www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Our Lady of Kazan in Boston

Just a thought!?!

Now that Patriarch Alexy has received the centuries old copy of the Holy Icon back from Pope John Paul II, isn't it sad that the Little Church in South Boston below St. Vincent's no longer exists? The all mosaic iconostasis (actually tan icons instead of gold) was stunningly beautiful, as were the icons throughout the rim of the Church. The wooden pews with triple bar crosses were the only real Western concession.

In the little parish hall at the entrance you could taste some of the best Italian food in Southie. The priest and his mother were Italian, the Italo Greeks/Albanians had no Greek Catholic Church of their own so this was their Byzantine home, and I'm half Slav and half ... Italian.

It's sad that the Church doesn't remain as a hopeful tribute to and for usage pertaining to Catholic/Orthodox relations. Oh, and just one final thought, as you went downstairs to the entrance of the basement Church, below the miniature cupola covering was an a beautiful mosaic (if I remember correctly) of ... Our Lady of Kazan!

Dasvidanja, Mirupafshim, Yassou, Ciao and Bye,

Three Cents

Memory Eternal to FAther John Mowatt!
Incognitus

Amen regarding Father John. And also to Father Alexis Floridi and to his mother. I saw Fathers John and Alexis concelebrate at Our Lady of Kazan (by the way).

Not to degress from the topic. But the closures of such parishes usually happen when people become careless and lazy about regular church attendance and especially careless about supporting their parish.
I told that to our small mission church and the collection more than trippled and has remained like that for two years.
I told them that the easiest way to have their chuch closed was to not support it, to let it go into disrepair because of lack of money, they got the point.
Stephanos I

Steve,

Thank you for remembering and sharing about the Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan. Yes, as memory serves me, the mosaic was of Our Lady of Kazan.

Perhaps Dr. John is lurking out there somewhere and can confirm that. If he throws in his two cents worth - to add to your three, giving us a nickel, which I know Incognitus can afford to match - then we can ride the MTA to Andrew Square, again, almost :rolleyes: ).

Memory eternal to Fathers John Mowatt and the Jesuit Father Alexis Floridi. Father John served the first Byzantine Divine Liturgy at which I ever participated - in all the splendor and glory of the Great Russian Rescension - and awoke in me a curiousity and love that wasn't truly satisfied until years later. Father John was very close to the Melkite clergy in Boston and when he reposed, I had the joy and sorrow of attending his funeral, which was served at our Cathedral.

There is a photo of Father John at Our Lady of Grace's website:

Rt Rev Archimandrite & Mitred Archpriest John Mowatt [byzantines.net]

There is a picture of South Boston's beautiful little Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan at the website of Saint Michael's in NYC. I have corresponded in the past with their webmaster and they would love to have a better one, if anyone has such.

The picture is here (scroll to the bottom of the page):

Our Lady of Kazan Russian Catholic Chapel [stmichaelruscath.org]

Memory eternal also to Richard Cardinal Cushing who, as Father John once said, had a personal love for the Eastern Churches and a devotion to Our Lady of Kazan that kept the chapel open when any other hierarch would likely have long since suppressed it.

Many years,

Neil

It just struck me how curious it is that in a forum with almost 1400 members, there should be 3 here (2 of them high school classmates) with ties to a small Russian Catholic Chapel, situated in a predominately Irish-Polish-Albanian-Lithuanian enclave, that has been closed for 30 years .