Our Lady of Peace Church NYC

All-Night Vigil and Anniversary of the Church Closing

Saturday, July 30, 2016
ALL-NIGHT VIGIL
6 PM - Angelus
Seventh 54-Day Rosary - Glorious Mysteries
(12th Day of Thanksgiving)
Blessing and Anointing

7 PM - 2000 Hail Mary Devotion
Personal Written Petitions
Deposition of the Petitions in the Urn
Solemn Hymns
Praying of the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary
(This is an event that will be spread out over several hours.  At the first break, the steps will be illuminated.)

9:00 PM -  Illumination of the Steps
(Non-wax candles will be provided. Please do not bring wax candles to the steps if they are not already in suitable glass containers.)

(Breaks will be scheduled throughout the night)

Sunday, July 31, 2016
ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHURCH CLOSING
6 AM - Angelus
Stations of the Cross with Mary
Reading of the Online Petitions
Readings of the Day, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Conclude with the 12 Noon Angelus

-BREAK-

6 PM - Angelus
54-Day Rosary, Joyful Mysteries
Fatima II Prayer
Litany of Loreto
Prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace

Monday, August 1, 2016
ANNIVERSARY OF THE 54-DAY ROSARY
6 PM - Angelus
54-Day Rosary, Luminous Mysteries
Fatima II Prayer
Litany of Loreto
Prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace
Lighting of the Steps

(Non-wax candles will be supplied. Please do not bring wax candles to the steps unless they are already in suitable glass containers.)


WHERE TO GO FOR BREAKS
Silver Star Diner (Open until 12 Midnight) East 65th Street and Second Avenue;
Ritz Diner (24 Hours) East 62nd Street and First Avenue;
Moonstruck Diner (24 Hours) at East 58th Street and Second Avenue;

Please be advised that this is an OUTDOOR event and that there are no facilities open at the church.
Only water will be supplied for participants during the Anniversary events.
Our Lady of Peace Church, 239-241 East 62nd Street, New York, New York.

PROGRAM GUIDE

Download All-Night Vigil Program for July 2016

 

Soprano Cristina Fontanelli singing Schubert's "Ave Maria" at the Vigil Mass, July 30, 2015.
Photo Courtesy of Robin Platzer

Top of Page - "The Vigil" Design by Joseph Leone.

 

 

The Anointing

Refuge, resolve, reflection at Our Lady of Peace NYC

Next week will mark the first anniversary of Our Lady of Peace as a church on the street. While parishioners are developing plans for a vigil, the rosary group will commemorate the beginning of the 54-Day Rosary, which has endured through seven cycles of novenas, on the first of August. Along the way, stalwart parishioners have survived the harshness of the seasons, but have encountered the ravages of time - sickness, death, disparity,  and Satan.  The faithful attribute their journey to the grace of God with the protection of the Blessed Mother, the patron of Our Lady of Peace.  

On a daily basis. the church on the street lives the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. Rosary captain Jessica Bede reflected:  "I  loved that prayer as a child because we pray that he 'cast into hell, Satan and all those seeking the ruin of souls.'  Often, I wonder why we have been allowed to continue, and then, I am forced to pray harder for my enemies.  Along the way, I was instructed to refer to my enemies as those who just sin differently than I do.  It makes it much easier to pray for them considering sin our common denominator rather than title, status, net worth, or good deeds."

Yesterday, on a hot Friday evening, a small group gathered early at the steps before the rosary began and spoke about the daily trials each individual is facing:  Serious trials, not the typical chatter of women about the unavailability of things at the market, nor the dinner they were or were not invited to attend, but the trials of life, illness, family, spiritual equivocation and finances.    The small group included seven of the original members of the Our Lady of Peace Rosary Group, its core in the darkest of times, and people who have shared intimate pain and suffering along with the closing of their church.  

