As many people know, New York is one of the archdioceses that has been feeling the pain of parish closings. And some parishioners aren’t taking it sitting down (or even kneeling).

From the New York Times:

The closing of their church was among the more devastating of events to have struck the congregants of Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem, yet many of them say that, in retrospect, they would not have had it any other way. Denied access to their church, they have found themselves feeling closer to God.

Every Sunday morning for two years, through rain and scorching heat and on the bitterest of winter days, congregants have gathered on the sidewalk in front of the small, 123-year-old red brick Roman Catholic church. It sits near the end of a cul de sac on East 113th Street between Second and Third Avenues and has been closed since February 2007, when the Archdiocese of New York shuttered it as part of a round of parish closings church officials said was the result of dwindling attendance.

The size of the weekly sidewalk gatherings fluctuates from 5 to 50, depending on the weather, sudden ailments or vacation schedules, or whether one regular, Bob de Leon, who usually shows up with a van full of folding chairs and a canopylike tent, happens to be visiting Puerto Rico. Thirteen people gathered on Sunday under a steady drizzle. Because Mr. de Leon was away, they stood, huddling together under shared umbrellas.

What started as protest vigils two years ago has changed into something far greater than any of participants could have imagined. Stripped of a priest to preach to them, they lead services themselves. They follow the format of regular Masses, though they do not take holy bread, or Eucharist, and they switch regularly between English and Spanish. No longer hemmed in by pews, they stand in a tight circle, facing one another and smiling as they sing hymns.

They talk about how various biblical passages bear direct relevance to their lives. One of the regulars, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, a professor of theology at Drew University in New Jersey, routinely offers homilies after the Gospel is read — traditionally the priest’s job and something Dr. Isasi-Diaz could never do inside a regular Catholic church because the Vatican forbids the ordination of women.

“This is not like other churches, where you hear the Gospel, you go through the paces, the rituals, and then you go home,” said Luz Alvarez, 55, a child care provider. “A priest is not just talking down to us. Here, we’re contributing to what the Gospel becomes. It becomes much more a part of you, and I’ve got a deeper understanding of it, with this back and forth.”

You can check out the rest at the link.

PHOTO:  by Chester Higgins, Jr./The New York Times