By Fr. Reinaldo Albeiro Rodas, SDB
Mary Help of Christians Parish was founded in 1906 to provide pastoral care for Italian immigrants in the East Village of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It included a church, completed in 1917, school, rectory, and convent.
On September 9, 2012, after 100 years of pastoral service in the area, the last Mass was celebrated in the church before it was definitively closed, to the grave sadness of a small group of loyal parishioners, mostly Hispanic families. The archdiocese sold the property to a developer, and the buildings were demolished in 2013.
Some remains of the old church and school were preserved, including the beautiful statue of MaryHelp of Christians that had graced the school entrance, the church’s cornerstone, and the church bells.
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Now, the statue that saw immigrants coming for almost a century to seek a better life in the New World has become an immigrant itself, having migrated to Southeast Asia. Maybe this is a sign of hope for many migrants and refugees of our present time. Mary and her Child remind us of all those mothers from regions like Africa, the Middle East, and many other places who are obliged to abandon their own countries to search for refuge or better opportunities for their children.
At Don Bosco Hatrans in Kep Province, Salesians and pupils were very happy to receive this beautiful sign of a community that stood for one century in New York City as a sign of hope for many. Now Mary and Jesus can be also a sign of hope for many children and youths in Cambodia.
