Historic Brownsville Church Slated For Demolition Gets Funeral

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — A funeral for Our Lady of Loreto, a century-old church in Brownsville slated for demolition, is being organized by the activists who tried to save it.

The Brownsville Cultural Coalition will host a funeral service for the historic church, which will be torn down and replaced with an affordable housing complex, on Saturday at 1 p.m., organizers announced.

"We come together to celebrate the life, joys, sacrifices, traditions, artisans, immigrants, history and architecture of Our Lady of Loreto," organizers said, "a building that should of never had this fate."

Our Lady of Loreto — the church being torn down at 126 Sackman St. — has been the subject of a decade-long battle between a group of activists hoping to stop Catholic Charities from removing it.

The Brownsville Cultural Coalition hoped to save the Roman Renaissance-style church, which they say is the oldest Italian Catholic church in Brooklyn, by landmarking the space and turning it into a community center.

But the Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corp., the organization that owns the lease, argued the structure was unsalvageable and now plan to build 40 units of low-income housing on the location.

Demolition began in August after a stop work order was lifted and contractors began removing statues of saints and a pieces of the church’s triangular roof, according to a Brooklyn Daily Eagle report.

And on Oct. 14, the Brownsville Cultural Coalition will gather outside the church on Sackman Street between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street to mourn the loss of Our Lady of Loreto, organizers said.

The list of speakers will include activists, residents and former parishioners. Anyone who would like to contribute to the memorial service is asked to contact the Brownsville Cultural Coalition.

A spokeswoman said in a statement, “We welcome participation with musical performance, speeches/poems and another form of expression that will commemorate our loss and remember the greatness that now stands in ruins."

Photo by Kathleen Culliton