Christ Church will host Evensong in Parish Hall
Liturgy Commemorating St. Mary the Virgin Is Annual Tradition Here
The parishioners of Christ Church-Cobble Hill understand the meaning of perseverance through tragedy. And they will mark that tenacity this Sunday when they gather for a deanery-wide Evensong commemorating the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, an annual tradition for Episcopal parishes in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and others along the waterfront up to Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
Just over four years ago, on July 26, 2012, the roof of the circa-1842 church was severely damaged as the result of a lightning strike. Department of Buildings spokesperson Ryan Fitzgibbon told the Brooklyn Eagle at the time that stones from the bell tower were knocked loose and collapsed onto scaffolding below, which in turn was dislodged and fell onto the street. Richard Schwartz, a lawyer for the state Attorney General’s Office who lived nearby, was walking past the church and was killed as a result of the collapse.
As a result of that damage, the church’s iconic tower had to be dismantled. NYC Department of Buildings records indicate that Christ Church is landmarked. City Finance Department records show that the Trustees of the Estate of the Diocese of Long Island have owned the property since 1971.
However, there is a distinction between a church edifice and the Church as the Body of Christ, the Very Rev. Ronald T. Lau, rector of Christ Church, pointed out at the time of the tragedy.