Grassroots effort to preserve Most Holy Redeemer grows with weekly vigils

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The grassroots effort continues to help save Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

A group of residents and parishioners once again held a prayer vigil outside the church on Friday evening at 7 — a gathering they plan to continue weekly at this time. (You can follow the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church here.)

Participants brought headsets and a small portable speaker that was fastened to the church gates. Prayer sheets were handed out, and the group recited a series of novenas.

The mood outside was a mix of reverence and frustration. Parishioners have expressed concerns that the Archdiocese has not been transparent about its future plans for this parcel, which includes the adjoining rectory. (That building belongs to the Redemptorists, not the Archdiocese, which had only been renting the space.) 

Several people also spoke about plans to attend the last Mass, held on Sunday, Aug. 31. Moving forward, Masses will be held at St. Brigid-St. Emeric on Avenue B. 

Fox 5 was also on hand with a camera crew to cover the scene. 

Village Preservation, along with the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, has launched a campaign to save Most Holy Redeemer, which has stood at 173 E. Third St. for more than 150 years. 

Outgoing District 2 City Council Member Carlina Rivera and leadership at the Tenement Museum have voiced their support for preserving the church.

Founded in 1844 by German-speaking Redemptorist missionaries and completed in 1851, the church was once among the tallest structures in New York. Nicknamed the "German Cathedral of the Lower East Side," it became a cornerstone of Kleindeutschland. It played a significant role in the city's religious, immigrant, and fire safety history — from introducing Gregorian chant in Catholic churches to pioneering the use of electricity for religious structures. 

Despite that legacy, Most Holy Redeemer, and preservationists warn that the building could be at risk. Village Preservation notes the Landmarks Preservation Commission has often failed to protect historic churches, synagogues, and other neighborhood sites of worship in recent years. 

For neighbors, the prospect of the steeple disappearing from the skyline after decades as a familiar presence is almost unimaginable. 

As the Facebook group states: 

Holy Redeemer is more than just bricks and stained glass — it's a cornerstone of our community's identity. Its architecture, history, and spiritual presence deserve to be cherished, not forgotten.

Find the petition about landmarking here.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At what may be the final Mass at Most Holy Redeemer

• At the prayer vigil for Most Holy Redeemer 

• Push continues to landmark East Village's historic Most Holy Redeemer 

• Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future

• Up in the under-restoration belltower at Most Holy Redeemer

At what may be the final Mass at Most Holy Redeemer

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Yesterday marked the final scheduled Mass at Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, following word earlier this summer that the parish would close after Aug. 31. 

Inside the historic church — a fixture in the East Village for more than 150 years — there was no mention of the closure during the service I attended. Parishioners prayed and sang as if it were any other Sunday, even as the looming uncertainty hung heavy.

Afterward, a church employee approached me, offering a blunt explanation: "Monsignor Nelan is a very difficult man to deal with and he wants this church closed." The employee added, "It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of personnel. We have no priests! And they are transferring another one of ours to upstate." 

Parishioners are being directed to St. Brigid's on Avenue B for regular services. 

Church leaders cited a shortage of priests and the deteriorating condition of the building, including falling plaster, as reasons for the shift. 

Earlier this summer, church officials said that engineers would evaluate whether the church remains safe. (An employee of Most Holy Redeemer and St. Brigid attended the July 14 meeting and expressed skepticism about the timing of the engineering review, calling it "suspicious.")

The Archdiocese has not made a formal public statement about the closure.

Earlier vigils outside the church have brought neighbors and parishioners together, some calling on the city to protect the building through landmarking.

Village Preservation has urged action, noting the church’s deep ties to the East Village's German immigrant past and its role as one of the tallest structures in New York when it was completed in 1851.

For now, the future of the "German Cathedral of the Lower East Side" remains unclear.

A prayer vigil this evening outside Most Holy Redeemer

Community members will gather this evening at 7 outside Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity on Third Street for a prayer vigil. 

The event, the first of which started last Friday evening, is organized by the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church. 

The vigils follow July's announcement that weekly masses at Most Holy Redeemer will end after Sunday. Going forward, the church will host only occasional ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

Parishioners are being directed to St. Brigid's on Avenue B for regular services. Church leaders cited a shortage of priests and the deteriorating condition of the building, including falling plaster, as reasons for the shift. 

Meanwhile, Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, and the East Village Community Coalition are pushing for landmark status for the 1851 church, its rectory, and former school to protect them from redevelopment.

Supporters argue the complex is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage. 

The prayer vigils will continue here Friday evenings this fall.

