Dear Mr. Capsis:
Thank you so much for all you are doing to try to reopen St. Veronica’s Church. I attended Sunday mass on June 25th and the final reunion mass on July 23rd. Both times, I could barely hold back the tears. I had lived around the corner from the church from 1982 to 1987; it was my parish for 10 years. Father Kenneth Smith was especially kind in those years during the illness and death of my partner; he visited often at St. Vincent’s Hospital. We had the funeral mass and then a memorial mass later at St. Veronica’s.
I have signed petitions supporting the church and assured all involved that I would assist going forward.
Please note that the request to close the church came from the pastor of Our Lady of Guadelupe at St. Bernard (OLG) who oversaw St. Veronica’s; it was not the Archdiocese who initiated this. Furthermore, the parishioners were given no notice to appeal.
Cardinal Dolan’s response to our appeal to reopen is that no sacraments have been administered at St. Veronica’s Church in quite some time, so the closing was justified. What his eminence doesn’t understand is that Father Rubio (Pastor of OLG), whenever sacraments were requested for St. Veronica’s, had them administered at OLG for over two years. He also disconnected the main phone line for St. Veronica’s several years ago. This all may have led callers to conclude that the church was closed long ago.
When I attended the reunion mass on July 23rd, I was surprised and moved to see Father Smith (now a retired Monsignor) there. We talked as if 20-plus years had never passed. I learned that Monsignor Smith has volunteered to come out of retirement and run St. Veronica’s again, but that has fallen on deaf ears.
Your continued support is a gift from heaven. My prayer is that St. Veronica’s continues providing mass services (religious concerts can definitely assist in keeping it financially sound). I have vowed that if it reopens, I will take an active role in assisting in any way I can going forward.
With sincere thanks,
— Vincent Orgo
