February 20,2008

Dear Friends and Supporters, The Committee to Save St Brigid is happy to announce a major legal breakthrough. The New York State Court of Appeals in Albany has agreed to review the profoundly important legal issues raised by Cardinal Edward Egan’s decision to demolish St. Brigid’s Church. The Court of Appeals is New York’s highest Court and takes very few cases. It is enormously significant that they thought our legal arguments have enough merit they warrant review. We are hopeful the Court will rule in favor of the Committee to Save St. Brigid. We would like to thank our attorneys, Marisa Marinelli and Harry Kresky, for their unwavering dedication and legal expertise.

We urge our supporters, now more than ever, to call Cardinal Edward Egan at 212-371-1011 and express your outrage with his decision to demolish St. Brigid’s Church. It is obvious this Church is not in eminent danger of collapsing; it has weathered two winters exposed to the elements. With the transfer of air rights, St Brigid’s Church can be preserved and a sizable facility built to serve the neighborhood. There is enough room to accommodate both sides of this conflict. In addition, the overwhelming support for this Church insures the Archdiocese would not be financially burdened. St. Brigid’s Church should not be destroyed and we must not allow it! Please help us prevent St Brigid’s Church from becoming a memory.

Ed Torres
Chairman
212-691-4039

February 12, 2008

Cardinal Edward M.Egan
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave.
New York, NY 10022-4134

Your Eminence:

On behalf of the Committee to Save St. Brigid’s Church, I wish to express my sincere sorrow and deep regret for any acrimony that has seeped into the long struggle to preserve this historic structure. We have acted out of a soul-seated commitment to our Catholic faith, and to the heritage of immigrant struggle and hope embodied in our beloved parish church.

Here, as we approach what seems will be the final act, we beg you to reconsider your decision to demolish St. Brigid’s Church. We have an evaluation report, created by Massey Knakal, one of the largest and well respected real estate firms in New York. This report demonstrates how you can develop this site and still preserve St. Brigid’s Church.

We understand that Cabrini Nursing Home is in need of expansion space and this would be a wonderful use of this site. Our elderly and their care must always be a priority. With the transfer of air rights, a facility that would more than double the current square footage could be built and St. Brigid’s preserved. St. Brigid’s would be an asset to any facility that Cabrini decides to erect.

Obviously, the restoration of this Catholic monument would require significant financial support. We are not looking to place the burden on the Archdiocese. We are confident that with the support of the thousands who’ve already expressed their interest in preserving this Church- and especially with the depth of commitment from the Irish and Irish American communities- the backing is already there. The bottom line is the Archdiocese would lose no money in its redevelopment. There is enough room to satisfy both sides of this conflict.

Your Eminence, as loyal Catholics, we plead with you to help us preserve this powerful symbol of our faith in New York and allow it to continue to be a place of grace, peace and reconciliation for generations to come. Humbly, in a true spirit of fellowship, we ask your understanding and entreat your support.

Edwin Torres

To All our Friends,

The Committee to Save St Brigid would like to thank the following individuals. Their dedication and generosity made our Feast of St. Brigid a success.

Dear Friends,

As we await the decision from the Supreme Court, we urge our supporters to contact the Archdiocese (212-371-1011) and request that 160-year old Church of St Brigid’s be included in any future development. With the transfer of air rights there is enough square footage to accommodate an ambitious project and still preserve St. Brigid’s Church.

As we approach St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish people celebrate their heritage, we must not forget St. Brigid was revered as the female patron staint of Ireland, second only to St. Patrick. We should not allow this Church to be destroyed. Please call and voice your wishes, this church should not become a memory!

Ed Torres

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The Committee to Save St Brigid’s regrets to report On November 15, 2007 the Appellate division of the Supreme Court ruled in favor of The Archdiocese. Although this is another defeat for us and triumph for the Archdiocese, The Committee remains dedicated and Confident that we will prevail. In his dissent, Judge Kavanagh, was right on target when he criticized the Archdiocese for the way this was handled. It is puzzling to us that while Judge Kavanaugh, the only Judge who had an opinion that was favorable to us, supported his dissenting opinion with a lengthy response, yet the other Judges, all of whom disagreed with him, offered no reasoning whatsoever! The Opinion is available for your review (click to download pdf, and read the dissenting opinion )

The Committee would like to thank and applaud Marisa Marinelli and Harry Kresky for their outstanding dedication, the clarity of their vision and perseverance. We are confident that they will save St Brigid’s Church!

On Tuesday November 29, 2007 Marissa Marinelli of Holland and Knight and Harry Kresky , on Behalf of the Committee to Save St Brigid, filed a Motion to Appeal with the Court of Appeal The Archdiocese has agreed to keep the Temporary Restraining Order (The Stay) in place. The Committee asks our friends and supporters to call the Archdiocese (212-371-1011), as soon as possible, to ask Cardinal Egan to reconsider his plans to Demolish our Church. Your help and prayer are urgently needed at this time.

The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s Church remains dedicated despite our defeats. We are confident that we will prevail. We would like to wish all a happy and healthy holiday and a prosperous New Year. May God Bless you and thank you for your prayers and continued support.

Ed Torres

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The Summer's Events

We would like to inform our friends that we have not yet had any decision from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. We remain optimistic that they will decide to allow our case to go to trial and be heard.

The Committee wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI urging his intervention in this matter. We have not had a response. In addition we have been reaching out to our local politicians and the politicians in Ireland asking for their intervention.

Movie actor, Matt Dillon, met with the Archdiocese. With the help of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's office, they met at City Hall and had a productive meeting. This meeting with the Archdiocese represented a breakthrough for us.

Recently, the film crew of Nationwide, a TV program based in Ireland, visited NYC where they filmed St. Brigid's Church and the Supreme Court building, and interviewed many of the Committee members. The program on historic St. Brigid's Church will appear on Chanel RTE, the Irish equivalent of the English BBC.

The Committee to Save St. Brigid's Church WILL HOST A FUNDRAISER THIS FALL. We will continue to bring this cause to the forefront. We remain dedicated. We would like to remind our friends that we need your help. We refuse to fade away and become a victim of time. We persevere in our efforts to convince our Cardinal that many people care about St. Brigid's Church and that it should not be lost. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT.

Sincerely,

Edwin Torres

Chairman

The Committee to Save St. Brigid's Church

Click the poster and a 750K, 8.5 x 11, 300 dpi, RGB PDF will download that can be printed and that you can post in your neighborhood. Tell all of your friends and all the people on your block to come out and save St. Brigid!
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