Title
Dept/ Agency: Administration/Office of the Business Administrator
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Return of a Gift
Gift: Statue of Mother Cabrini
Purpose: To provide for the return of the Mother Cabrini statue.
Entity Name: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
Entity Address: 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105
Gift Value: Undetermined
Amount: Not Applicable
Contract Period: Not Applicable
Additional Information:
body
WHEREAS, in 1899, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (hereinafter referred to as "Mother Cabrini") and her order of nuns, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, established the first parochial school and orphanage for the children of Italian immigrants in the basement of the old Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at Ferry and McWhorter Streets in the City of Newark (the “City”); and
WHEREAS, in 1946, Mother Cabrini was the first citizen of the United States to be canonized by Pope Pius XII and thereafter named the Patron Saint of Immigrants in 1950; and
WHEREAS, in 1958, a statue of Mother Cabrini was gifted to the City of Newark by the Catholic War Veterans Post 156 of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, as a symbol of hope, inspiration, and compassion for the poor, sick and marginalized; and
WHEREAS, the statue of Mother Cabrini is located in an area that has been neglected post certain urban renewal projects for example: the expansion of Newark Penn Station; the extension of highway Interstate 280, and various housing initiatives, thus not providing the attention to and investment in the upkeep of the statute; and
WHEREAS, the City and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (the “Parties”) have agreed on a solution to maintain and safeguard the statue of Mother Cabrini by returning and relocating it to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, at 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY THAT:
1. The Parties have agreed on the return of the statue of Mother Cabrini to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, located at 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105.
2. No municipal funds will be expended.
STATEMENT
This Resolution authorizes the Mayor of the City of Newark, and/or his designee, the Business Administrator, on behalf of the City of Newark, to return the gift of a statue of Mother Cabrini, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, located at 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105, to be maintained by the congregation.