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UNITED STATES - AUGUST 30: PLACE where a funeral for Carmen Gonzalez was held in front of the closed Our Lady Queen of Angels Church August 30, 2007 at 232 East 113th Street in Harlem. Gonzalez fought the closing of the parish but lost to the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese also would not budge when asked to open the church temporarily for the funeral for Carmen Gonzalez, a long-time parishioner, church activist and community leader. (Photo by Robert Sabo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)![Church_pics__1_]()
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 30: One of the ladies of the church places her hand on the caket where a funeral for Carmen Gonzalez was held in front of the closed Our Lady Queen of Angels Church August 30, 2007 at 232 East 113th Street in Harlem. Gonzalez fought the closing of the parish but lost to the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese also would not budge when asked to open the church temporarily for the funeral for Carmen Gonzalez, a long-time parishioner, church activist and community leader. (Photo by Robert Sabo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)![church_pics_soni__1_]()
The church Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem, nestled among housing projects on 113th Street, remains closed.![church_pics_soni__4_]()
Maria Marte continues to meet on these benches with other parishioners of the shuttered church to pray every Sunday.![church_pics_soni__2_]()
Marte and neighbors chat in front of the convent next to shuttered church, Our Lady Queen of Angels. The nuns distribute food and blessings.![church_pics_soni__3_]()
A mural on the wall of a beauty parlor in the front yard of a row house across the street from the school, Our Lady Queen of Angels, indicates the deeply religious nature of the surrounding community.![Church_pics__2_]()
The exterior of Our Lady Queen of Angels School is seen on August 20, 2015 in New York. The media was given a tour and preview of Our Lady Queen of Angels School in Harlem in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis on September 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)Parishioners from closed, yet thriving, New York City church hope for Pope Francis miracle
In 2007, Our Lady Queen of Angels church was one of 21 that closed or were consolidated in the state of New York, a move that representatives of the archdiocese attributed to adjustments to demographic shifts. When they heard their church was being threatened, 'El Barrio' residents did not take the news lightly. They picketed. They held vigils. They appealed to the Vatican.
Move Forward
- Parishioners from closed, yet thriving, New York City church hope for Pope Francis miracle
