New York’s St. Stephen’s Hungarian church close

According to tinkmara.blog.hu, another huge loss reaches the former Hungarian District of Manhattan. The last Holy Mass was held in the St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church in New York on Sunday 3 pm on July 26, 2015.

The Hungarian St. Stephen’s Church is one of 68 temples, of which termination the Archdiocese of New York passed a resolution in November 2014. In the case of the Hungarian churches, besides the church’s general shortage of money and priest other specific actors played a role as well. The church attendance dropped dramatically in recent decades. The maintenance and renovation costs of the old temple building outweigh the financial envelope of the congregation and the diocese.

The St. Stephen church and nearby St. Elisabeth parish unites with the St. Monica temple in the 79^th Street. The St. Stephen Hungarian School takes the first floor and the basement of the building.

In recent years, the Hungarian church was repeatedly criticized because it provided space for dubious programs. Among others, an extremist group of New York Hungarians hosted David Irving, the notorious Holocaust denier. However, the parish priest condemned the event.

It is gratifying news that New York Hungarians don’t have to miss the Hungarian language Masses. The new location will be the St. Joseph’s Church in the 87^th Street, in Upper East Side.

based on the article of tinkmara.blog.hu
translated by BA

Photo:http://tinkmara.blog.hu

Source: http://tinkmara.blog.hu