One person was compelled to come, having begun the rosary on a city bus on her mobile phone; yet, something drew her to the steps.  There was a deacon, not a regular, but one who has prayed with the group on occasion, in attendance as well.  The circle of parishioners were resolute in their prayers, and after they completed the evening prayers and petitions, they asked the deacon to bless them.  Aware that church law does not allow the laity to bless each other, the deacon's visits to the church steps have always been a treat, like ice cream during the dog days of summer.  Imagine a blessing after prayers as spiritual dessert.

The deacon graciously blessed the group.  Then he said, in his prayers, he felt that Our Lady was compelling him to do something more.  So he had brought with him blessed oils  - St Joseph’s and St. Anthony's -  to anoint them.  

Those who joined on the phone for the rosary were disappointed that the blessing and anointing could not be sent via the phone line.

Those at the steps each knew why he was sent to them. They had each suffered, or were suffering even now, a serious illness, or a difficult diagnosis, or a miraculous recovery.  It was one of the most palpable moments at the steps, as they stood in a circle, each one waiting for the moment of their anointing.  

It was an affirmation that the laity are continuing to do right and prayerful things; an affirmation that the faithful are being challenged on a daily basis, as they venture into uncharted holiness. It was an affirmation that faith grows and is growing, provided we let it.

And, that even without a church roof, these are still the children of the Almighty who have worth. 

Vigil of the Assumption 2015

 

 

Social Media and Healing through Prayer: Timothy Breen's Story

_{Statue of Saint Therese de Liseaux in the garden of Our Lady of Peace}

July 18, 2016

A year ago today, a simple prayer request was posted on the Facebook page of the Friends of OLP. It was less than two weeks before Our Lady of Peace would close, when a former parishioner, Aileen Kilcommons, wrote a message on the Facebook page and asked the prayer community to pray for her friend's son. The parish was in turmoil, anticipating the the closure of the church, the last Sunday Mass and an All-Night Vigil, and the final four Masses at the end of July. Turning to the social media community, in addition to Our Lady of Peace Prayer Group to lift up prayers, within days, hundreds of people joined the parish in prayers online for Timothy, who was near death on a ventilator.  The number of people grew to more than a thousand, some writing a simple, "Amen," while others wrote heartfelt prayers.

Soon the parishioners were locked outside the church, praying the 54-Day Rosary.  The leaders of the rosary added Timothy's name to the daily petitions, and when they reached the thanksgiving phase of the novena, they gave thanks for Timothy's progress. With each improvement, Aileen would send the social media team her update through Facebook Messenger.  Since Timothy was a young man, the parishioners also prayed to St. Therese of Liseaux, and featured a photograph of her statue in the garden behind the church with their post. Online prayers were also offered to the Blessed Mother to intervene for Timothy's  recovery.  More than 2500 people offered their continued prayers online.

The response from Timothy Breen can be found embedded in the February 28, 2016 post on Facebook. This is a true testimony to the use of social media, prayer and healing. This is God's work, and it is marvelous in our eyes:

"I would personally like to thank all of you who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers throughout my recovery. I am Timothy Breen and I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome in July of 2015. I have come a long way in my recovery since then; I am not fully healed yet but it is amazing how far I have come in the past seven months. The week I was diagnosed in July I went from waking up and not being able to walk on a Tuesday to waking up early on a Friday morning and not being able to breathe. It was a shock to all of those who knew including myself. From that time on I could not breath on my own and was on a ventilator for four months and I did not have the ability to move anything below my neck. After the disease had practically destroyed my nervous system I began on a long recovery. For the first month I stayed in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at Columbia-Presbyterian. Two months after my diagnosis I was transferred to a rehabilitation facility where I began intensive physical therapy. It was there that I slowly began to make small movements in my arms. I continued therapy everyday for another two months. At the end of October I became independent of the ventilator and I was transferred to facility that was closer to home. It was there in the middle of November that I began to take my first steps. I continued my therapy everyday and continued to get better at walking. On December 23, 2015 I returned home for the first time in six months. Today, my recovery still continues, and I attend outpatient therapy twice a week. I am now able to walk without a cane and perform most of my daily activities without assistance of others or any other devices. I plan on returning to work next week and I will return to college in the fall. Through the thoughts, prayers, and wishes of many (including all of you) I have made a huge accomplishment in my recovery. I believe miracles can happen and that what has happened to me is nothing short of one. Not just my recovery but the journey I have been on the last six months have taught me about the love and compassion of my family and friends and all of those around me. It has also taught me about fear, vulnerability, and the feeling of being close to death are very real and something that we all experience in our lives. I cannot express how much gratitude I have for all of you who have prayed for me as well as my family, friends, and incredibly skilled and compassionate doctors, nurses, and therapists. I do believe that the power of prayer and spiritual healing have been and are still crucial to my recovery. I would also like to thank Aileen and Katie who brought my story to your prayer group. Thank you for all of you who prayed for me. I will always remember what you have done for me and I will keep your parish in my thoughts and prayers."
- Timothy Breen — posted on Friends of Our Lady of Peace Facebook

