91. Our Lady of Loreto

(mass times & church info last updated 03/14/2010)
Address: 18 Bleecker St. (2nd floor)
Phone: 212.431.9840
Weekend Mass Times: Sun: 11am
Weekday Mass Times: M-F: 8am
Constructed: 
1892, (at an unknown time, the original church and school were replaced by an institutional-style building)
About the Organ
Our Lady of Loreto / Holy House of Loreto
NA Meeting info at the church

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

I finally found it. And it's the rarest of rarities.

Since my post last July, where I first attempted to visit this church, I've been wondering about Our Lady of Loreto. I could not locate it that day and stumbled luckily upon St. Michael's Russicum Church instead - on the perfect day, in the perfect mood at the perfect time (by the way, I wonder how they are all doing at St. Michael's: Ed, Augie and the rest...)

First, my thanks to Dave, who gave me a little info on this place prior to my visiting here.

Some comments left on my post that day revealed to me maybe that "...Our Lady of Loreto church is part of a school building on the corner of Elizabeth and Bleeker. Apparantly in 2003 it had the smallest Sunday Mass attendance in the Archdiocese with only 9 people attending..." and that "...OL of Loretto parish is not really a parish but is attached to Holy Name Center which has been a day and outreach program to the homeless for 70 years, so you may find information if you contact the Holy Name center....i think they kept it as a parish so that they could bury homeless me[n] from the bowery that we[re] catholic..." and "Fr. Ahern...has been there since being ordained in 1954. He knows the whole history of the church going back to 1926 there is still a chapel on site at 18 Bleecker St. The rest of the facility was torn down Fr. Ahern says Mass at 11:00am every Sunday."

This is, as stated by one of the parishioners today, the smallest parish in the archdiocese of New York. I was one of four other congegrates, the other three, Les, Teri, and Joan, being the regulars here. Since my previous (failed!) visit, I had learned the entrance was on Bleecker rather than Elizabeth and as I approached the doors at 18 Bleecker street, Fr. Ahern stood there on the steps, seemingly waiting for me, and any other passers or seekers looking for entrance.

I was told Fr. Ahern has been the pastor of this parish for the past 28 years. He has a calm, pleasant, dependable presence about him - a friendly, sharp, light of Christ sort of manner. I told him I'd tried to come once before but couldn't find the place. "We specialize in being hard to find," he laughed before Mass. He spoke with the three regulars right before and together they decided on an opening song: Blest Are They

We sang, the Mass was started, Les read both readings and the Responsorial Psalm, then Fr. Ahern read the Gospel, the parable of the Prodigal Son - all pretty uniform parts of Mass. But then something happened which made this parish stand out in my mind, made it far different than all the others churches I've visited, turning it instantly into a church that I will be sure to visit again in the future, will definitely come back to with visitors. Fr Ahern, instead of standing behind the pulpit and reciting some ten minute homily, walked a few steps, sat down in a chair, faced the four of us in the congregation and asked us what we thought of the Gospel. I was shy, reticent-but Les, Teri and Joan were all verbal and insightful. Along with the leadership and guidance of Fr. Ahern, a unique and valuable lesson formed amidst us and through us - the living Gospel. It was a religious teacher talking to us about a story of another religious teacher telling a parable. The literal and metaphorical. The father and the sons and the Father and the Son. Forgiveness. God doesn't just wait for us, but comes and gets us. Faith in our reality and the reality of our faith.

It was a refreshing way to partake of a homily - and not in one of those condescending ways I've experienced before where a priest will ask (basically rhetorical) questions to a congregation, waiting to receive the answers he is expecting. Today was an experience where we all truly reflected on the Word of God and the truth within.

Later, when it came time for the Our Father and the Eucharist, we all walked up to the altar (Les had forewarned me of this before Mass,) and we circled around it, the five of us saying the Lord's Prayer. Then, the Host was handed out, Ahern waiting himself, we all received at the same time - Communion.

It was a unique experience at Our Lady of Loreto this morning, and this goes immediately into my top ten churches in the city. I will definitely go back and definitely bring guests, and I highly highly highly suggest that if you live in the city or come for a visit, do not miss out on the experience of Sunday Mass here. So much simpler than one of those grand ornate churches I've written about previously and love so much, and yet so much more straightforward and to the point. I was really able to walk away from there with something today. And you will too.

If anyone is interested in attending Our Lady of Loreto's Easter Triduum this year, the times will be:

Holy Thursday: 7:30pm
Good Friday: 3pm
Easter Vigil: 7:30pm

Curiously, and pretty unrelated to anything else but I thought I'd include anyway, further research indicated Martin Scorcese might have attended Our Lady of Loreto when young...

