The approval of the building of an Islamic Mosque and Cultural Center in the immediate area of the World Trade Center and 911 Terrorist Attack has ignited a controversy which involves a Greek Orthodox Church building, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a structure which has stood there for many decades. It seems as though the Commission responsible for approving the rebuilding of this church building has refused both the approval of the rebuilding effort and any allocation of Government funds to assist its completion.
I have been reading many of the comments posted on this topic, both on this blog and others. At first, I was somewhat sympathetic to the dominant consensus that the refusal to rebuild the building used by this congregation was, at most, a grave mistake, and at the least, a slight to the Christian Orthodox witness. However, after some serious thought, and several questions left unanswered, I have taken a different view of the matter.
1. The witness of Orthodox Christianity is not solely tied to a building. The church building is a place where an assembly of faithful meet. The witness of the Faith is the action and fervent devotion of this assembly of people.
2. With that in mind, I have to pose the questions, which probably have been asked, “How many faithful does this parish community assemble each Lord’s Day and how active is their witness to the Faith in this location throughout the week?”
The answer to these questions, in my opinion, is the basis upon which the need to rebuild St. Nicholas Church should be determined. If the doors are closed on Sunday noon, and not opened until the following weekend, then I’m not sure the Orthodox witness is being served. And if it is possible to relocate the parish base to ensure a continuation of this witness, then why not do it.
Fr. Gregory (Francis) DesMarais
an Orthodox Priest-monk