“We’re betting on the pope. We can’t help as much as we would like to.”
Officials in Yonkers rarely invoke high ecclesiastical authority. But it’s also not often that a church like St. Mary’s, the city‘s oldest church, faces the threat of extinction.
It was Charlie Hensley, chair of the city’s Landmark Preservation Board, who said he was putting his money on the pontiff. At a May 6 meeting of the board, Hensley faced the task of telling supporters of the Southwest Yonkers Church that their last-ditch effort to save St. Mary’s wasn’t going to win out through an action of his board. The best he could offer was to kick the ball upstairs – to Rome.
Rome is the Last Chance-Again
Appealing to the Pope may seem like a long shot, but it’s worked for the church’s supporters once before. This time, however, the odds don’t look too good. Advocates suffered a reversal last month when the city entered into a court settlement with the New York Archdiocese that removed existing landmark protection from the interior of St. Mary’s, leaving only exterior walls protected.
This odd distinction between the interior and exterior of the church is a key factor. With its interior now unprotected, the church is more vulnerable to fates that could include a conversion to apartments or retail. The church–formally known as Immaculate Conception–was built in 1892. It has been a hub for the subsequent waves of Yonkers immigrants.
Dr. Matel Hassan has been an active advocate for the church and has been involved in the landmark battle. “Very disappointing,” she said after the May 6 landmark hearing. “The only reason I’ve submitted the application was because we were told that the church needed some repairs, and we were told as a parish that we were not allowed to fundraise.”
Local Opposition Continues
The fight to save the church goes back about two years, when then Cardinal Timothy Dolan ordered that St. Mary’s be closed, with the congregation to be merged with St. Peter’s, a nearby Catholic church. His decree also cut Spanish-speaking masses, leaving bilingual English-Spanish masses and Arabic masses.
With the congregation moved out, it’s likely the Archdiocese will sell the property. It occupies prime space on South Broadway close to downtown, where brisk real estate development has made buildable property more attractive.
Community opposition to the 2024 Dolan order sprang up immediately. The core supporters have been the church’s tight-knit, loyal congregation. But they have been joined by many of the city’s leaders, including the City Council and Mayor Spano, who as a child attended the church with his mother and family. In July 2024, the City Council did its part to save the church by voting to declare it a landmark – both inside and out – and potentially save it from a developer’s wrecking ball. Read our previous coverage here.
Locals Reach out to Rome
That alone was not enough to protect St. Mary’s. Cardinal Dolan pushed forward in his effort to merge the congregations. The parishioners resisted, trying something that seems futile — they appealed to the Vatican, then during the reign of Pope Francis to override Cardinal Dolan’s decree. The local press dubbed it a “Hail Mary pass” and an “Easter Miracle.” The appeal worked. It was the first time a decision of the New York Archdiocese was revoked by the Vatican.
Pope Francis’s protective order was challenged by Cardinal Dolan one more time, who on his final day as Archbishop in late 2025, issued another decree that St. Mary’s merge with St. Peter’s.
NY Archdiocese Sticks to its Decision
The Archdiocese continues to insist that real-world conditions make it impossible to keep the church open as a full-fledged congregation.
“It is true that when parishes merge, which only happens after extensive consultation, study, and prayer, there is often a necessary adjustment to Mass schedules to allow the priests of the newly merged parish to be able to meet the needs of the people as efficiently as possible,” a church spokesman told the Ledger in an emailed response to our questions. “Unfortunately, the declining number of priests means that sometimes this results in a reduction of Masses able to be scheduled. As has been previously expressed numerous times, the intention is to continue celebrating Mass at St. Mary’s.”
Court Decides on Exterior Protection
The most recent twist in this complicated story puts the church one step closer to a fate dictated by the New York Archdiocese. The city’s most prominent and influential leaders support the church, but the recent court settlement ended the protection afforded by both the interior and exterior landmarking.
Landmarks Board Stymied
The board members said they couldn’t consider a new application for interior landmarking because they were blocked by the settlement.
“The current proposal application seeks designation of property features, which substantially overlap with those previously designated and subsequently annulled by the court,” the board said in an official statement. “The proposal application does not present materially new historical, architectural, or cultural evidence that was unavailable for not previously considered by prior application. Now, therefore, pursuing to the above findings, the landmark preservation board cannot accept the application as presented, and as much as the exterior facade of Immaculate Conception of St. Mary’s main church building has already been landmarked, and the balance of the other structures, interiors, and exterior proposed to be landmark cannot be considered pursuing by the count order dated March 3rd 2026.”
Reporter Visits Busy Congregation
On a Sunday less than two weeks before the recent zoning board setback, I visited the church. Outside, I was struck by the beautiful architecture and landscaping. It’s hard to notice that there is anything wrong with the building, apart from the extensive scaffolding and cracks in the facade. Inside, friendly ushers welcome visitors and help seat them. The pews are around three-quarters full, including many families with little children. There are two masses on Sunday: a bilingual one in English and Spanish, and an Arabic one. The rest of the week, only the chapel is open.
For Southwest Yonkers Arabic-speakers, the church offers services that can’t be found elsewhere. “As an Arab community, we’ll have to find another church,” says Elaine Hassan, a parishioner at St. Mary’s. Her parish, The Good Shepard, is an Arabic-speaking community that has recently celebrated 50 years at St. Mary’s church. “Right now there is no room at St. Peter’s,” she continued. The Arab community has been offered a smaller church on North Broadway, but we haven’t made the move yet.”
St. Peter’s-St. Denis to Merge
I also visited St. Peter’s – St. Denis, just a short car ride away. That’s the church St. Mary’s is supposed to merge with. Mass was in progress, the pews full, the priest speaking into a PA system. It’s one of the five Sunday masses at St. Peter. They also have mass both in English and Spanish every day of the week. For now, St. Mary’s church remains open. However, despite numerous efforts of the community, it’s unclear for how long it will stay that way.
Anna Dovzhenko is a student intern with The Yonkers Ledger. She is a student at City College in New York and resides in Yonkers.