Once again the people answered. Here are a few of their responses:

"The power of prayer and love...God is always listening, may he continue to bless you, your family, friends and the Our Lady of Peace community." - Chris W.

"Continuing to pray for Timmy!" - Helen M.

"Congratulations on your recovery. God bless you as you continue your walk." - Angie E.

"Praying for you. God is always good! Keep your faith." - Peggy F.

"Praying for your full recovery. God bless." - Francisca P.

"God bless and continue to heal you." - Gina C.

"TBTG! Will continue to pray for you, Timothy." - Donna B.

"May God continue to heal you. Amen." - Norma V.

"As [to] what you experienced: you're having a new life, a miracle of life. Keep continuing your faith & pray more... I will lift you in my prayers.. God bless." - Edna S.

"Miracle is still at work.. continue Faith journey. God bless u." - Iris S.

"God is good all the time... Keep praying." - Dags L.

 

 

 

 

NY Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites: Open House for a Closed Church

_{Listening to the Patriot Brass Ensemble - Photo by TE McLaughlin}

Although the church doors remained closed, parishioners and friends of Our Lady of Peace on East 62nd Street still participated in the New York Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites Open House yesterday, holding their events on the street. More than 30 parishioners, neighbors, and supporters attended a Sacred Sites Concert, performed by The Patriot Brass Ensemble, followed by a rosary novena, and refreshments after the concert.  The Friends of Our Lady of Peace, Inc. sponsored the event.

_{Getting Ready for Sacred Sites with Meagan, Shane, Michelle, Meghan and Rene - Photo by TE McLaughlin}

Our Lady of Peace is recognized as a sacred site and architectural gem by the New York Landmarks Conservancy and Friends of the Upper East Side. The architectural anchor of the Treadwell Farm Historic District, the church was designated as a landmark in 1967 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Church of Our Lady of Peace is included in the National Registry of Historic Places and was featured in the New York Landmarks Conservancy Annual Sacred Site Open House Tour in 2015, among 150 other houses of worship in the state.

This year was the New York Landmark’s Conservancy’s Sixth Annual Sacred Sites Open House, and the 30^th anniversary of the Sacred Sites program. Houses of worship are encouraged to participate to build broad community support for the ongoing preservation of historic institutions and inspire residents to be tourists in their own town.

_{Sacred Sites Open House - Photo by Steven Moy}

Guests included a New York University professor of religion, parish rosary group members, and Treadwell Farm Historic District neighbors.  The occasion marked the 11th time the Patriot Brass Ensemble, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide music for Veterans, performed sacred and secular music  at the Church Our Lady of Peace.  Their musical selections brought tears to the eyes of several parishioners, as powerful hymns, including "How Great Thou Art", were played in tribute to the closed church and reminded many of Masses once held inside.

Hymns gave way to prayer as the faithful started the Angelus at six in the evening, followed by the Glorious Mysteries of the 54-Day Miraculous Rosary Novena, the Fatima Prayer, Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Prayer to Mary Queen of Peace. After the evening prayer service, parishioners placed white and yellow roses in vases on the steps in devotion.

