Congregation at St. Michael's Church Reconsecrates Altar

More than a hundred people gathered at St. Michael’s Church on 99th Street on Sunday to celebrate the reconsecration of the altar of St. Jude.

For half a century, St. Jude’s altar served as a silent witness to the joys and sorrows of the black community at St. Jude’s chapel. The chapel and surrounding neighborhood were demolished by the government during an urban redevelopment project in 1958 to make way for Park West Village—a middle-income housing project.

For 50 years the altar had been kept in a box on a porch of St. Michaels, forgotten and unattended.

The congregation at St. Michael’s decided to restore and reconsecrate the altar in cooperation with the former congregation of St. Jude’s to mark the bicentennial of the church.

“It is not only to reconsecrate the altar, but to reconsecrate ourselves to justice,” Reverend Kenneth Leech said during his sermon.

Leech emphasized the importance of local churches’ responsibility toward their community, stating that some churches had been negligent to the issue of racism in the early 20th century. This issue was especially relevant because of the racial tensions that existed between St. Michael’s Church and St. Jude’s, before the demolition of the latter.

“It never would have occurred to anyone at St. Michael’s to worship at St. Jude’s, or the other way around,” said Jean Terepka, archivist of St. Michael’s. “So having the altar reconsecrated ... is a way of honoring the St. Jude’s community and purging the sins of racism and segregation and identifying the need to find spiritually guided social justice.” Terepka mentioned that the notion of “separate but equal” had caused the churches’ segregation.

The congregation at St. Michael’s church expressed pride in the diversity of their current congregation.

Many people recounted tender memories of worshipping at St. Jude’s 50 years ago.

“I cried when I saw that altar, it looked so small. I got married at that altar, 60 years ago. My son was christened there. They tore it [St. Jude’s] down, and I had to move to another church,” local resident Mabel Ashe said, with moist eyes.

Some occasional visitors were delighted to stumble upon the event.

“I came from Vermont. I only come here two or three times a year, but this congregation is just about as big as Easter,” Neil Stout said.

The restored altar has inspired a campaign called the St. Jude’s Legacy Fund, which will be used to finance community service projects in honor of St. Michael and St. Jude.