The historic Transfiguration Church was built in 1962. It sits on Perry Avenue near 64th Street.
With a post in the Transfiguration bulletin this past Sunday, churchgoers of the Maspeth Church were met with a letter explaining the dire financial situation that the condition of the physical structures on the property put the parish through. The letter went on to state that patchwork on the buildings has been done over the years, but their effectiveness has essentially worn out. Originally built in 1909 as a Parish to help Lithuanian immigrants, the current structure was built in 1962. In 2019 it merged into the St. Stanislaus parish, run by its pastor Msgr. Joseph Calise. The property includes the church structure and attached convent, now rented by the Lithuanian Catholic Relief Association, situated on Perry Avenue, just east of 64th Street. The property runs through to Clinton Avenue where the rectory is located. The site is just short of an acre and Msgr. Calise says while he put the financial dilemma in front of the parish council and the financial advisory board, there were currently no options given for the property other than the possibility of a sale. “We’d love to keep the property,” he said, “but with the repairs so costly, I’m not sure it makes sense.”
There are three churches within blocks of each other. Holy Cross, the Polish Parish on 56th Road, just a block away and St. Stanislaus Kostka, on Maspeth Avenue, just two blocks away. St. Stanislaus has one of the most healthy Catholic schools in the diocese. Its school is bursting at the seams, with strong managerial leadership and a vibrant philanthropic arm, quite engaged at making sure the school thrives. This year the Academy has more than 330 children attending and the reported scholarships gained by the graduating 8th graders into private high schools topped 450 thousand dollars this year. The families of the children attending the school feed the church, which is in a strong financial position.
Msgr. Calise estimates between 160 and 200 people attend Sunday services at Transfiguration. With the Catholic population no longer filling (the churches) like they once did, “… the burden of keeping the buildings at Transfiguration going is just too financially draining,” said Msgr. Calise, during an exclusive interview this week. “We would have to spend more than a million dollars in needed repairs and upgrades to keep it going.” Calise confirmed that the real estate division of the Diocese made the repair assessment recently and “… going into debt with the diocese for that, without a growing congregation at Transfiguration, well, it just makes sense to sell the property,” he said. Dr. Paul Michael Kazas, president of the Knights of Lithuanian Council #110 has been involved with the church for twenty years. “There are so few Lithuanian churches left. It would be devastating to lose it. This church has been a part of Maspeth for 115 years. Anything can be fixed. All resources have to be considered to save this historic church. It was built in 1963 and there is no other church like it in New York. We should make every effort to save it,” he said.
Proceeds from any sale would likely stay within the parish, however a plan will have to be in the hands of the Bishop of the Brooklyn-Queens Catholic Diocese, Robert Brennan.
The Church and convent sit on the property which is nearly an acre and goes through from Perry to Clinton Avenue.
