Cardinal Egan Paints Himself an Unhappy Ending
A church closing turns ugly as valuables are carted off and a fresco is covered
On the morning of Feb. 26, the Rev. Eugene Sawicki, parish priest of Our Lady of Vilnius on Broome Street, traveled uptown for a meeting he’d been summoned to by Cardinal Edward M. Egan. Father Sawicki had known for months that the archdiocese was planning to close his church—established in 1909 to serve the once-booming Lithuanian Catholic community—but he was never told when. Not long into the meeting, Cardinal Egan informed Father Sawicki that the parish was being padlocked as they spoke. Hours later, parishioners arriving at Vilnius for the noon Mass were turned away by security guards.
The quick strike seemed highly deliberate.
Never the most popular of New York archbishops, Cardinal Egan was in the midst of a difficult round of parish closings and he was still smarting from a nasty public row with his priests that left him looking more like a C.E.O. than a pastor to a flock of 2.5 million souls. Just two weeks earlier, parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Angels in Harlem staged a round-the-clock prayer vigil in the sanctuary to protest his decision to close the church. Six of them were arrested as local news cameras rolled.
His surprise closure of Vilnius was designed to save himself the headache of another public protest.
But the plan backfired, setting in motion a series of events that would eventually involve the New York Supreme Court, the U.S. government, the president of Lithuania and the Pope.
Now, as the archdiocese prepares for its bicentennial in 2008 and as Cardinal Egan enters the home stretch as archbishop, the controversy over Our Lady of Vilnius has become a symbol of the heavy-handed managerial style and poor public relations that have characterized Cardinal Egan’s tenure, which now threatens to end amid court proceedings and desperate diplomatic maneuverings.
He arrived in New York in May 2000 as the city was still mourning the death of Cardinal John O’Connor, and he inherited a sprawling archdiocese that was undergoing huge changes. The immigrants who once populated—and often built—New York’s Catholic churches were dispersing, leaving ever fewer warm bodies to keep up with the increasing costs of maintenance.
Yet some small congregations can keep afloat if parishioners are sufficiently generous and financially savvy. Our Lady of Vilnius didn’t have any big-money benefactor or quiet endowments, but it was self-sustaining.
“We didn’t owe the archdiocese one cent,” said Gertrude McAleer, former lay trustee of the parish and church secretary. “They haven’t given us anything for decades.”
So why shutter the church? And why do so with no warning? Next Page >
Saulius Simoliunas : Grant Gallicho did s superb reporting about the plight of Our Lady of Vilnius Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The parishioners came agaist the wall since the bishop is the omnipotent proprietor. However, the only solution in this instance is the NYC Landmarks preservation statute and the parishioners should go back to the civil court asking for protection under the statute and ask for a jury trial. The Roman Catholic Church can not do the necessary corrections, because it espouses hierarchical principles. The Roman Catholic Church is antithetical to United States belief that all government comes from the people and for the people.
Saulius Simoliunas : Grant Gallicho did s superb reporting about the plight of Our Lady of Vilnius Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The parishioners came agaist the wall since the bishop is the omnipotent proprietor. However, the only solution in this instance is the NYC Landmarks preservation statute and the parishioners should go back to the civil court asking for protection under the statute and ask for a jury trial. The Roman Catholic Church can not do the necessary corrections, because it espouses hierarchical principles. The Roman Catholic Church is antithetical to United States belief that all government comes from the people and for the people.
My father, aunts and grandparents are Lithuanians who attended this church. It was a celebration of everything that created me: Roman Catholic Church, Lithuania, immigrant America, working class New York, old New York,low-rise cobblestone New York, un-selfconscious humanity, the evolved vs.the reinvented. This church symbolizes the very people that Christ himself moved among and loved. I am very sad that Cardinal Egan could not see the merit of this church and the community that it contained. The court ruling upheld the power of the church, but why did the Cardinal decide to exercise this power so cruelly and destructively? Why can't he give all who are oppressed by power the great inspiration of seeing this little church survive against all odds and continue the work of the Holy Spirit?
I appreciate the comprehensive scope of Mr.Gallicho's article about Cardinal Egan and the closure of Our Lady of Vilnius church. The cardinal's arrogant behavior seems reminiscent of figures from medieval history and does nothing to create harmony and peace among his flock. Mr. Zakheim's description of painting over the fresco as "simply unethical from any standpoint" can be applied to the cardinal's behavior right from the outset of this debacle. It truly is a sad and shameful way to exercise his authority and to conclude his administration of the New York archdiocese.
I appreciate the comprehensive scope of Mr.Gallicho's article about Cardinal Egan and the closure of Our Lady of Vilnius church. The cardinal's arrogant behavior seems reminiscent of figures from medieval history and does nothing to create harmony and peace among his flock. Mr. Zakheim's description of painting over the fresco as "simply unethical from any standpoint" can be applied to the cardinal's behavior right from the outset of this debacle. It truly is a sad and shameful way to exercise his authority and to conclude his administration of the New York archdiocese.
It is sad that a person professing Christianity did not display basic human courtesy in dealing with a such a sensitive matter. Did he not learn, kindness, need to take the members of the church into confidence, bending backwards to preserve heritage, etc. as part of his training before he became Cardinal. The lines of argument used to justify his action smell of deep commercialisation rather than rationality or religion. In her narration, McAleer recalls an earlier visit by this person. May be he had an intention to retire in this place, after he turned 75. Now that he has,may be has ideas. Members must carefully watch. Also what of the valuables and other parts of the structure? Law is not good enough to save this Church? Human mind and will of God, will surely outbeat such diabolic intentions. I pray for the restoration.
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