St. Mary's parishioners prepare for Mass schedule change amid merger
Parishioners who belong to St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception on South Broadway are preparing for a new Mass schedule as the oldest Catholic church in Yonkers merges with St. Peter's/St. Denis.
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Parishioners who belong to St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception on South Broadway are preparing for a new Mass schedule as the oldest Catholic church in Yonkers merges with St. Peter's/St. Denis.
According to information from the St. Mary's website, the merger went into effect on Sunday. A bulletin on the site says beginning July 1, Monday-Saturday Mass will only be held at St. Peter's/St. Denis.
It further explained that a regular Sunday mass will still take place at St. Mary's, beginning on July 7 – in English at 10 a.m. and in Arabic at 12:30 p.m.
The changes come after a months-long battle that started back in December when the Archdiocese of New York announced that the church needed major repairs to continue regular services. It was a cost estimated to be around $10 million.
Several parishioners said they have been doing everything in their power to get the church to be appointed as a landmark with the goal that it can keep all its services. Specifically, the fully Spanish-spoken services that Isidoro Acevedo, a church leader, said several people will miss.
"The Spanish community here is very big and it's very large with a lot of children. It's going to be very difficult for them to understand what's taking place," he said.
Member Aixa Cortes said she fully understands what this change means and disagrees with it.
"I don't think it's fair," Cortes said.
Another churchgoer said the reduction in services are making him reconsider his membership.
"I don't want to give up on St. Mary's for good, but I think it's time to move on," he said.
