Parishioners Gather To Oppose Church Closing

Last night, a group of parishioners of Our Lady of Monserrate church at 134 Vernon Avenue gathered to oppose the closing of their church.

The reason for the closure is in dispute:  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn says that the closing is designed to ease a financial burden caused by shrinking attendance in the area. But members of the church disagree: They say the closing largely is at the hands of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. The Bishop took issue with one of its former priests, Jim O'Shea, after O'Shea publicly opposed some of his recent political decisions.

Pastor O'Shea, who is currently on hiatus from the church, opposed a state bill that would help the church avoid pedophile lawsuits and a rezoning of the Broadway Triangle (a 31-acre section of land where the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy and Bushwick all meet).  The rezoning would allow for housing development, but neglected to include community groups in the planning. Both initiatives were backed by Bishop DiMarzio.

Once the crowd gathered inside the church, they made their way to school buses and rode to the Bishop's home in Clinton Hill where they held candles, sung hymns and prayed (in English and Spanish) that the Bishop would listen to their pleas. Juan Ramos, a longtime member of the church and the organizer of the event, said a conversation with Bishop DiMarzio was the goal of the procession.

"We believe that he made a mistake, and together in our faith we can reconcile this situation. All that we want is a dialogue with him, and it's something he's refused to do." He adds that the reason Bishop DiMarzio hasn't been willing to listen is because of the conflict with Pastor O'Shea, explaining, "The belief of myself and many of the parishioners is that he's using the financial situation as a guise, and so we feel this march is retribution for that."

Luis Garden Acosta, a parishioner who attended the event, was equally taken aback by the actions of the Bishop. "It's being closed down for no sensible reason," he said. "Bishop DiMarzio says it's financial but Monserrate has no financial problems. I would hate to think that the Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn would be so spiteful as to shut down a parish because he has a problem with a priest, but it seems that way."

Bishop DiMarzio did not make an appearance during the event, and the crowd dispersed and made its way back onto the buses after about an hour. Ramos said that he was pleased with his fellow parishioners, and he remained confident in its cause.

"Our faith is about going through struggle together and standing up for what's right, and we think our community is right," said Ramos.