Thursday, December 28, 2017

St. Nicholas Shrine work stoppage hits secular news

As I said when I posted on the rumors and then substantiated claims by the Greek Archdiocese, when the mainstream news gets wind of the work stoppage, it's going to be front page news. It now is. I hope that the GOA can get the finances in order soon or there will be a whole other round of articles if work doesn't resume in a few months. This is a black eye on all of American Orthodoxy and mars what could have been some positive, high profile exposure (and I am aware of the many people who don't like the design itself).

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Construction is on hold at the massive Greek Orthodox church, replacing the one destroyed in Lower Manhattan in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

As WCBS 880’s Ethan Harp reported, financial problems are catching up to the project.

At a blessing ceremony in 2014, former New York Gov. George Pataki spoke of the St. Nicholas National Shrine he had championed, going up next to One World Trade Center.

“We had remembrance. We had commerce,” Pataki said at the time. “But without Saint Nicholas, we did not have faith.”

But the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America now says the builder is suspending work at 130 Liberty St. The church admits that it is having money woes and hired outside auditors to see if funds are being mismanaged.

A statement on the organization’s website suggests confidence that work will start up again soon, but offers no timetable.

1 comment:

  1. Saw someone at church today with the pin on their lapel they gave donors to the project. I have one and it just makes me mad and sad. I wanted to say something to them but thought it was better to bite my tongue.

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