Malverne Church Opens New Doors for Parishioners with Disabilities

For over 80 years, members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Malverne who have disabilities found it difficult or even impossible to attend services in the church. The building, which was constructed in the late 1920s, lacked a ramp, elevator or other handicap accessible features and its towering steps were an insurmountable hurdle to those who were dependent on canes and wheelchairs.

That finally changed this month, as the church completed construction on its handicap-accessible elevator and opened its automatic doors to all those who had been missing from its flock.

At a special ceremony on Nov. 20, Pastor Rev. Frank Parisi led a small congregation in prayer and blessed the elevator. While he was doing this, a few eager parishioners even accidentally interrupted him as they made good use of the new lift.

"Thank you for all your love and for all your prayers that have made this day possible," Parisi told those who had gathered to dedicate the new addition to the church. "It really has been worth the wait."

Joe Resch was one of the parishioners who attended the service and who contributed his time and energy to making this day possible. He served on the Building Committee, along with Parisi and three other members.

"From Day 1, the village has been a big help," Resch said. From the building inspectors to the mayor, Malverne officials helped streamline the process to get the elevator opened as soon as possible, he said.

The lift, which can be accessed from the church, the street level and the basement, was paid for by a capital campaign started two years ago. Parishioners pledged $2 million to support the preservation of their church. In addition to the lift, these funds also allowed the church to install new bathrooms, including a handicap accessible restroom, and a new kitchen in the basement, and to replace its steps. A portion was also allocated for replacing the railings, HVAC system, doors and hardware, repairing the roofs for both the church and school buildings, and giving the pews and painted walls a face-lift. Still, on the to-do list is the restoration of the church's stained glass windows, a project estimated to cost $480,000.

This wasn't the first time the church has tried to raise money to make the church handicap accessible, but past attempts had failed. Resch attributes the success of this campaign to teamwork and "the approach."

"It was broken down into four or five smaller projects," Resch explained.

Leading the charge on the fundraising front was the Capital Campaign Committee, consisting of Nick Balzano, Marian Bruzzese, Judy Canzoneri, Tim Corr, Greg Fewer, Billy Flynn, Claire Reinhardt, Bob Schiller, Ann Seccia and many other volunteers.

"Everyone was very helpful," Resch said.

The church did encounter one problem with its new elevator. Shortly after the blessing service, a parishioner operating a motorized wheelchair accidentally collided into the doors of the lift. The person was fine, but the elevator was placed out of commission for that Sunday - for both the masses and the ecumenical service- until a repairman could operate on the lift.

By that Monday afternoon, Nov. 22, Parisi said the elevator was fully functioning again and continues to operate without any glitches.