The Last Daily Latin Mass in New York Is Facing Extinction

New York Observer ^ | August 14, 2014 | Steffi Feldman

[NYer]

History

Cows

The Church of the Holy Innocents was established in 1866 when the area around 37th Street and Broadway was semi-rural. The present edifice was completed in 1870 using the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The first pastor had the foresight to engage the prominent artist Constantino Brumidi, to create a monumental fresco over the main altar. Soon after Brumidi was commissioned to decorate the Great Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol Building with magnificent frescoes.

In the early years cows roamed the streets and open pastures around Holy Innocents. As the city rapidly expanded northward the community, known as the "Tenderloin", teemed with immigrants from Europe. By the early 1900's the area was known for newspaper publishing (The Herald) and theaters (The Metropolitan Opera House). Holy Innocents was called the "actor's church". Eugene O'Neill, the playwright, was baptized in the church in 1888.

Change

By 1910, the area went through a profound change as the tenements were rapidly replaced by imposing commercial buildings. By the 1920's hundreds of thousands of workers earned their living in what became known as the Garment Center. Longacre Square changed its name to Times Square and Herald Square became synonymous with shopping. Meanwhile, Holy Innocents became spiritual oasis for vast number of people who went to work in the offices, factories and showrooms in the buildings that towered above. Not only did the church continue to offer spiritual direction but it also assisted people to rise to better economic and social circumstances.

Challenge

Today the church is the oldest building in the Fashion Center. Yet, it is youthful in its enthusiasm for meeting the challenges of ever changing environment - new people, new technologies, new ideas. The church enjoys a vibrant spiritual life and is considered a "second home" to thousands of workers and visitors who find comfort and support here. Through the presentation of fine music and art, the church uplifts the human spirit, helping people to reset goals and standards to ever-higher levels. Spiritual growth, social services programs, and self-improvement opportunities are part of fabric from which Holy Innocents is made.

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OFFICIAL WEB SITE

[NYer]

Ping!

[miss marmelstein]

The Latin Mass is offered every Sunday at 11:00AM at St. Agnes Church in the Grand Central area. So the first sentence is wrong, wrong, wrong.

[miele man]

Already posted. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3193059/posts?page=2#2

[GreyFriar]

“I love Latin, I teach Latin, Latin is a dead language, therefore I am going to marry an undertaker.” Story I remember from my high school Latin teacher whose husband ran one of the two funeral homes in town.

Not to be related to this story, but it came to mind when I read your post.

[RitaOK]

Oh, well, that changes everything! /s

The headline speaks to daily Mass, however, and the stark possibly for closing altogether, so let’s not hold our breath.

ONE Sunday TLM in NYC? Pathetic.

A disaster.

But that’s just me.

[ebb tide]

Good post.

[PAR35]

Looks pretty dead in the worship service pictured.

[miss marmelstein]

I did not say it was the only Tridentine Mass in NYC. I know the St. Agnes one because I attend it off and on. So let’s not hit the “pathetic” button just yet. Or the sarcasm.

The first line of this story is a lie and I have proved it.

[miss marmelstein]

How do you know this is a “worship service”? (We usually call it a Mass.) She may have popped in on her lunch hour or come in at an off hour for a bit of quiet and meditation.

[steve86]

A Latin low Mass might typically be said to look rather inanimate by an observer who doesn’t have the slightest clue what s/he’s talking about.

[PAR35]

How do you know this is a “worship service”?

I presumed that the Observer wasn't lying.

"A service in progress at Holy Innocents (Photo by Kaitlyn Flannagan) "

She may have popped in on her lunch hour or come in at an off hour for a bit of quiet and meditation.

And caught the two guys in their vestments at the altar doing deep knee bends, while the Priest is doing something at the altar with his back to the congregation. Silly of me to assume it was a mass, just because that's how they used to look before they turned the priests around, and this is a traditional mass church.

So the couple of dozen or so people are resting or meditating on their knees during their lunch hour, the altar boy and the other guy are resting on their knees or exercising, and the priest is tidying up the altar?

[PAR35]

And the church might look live rather than dead to someone who has never seen packed pews. Last mass I went to, folks were packed in tighter than the cheap seats on an airplane. Most of the parishes around here have weekly attendance of 10 to 20,000 with 11 to 21 services a week.

[steve86]

My own parish’s Latin Mass attendance is about the same as the pic — low 20s — but we are true Catholics much as the good folks of The Church of the Holy Innocents surely are. We don’t use artificial contraception, promote abortion, endorse homosexual ‘marriage’ or tolerate pornography or in general engage in the heresies of Vatican II liturgies.

[miss marmelstein]

These are 3 or 4 separate photos, you or I don’t know if they’re related.

[maryz]

Looks pretty dead in the worship service pictured.

It would be pretty sparse for a Sunday Mass, but well-attended for a daily Mass, even by pre-V II standards! And daily Mass is the point of the story.

[PAR35]

Thank you for the first legitimate response to my comment. If it is a weekday mass, your point is well taken.

[maryz]

:)

[VermiciousKnid]

Just received this from Juventutem Long Island and thought you and the others would be interested.

We here in NY are just heartbroken that Holy Innocents is on the chopping block.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I6YWal0Fdk

Regards,

[NYer]

Well done video. We need to pray for a favorable outcome. Here in the Capital Region, the solvency of a parish did not prevent its closure. In one community, catholics from 6 parishes were asked to meet with each other and develop a proposal for the bishop that would include closing some of the churches. The bishop never attended any of the meetings and scrapped the proposal they submitted. He left them with one church. The citizens fought back in a valiant effort to save St. Patrick's, modeled after the Basilica at Lourdes.

Tribute to Saint Patrick's Church, Watervliet, NY

St. Patrick's Church - 2013

has been replaced by ..

Price Chopper Supermarket

Sadly, the supermarket draws a much larger attendance than the church. It is a reflection of our secularist society.