Bay Ridge church pastors ask MTA for mercy
Charge R train vibrations damaging their buildings
Sitting in a pew during mass at Saint Anselm Catholic Church is like “riding the train,” said the Rev. Msgr. John Maloney, the church’s pastor. The reason? The church, located on 82nd Street and Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, sits above the R subway line.
But while the church is located above the R train, parishioners shouldn’t have to feel as if they’re in the middle of a subway car when they’re sitting in a pew praying, Maloney said.
In recent months, the vibrations of the trains, which have always been felt at St. Anselm Church, have become much more pronounced, according to Maloney, who said parishioners can feel the rumbling as they say their prayers. “The vibrations are 10 times worse,” the pastor said. The church building and the building housing Saint Anselm Catholic Academy, located next door to the church, have developed cracks that appear to be the result of the train vibrations, Maloney said. “There are cracks throughout the building,” he said.