The entrance on Bleecker...

31. Church of the Nativity (CLOSED)

NOTE: In 2015 this church closed down and was merged into Church of the Most Holy Redeemer as part of the Archdiocese of New York's great closings & mergers of 2015. Only Church of the Most Holy Redeemer will remain open for regular Masses and other events. This combined parish is called Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer and of Nativity.

(church info last updated 03/23/2016)
Address: 44 2nd Ave. (between 2nd & 3rd sts.)
Phone: 212.674.8590
Links:
About the Organ
An NY Times article from 1900 about a priest

The most important lesson I have learned about Christianity in the last few months is that of forgiveness. Now, of course, growing up a cradle Catholic I have always been aware of the forgiveness aspect of Catholicism and Christianity, but only recently have come to realize the great importance of it.

Attending regular confession over the last 2 months (and planning on continuing this once a month) has helped me to maintain focus on this forgiveness element. Christ forgives all the wrong I commit as long as I admit I have done wrong and plan not to continue on the sinful path. And of course this is extremely difficult to do - we are all sinful creatures - but admitting it, reflecting on it and praying about it helps in healing these rifts we create between ourselves and God. Confession acts as a reminder as well of the importance of forgiveness and that I should always forgive others in my life if they do me any wrong or harm. I should never harbor any ill will.

I was recently confirmed - a step on my "path" which I am very happy to have taken at this point in my life. I feel I now understand many things about the Church and my faith that before I was somewhat blind to. As I stood near the altar and the Bishop blessed me with the holy Chrism, rubbing it into my forehead and saying a prayer I was suddenly removed from the church we were in - the background of the building, the candles, statues, everything just kind of dropped away and I felt like I was outside in some green pasture on the side of a slowly rising mountain and it was all surreal for a moment. And then it was over and I went back to the pew with my sponsor and back to my life - but with a new name and a new commitment to my faith.

Now, I have taken the whole Confirmation process and sacrament very seriously this time around and felt that it would herald a change in my life. Within the very week I was confirmed however, I have immediately turned around and began sinning again - as if I have no control over my actions or, if I do, maintain no will power to do better than I am doing. And that is when I began thinking deeply about forgiveness. We are all imperfect and it is better that we are sinful with intentions of improvement attending Mass and being part of this community rather than sinning and not attending.
- - -
The Church of the Nativity on the Lower East Side is a smaller very modern building. It seems very simple - yet the community is incredibly welcoming. The priest at today's 12pm Mass gave a fantastic sermon (as I'm certain happens every week), the music was good and it just felt simple and right to be there. Of course, with the ever growing heat we are experiencing in this city it was muggy and sweaty, but never mind that.

If you are staying nearby this church (very close to the 2nd avenue F and V subway stop) you should absolutely attend. I must say this church experience was slightly strange, a little bit weird. Church of the Nativity is not as eloquent as some of the other churches in Manhattan I have visited. The formality and sacredness of the Mass is all very much there - and truly that is all that is important - the validity of the sacraments, that and that they are all so welcoming - but, the organization and the church itself doesn't appear to a visitor as well kept as, say, some of those crazy big East side churches. Of course, one has to assume, that many of those East side churches have a lot more cash flow than a lot of the others. The decor' of the church wasn't overwhelming; the musicians were a little bit off (they were new, it was their first day playing in a church environment) so understandably so. All in all I was glad to be there though. I love visiting a new environment myself each week - it reminds one of all the similarities these places have in common despite the differences in location, congregation and capitol. I like them all - from the most elegent, to the least formal; from uptown to downtown; very devout and orthodox to the more liberal ones - it is an honor to be welcomed to all these holy places.

Later on in the day, my roommate dragged me along to the Williamsburg Renegade Craft Fair that took place at the McCarren Park Pool. It turned out to be really great being and I was happy I had come. Suddenly walking around the booths a calmness fell over me, as if someone was praying for me or the general overall good energy of the people at the craft fair soaked into me.

I needed that calm because I just feel so desperate and worried lately. I'm uncertain about my career and what to do with it (and sometimes trying to ascertain if I even have one!) Finanical issues, love, unhappiness - everything is plaguing me lately and I don't know where to turn. I have become obsessed with this blogging effort and visting these churches - it too gives me calm each week when I enter these houses of God, but shortly after I leave, the despondence sets in and grows ever more and more.

View from McCarren Park Pool