The music resumed with plenty of time for  fellowship and refreshments - wine, cheese, fruit and cake -  on the street.  There was even an impromptu phone call and "Happy Birthday" sing-a-along to Father  Bartholomew Daly, the former pastor, who recently celebrated a milestone birthday.

_{Singing Happy Birthday to Father Daly - Photo by TE McLaughlin}

Regina Scudellari , whose great-grandfather Innocenzo Scudellari was one of the first trustees and benefactors of the Church of  Our Lady of Peace, brought her  gifts as a hospital art educator to decorate the church and connect with her heritage.

“Today was a beautiful reunion with those who are passionate about faith and our lovely landmark home,” she explained.  “God is at work here.”

_{Regina making ornaments - Photo by Steven Moy}

97th Anniversary of the Dedication of Our Lady of Peace

_{The 54-Day Rosary brings together more than 30 people to start the evening of prayer and remembrance.}

New York, April 14, 2016

Yesterday parishioners of Our Lady of Peace commemorated the 97th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, which occurred on Palm Sunday, April 13, 1919. On that day, there was a procession from the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on East 61st Street, where the parishioners were relegated to worship in the basement, to the new church on East 62nd Street. Archbishop Hayes consecrated this church as a sacred place. The church's titular name was Madonna della Pace, Italian for "Our Lady of Peace," and for the peace that followed the First World War. The church was bought and paid for by its founders and benefactors, who were primarily Italian and Irish immigrants friends of the pastor. With their generous contributions, Father Filippo Leone purchased the church. Last evening, parishioners honored the memory, the generosity, and the sacrifice of their ancestors and the community of the faithful  that preceded them. Once again, they were denied the ability to do so inside the church.

The Glorious Mysteries of the 54-Day Rosary Novena were attended by more than 30 people. Prayers began promptly at 6 p.m. with the Angelus, and concluded with the Litany of Lorreto and the Prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace. Each rosary leader read one of the mysteries and led the recitation of the decades of Hail Marys.

At the conclusion of the rosary, more people arrived, until there were more than 50 men, women, teenagers and children. They joined together in a procession around the Treadwell Farms neighborhood, led by a 4-part brass choir. The musicians of The Patriot Brass Ensemble played Immaculate Mary and Salve Regina, as the parishioners walked two-by two. They carried votive candles, posters, and sang as they walked.

_{Regina, great-granddaughter of one of the two first trustees, benefactor, and founder Innocenzo Scudellari, in procession}

 The anniversary of the dedication of a church is a solemnity.  Thomas G. Simons, author of Holy People, Holy Place: Rites for the Church’s House (LTP: 1998), writes:

“The celebration of the anniversary of the dedication of the parish church building is an often forgotten opportunity to celebrate the life of the local church and re-emphasize to the people the importance of the gathering place for God’s holy people. It is an occasion in which sacred identity and local history become tangible. The continuity of the faith from generation to generation is celebrated” (68).

_{Invocation and welcome}

After the procession, parishioners took seats around the brass and along the curb. Many stood on the other side of the steps. Bound programs, with the artwork of Joseph Leone on the cover, reminded everyone of the posters from the Founders Day Mass, celebrated in April 2015 with more than 400 in attendance.  Shane Dinneen, president of Friends of Our Lady of Peace, read the welcome and invocation. The opening hymn was Veni Creator, a frequent choice for the dedication of a church or anniversary celebration.  Psalm 24 was the first reading and the responsorial psalm was, "How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place." Other readings included an excerpt from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel according to John. The complete  program can be downloaded from the link below.

_{I Am the Bread of Life}

At the reading of the names of the founders and benefactors, descendants and other parishioners brought forward their votive candles and placed them on the steps.  The closing hymn, "I Am the Bread of Life," which was sung at the communion on the day the church was locked, brought many parishioners to tears. The sound of the brass swelled and voices rang out with the moving lyrics, "And I will raise you up, and I will raise you up, and I will raised you up on the last day."  Toward the back of the program were two color photographs of the marble tablets on either side of the vestibule of the church, engraved with the names of the original founders and benefactors and the amounts they gave.