Find the petition here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the prayer vigil for Most Holy Redeemer 

• Push continues to landmark East Village’s historic Most Holy Redeemer 

• Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future

At the prayer vigil for Most Holy Redeemer

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Friday evening, dozens of residents gathered outside Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity on Third Street for a prayer vigil. 

The event, organized by the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church, included a call-and-response chant of "Hail Mary/Sancta Maria" by candlelight.

There were no speeches or flyers handed out — just steady prayer filling the block between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The candles lit up the front steps and drew curious passersby on this pleasant summer evening. Several attendees quietly shared concerns about the church's future. Some spoke of rumors that the Archdiocese might sell or demolish the 19th-century building, like it did with Mary Help of Christians on 12th Street in 2013. That church and school yielded Steiner East Village, the block-long luxury condoplex with an indoor pool. 

Others worried that priests had been silenced, or that settlement costs from abuse claims were driving the closure. Many expressed frustration — and devotion. 

"I'm not even Catholic, and I come here to pray; it's such a beautiful space," one woman said. A handful of people pointed to the departure of Father Sean last summer as the moment the parish began to decline.

The vigil follows July's announcement that weekly masses at Most Holy Redeemer will end after Aug. 31. Going forward, the church will host only occasional ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

Parishioners are being directed to St. Brigid's on Avenue B for regular services. Church leaders cited a shortage of priests and the building's deteriorating condition, including falling plaster, as reasons for the shift.

Meanwhile, Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, and the East Village Community Coalition are pushing for landmark status for the 1851 church, its rectory, and former school to protect them from redevelopment.

Supporters argue the complex is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage. 

Find the petition here.

Petition seeks to landmark Most Holy Redeemer ahead of possible closure

With reporting by Stacie Joy

Following last week's announcement that the Archdiocese of New York will cease all masses at Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity this fall, preservation groups and parishioners have launched a petition to landmark the historic East Village property. 

The effort, spearheaded by Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, seeks to protect the 19th-century church at 173 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B — along with its rectory and former school — from potential redevelopment. 

 

Supporters argue that the church is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage, and it deserves formal landmark status. 

Per the petition, which you can find here: 

With roots in waves of immigration dating back to the 1840s, the church was once one of the largest in the city and one of its tallest structures. A devastating fire at its school led to pioneering reforms in fire safety measures that remain with us today, and the church, which was restyled over time, was the site of significant innovations in the use of electricity in church structures as well as the introduction of Gregorian chants at Catholic Churches. 

And... 

Most Holy Redeemer has been a cornerstone of the East Village community for over a century and a half, and embodies so much of this neighborhood’s and New York's rich immigrant history and culture. 

The three groups had previously lobbied Mayor Adams and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmark status in a letter this past December. 

As we first reported, Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and Eileen Mulcahy, the vice chancellor for parish planning of the Archdiocese of New York, addressed continued speculation during a meeting on July 14 that Most Holy Redeemer would close outright. 

They emphasized that while the church isn't officially closing, its operations will undergo significant changes. Regular weekly masses will end, and in their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's. 

Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift.

Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe. 

We attended mass this past weekend at Most Holy Redeemer, where approximately 75 people were in attendance.

Caution tape now cordons off a section to the left of the altar at Most Holy Redeemer, where plaster reportedly fell from the ceiling. 

From our vantage point, visible damage appeared minimal — limited to a small white patch overhead — but the incident has raised concerns about the building's condition as its future remains uncertain.

Last summer, the Archdiocese of New York sold the historic Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem to a developer, citing the building's severe disrepair. 

In recent years, Catholic churches (or any places of worship) in the East Village haven't fared well with landmarking protections.

The Archdiocese previously went the luxury route, selling two properties for more than $80 million. Developer Douglas Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property on Avenue A at 12th Street in 2012 for $41 million. 

During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory to make way for Steiner East Village, the block-long luxury condoplex (below) with an indoor pool and retail spaces that have been vacant for seven years.

In March 2020, Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor, bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street for $40 million. The property remains vacant. 

Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer in 2015. 

The former site of St. Emeric, located on 13th Street and Avenue D, is likely to yield an affordable housing complex. The now-deconsecrated church merged with St. Brigid on Avenue B in early 2013. 

Further back, in 2003, St. Ann's Church, located on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, was partially demolished to make way for NYU's Founders Hall dormitory. The church's historic facade and fence were preserved and incorporated into the front courtyard of the dorm, a hollow gesture that does little to honor what was lost. As "The AIA Guide to New York City" noted, "the effect is of a majestic elk, shot and stuffed." 

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Find the petition to landmark Most Holy Redeemer at this link.