah, against the decree of the Archbishop of New York, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, dated 31 May 2024 and modified on 8 July last, which joined in an extinctive union the parishes of Saint Peter-Saint Denis-Immaculate Conception(cf.cann.121 and 515 &2).
From the documents provided, it appears that your petition has been legitimately presented within the peremptory time limits to the correct Dicastery. Therefore, this curial Institution, in accordance with Art. 137 &1 of the General Regulations of the Roman Curia, hereby ACCEPTS it for examination, recognizing as the object the aforementioned decree.
This Dicastery has placed itself in correspondence with Cardinal Dolan and will communicate with you again when his response has been studied.
Thanking you for your correspondence, and with assurances of prayers and best wishes, I remain.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Lazzaro Cardinal You Heung sik
Prefect
As is common knowledge, the Church of St. Mary’s has evolved thru the generations that have become a part of the history of Yonkers. And as such, so has the Church. The majority of it’s parishioners are from the Spanish Community, and members of it are active on it’s Board of parishioners. By the Decree , issued by Cardinal Dolan, back in late May, there is to be ONLY ONE Mass per week, at 10am on Sundays in English. ALL of the other Masses, both in English & Spanish, are being said at the combined St. Peter – St. Denis. Leaders of this community have attempted to attend these Masses, and have indicated, thru photos & words that there are issues of crowding, lack of available parking spaces in their parking lot, which, in turn, has created illegal parking along Ludlow Street, and Riverdale Avenue.
Thus, many & most of these Spanish speaking families have stayed at St. Mary’s Church, and attend the single Sunday Mass @10am, after they conduct the rosary outside of the Church, on the street or in the rear parking lot. Some walk over to the Grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe, next to St. Mary’s Hall, to conclude their morning.
Lastly, but certainly not less significant, is the announcement that our group, St. Mary’s Friends has launched our web site , stmarysfriendsorg.com
We welcome you & everyone to view the wonderful history of St. Mary’s, it’s creation, as it intertwines with the growth of Yonkers, and it’s myriad of immigrants that have made Yonkers what it is, and what it will be, for all generations that call it home !
Thus, we will be sharing this site with any & all individuals that have had their own lives ‘touched’ by St. Mary’s , in hope that they can join our cause, both via donations, as well as pro bono assistance in the areas of Civil Engineering, Accounting/Finance, and Media Communications.
I speak for every member of our small, but hard working Friends of St. Mary’s to ask for your professional assistance via Print & Social Media at Yonkers Rising and The Yonkers Times.
Wishing you & your families a Happy Thanksgiving !
Robert R. Lynn
Friends of St. Mary’s
St. Mary’s School ’67
At their July 16 special meeting, the Yonkers City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to Landmark St. Mary’s Church.
