Summer meals program gets underway on Wednesday
Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , July 6 , 2016 3
Parishioners concerned over state of St . Mary ’ s Rectory
By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com
A year after the closure of St . Mary Church , parishioners say the rectory is not being properly cared for . “ It was in pristine condition ,” said longtime St . Mary parishioner Kiki Hayden .
The rectory is located on St . Mary Church property off South Street in the City of Newburgh . The rectory fell to the care of St . Patrick Parish following a merger last year .
“ It was the job of the Church of St . Patrick to be in control of the safety and security of the St . Mary property ,” said Hayden . “ But , the property was not winterized .”
Flooding took place inside the building during cold weather in March . Hayden went to visit the property shortly after the incident . “ I saw a bin filled with furniture destroyed by water ,” she said .
Hundreds of dollars ’ worth of food for St . Mary Outreach Easter Giving Day spoiled in refrigerators and freezers that lost power due to the flood , said Outreach Director Marietta Allen . “ No one called and told me there was outage ,” said Allen .
Workers were on site to clean up after the flooding . “ I said , ‘ What happened here ?’” Hayden recalled asking workers . “ They said the building had not been winterized .”
Hayden wrote letters to Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Episcopal Vicar for Orange County Bishop Dominick Lagonegro complaining about the rectory ’ s upkeep . “ I was very strong saying it was bad enough that they closed our church , but to have this magnificent building damaged to the extent it was …” Hayden complained . “ You don ’ t leave a building empty with no heat in the winter .”
Hayden received responses from both Dolan and the bishop , who forwarded her
St . Mary ’ s Rectory on South Street sustained heavy damage over the winter .
letter to the Archdiocese . “ The bishop sent me a lovely note stating his concern ,” she said , asking her to speak directly to Father Hernández . “ I didn ’ t think it was my place to do that .”
Father Fernando Hernández , pastor of St . Patrick ’ s – St . Mary ’ s Parish confirmed the building was not winterized last year . However , it was not a burst pipe that caused the flooding , he said , but a rustedout pipe under a second-floor sink .
“ We now believe a faucet was left running and a rusted-out pipe broke ,” said Hernández Tuesday .
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is currently waiting on city permits to fully repair the water damage and perform renovations in preparation for the arrival of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal this summer . According to the Archdiocese , the friars are expected to live in the rectory while operating a
city ministry and performing outreach in nearby counties with significant Hispanic populations .
The property consists of a former
NOW
HARDWARE school - currently the home of the Head Start Program and the site of St . Mary Outreach Giving Days – the church and the rectory , a 19th-Century building containing an office , dining room , fire places and a chapel .
Hernández described the last year as a challenging time of transition with many new responsibilities . “ It ’ s been a learning year ,” he said . “ My overall goal is to continue to have St . Mary be a place of profound peace and a center of outreach .”
( Incidentally , a man was found dead on the church property last week . City of Newburgh Police said the 28-year-old was found dead in a courtyard pathway next to the church . Police reported there was no evidence of external injuries .)
Maintenance workers visit the property a couple of times a week , on average , said Hernández . The Archdiocese employs a contractor to oversee repairs , he said . “ The repairs are underway ,” Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in an email Tuesday .
Zwilling said plans for the Franciscan Friars remain in place . The friars are anticipated to begin working in Newburgh on August 15 .
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Summer meals program gets underway on Wednesday
For kids living in low-income families struggling to put food on the table , summer ’ s bright promise has been replaced with worry , anxiety and the threat of hunger . Hunger doesn ’ t take a break , and neither does the Newburgh Enlarged City School Districts ’ Food Service Team as they offer free meals at locations throughout the city .
Join Cornell Cooperative Extension ’ s Eat Smart New York Program and the Newburgh Enlarged City School
District along with numerous community partners and hundreds of youth at the Delano Hitch Recreational Park on July 6 , from 11 a . m . to 1 p . m . to celebrate the summer meals program and show firsthand the impact summer meal programs have . Youth will have food , fun and friends as they go around to various activity stations , play games and conclude with a water bottle or jump rope to take home to encourage healthy habits this summer .
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