_{Last to leave: Regina, Gloria, Joseph and Shane on the steps.}

Descendants of the founders, rosary leaders, and friends ended the evening sitting on the church steps, reminiscing about last year's Founders Day, being inside the church, and discussing the Vatican appeal.

Download the 97th Anniversary Remembrance Program 

The artwork on the cover of the program was cropped from an original poster created by Joseph Leone for Founders Day, April 26, 2015. The 2015 celebration was held in case a centennial did not take place, although the parish had already started planning for the occasion. The parish had previously held huge celebrations on the 50th and 75th Anniversaries. To read more about last year's event, click here.

This year, although the church was shuttered, parishioners sent a request to open the church of Our Lady of Peace for its 97th anniversary to Monsignor Douglas Mathers, pastor of the merged Saint John the Evangelist-Our Lady of Peace parishes. Confidence in his positive response was based on the fact that other merged and closed churches had received decrees with relevant information from the Vatican earlier in March. These decrees, issued by the Congregation for the Clergy, quoted specific canons (1167 and 1168.2) still in effect from the 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law and the jurisprudence of the Holy See regarding parishioners "minimum right of entry."  The Congregation for the Clergy specified that the patronal feast and the anniversary of the dedication of the church were the "minimum right of entry" and should be celebrated in the church.  Monsignor Mathers, who is himself a canon lawyer and vice-chancellor to the Archdiocese of New York, and who has been integral to the parish realignment process since the term of Cardinal Egan, rejected the request. A copy of his letter addressed can be found below.

[Photos by Steven Moy and TE McLaughlin]

Let It Be: Upper East Side Pilgrims on the Immaculate Conception

"Salva me!" Parishioners Janice Dooner Lynch and Shane Dinneen of the shuttered Our Lady of Peace carry posters with the profile of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that remains locked inside the church.  For parishioners who gathered on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the rosary procession was a cry for justice in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Denied worship in their own church as a "special occasion" on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, parishioners developed an alternate plan to celebrate the holy day of obligation. They gathered at the church steps at the usual hour, six in the evening, to light candles and begin the first decade of the rosary. Then they embarked on a one-mile candlelight procession from the shuttered church steps to Saint Jean Baptiste on 72nd Street for a special mass. 

Saint Jean Baptiste was the chosen destination because the church offered a special mass to initiate the Year of Mercy at seven in the evening, perfectly timed with the 54-Day Rosary Novena that is offered daily outside Our Lady of Peace.  It was estimated that the rosary procession from Our Lady of Peace on 62nd Street to Saint Jean Baptiste on 72nd Street would take approximately an hour.  [View the footage of the procession on  Channel 5 Fox News here.]

At the corner of Second Avenue and 67th Street, parishioners stopped as Melisande Valdes lead another decade of the rosary.

 

At the corner of 67th Street and  Third Avenue, Cathy Palladino lead Our Lady of Peace parishioners in the 5th Glorious Mystery of the Rosary.

As the group continued on, they stopped to sing "Immaculate Mary," and "Hail, Holy Queen."  They also sang the Beatles song, "Let it Be," which was filmed by one of the parishioners: "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, whisper words of wisdom, Let it be!" 

Processing up Third Avenue on the way to Saint Jean Baptiste, parishioners recalled the story of John the Baptist - "A voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way!"  This is an Advent Pilgrimage, crossing United Jerusalem Way.

Parishioners Georgia and Agnes stop to rest for a moment outside the Candle Cafe.  They carry votive candles with "Save Our Lady of Peace" bracelets encircling the rim of each glass.

Our Lady of Peace parishioners stop at the steps of St. Jean School to finish the novena. Rosary Captain Jessica Bede lead them in the Spiritual Communion. It felt somehow familiar.  "We like congregating on steps!" one parishioner said.

The group arrives at Saint Jean Baptiste for the mass initiating the Jubilee Year of Mercy.  The pastor is kind, reaching out to the pilgrims with a special word of welcome to the "people displaced by the church mergers."

[Photos by T.E. McLaughlin]