YONKERS – The remains of two people entombed at St. Denis Church may have to be moved before the Yonkers Public Schools can use the building for education.
The City of Yonkers and the Yonkers Public Schools are in contract to buy the shuttered church, its former parochial school, its convent and rectory from the Archdiocese of New York, but the issue of what will happen to the remains of Denis and Elizabeth Horgan is unresolved.
“We’re in with their descendants to discuss the situation, although we are far from any decisions being reached,” archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling wrote in an email Tuesday. “Of course, we want to be very careful since we are dealing with earthly remains, and will proceed throughout with the proper care and reverence that they deserve.”
The couple were buried in the church because they donated $50,000 for the purchase of the land and St. Denis‘ construction, which was completed in 1912. Denis Horgan died in 1909 and his remains were put in a crypt at the church after construction; Elizabeth Horgan died in 1915, according to the archdiocese‘s newspaper Catholic New York.
Earlier this year Yonkers officials voted to borrow $5.5 million for the purchase and renovation of the church properties at 121 McLean Ave. and 470 and 469 Van Cortlandt Park Ave. The goal is to create a new elementary school to address overcrowding in the district.
The proposed purchase of St. Denis School is in addition to the construction of three new schools on the city‘s west side, where most of the district‘s children live.
St. Denis Church closed in 2015 as part of the archdiocese‘s consolidation of parishes. St. Denis‘ congregation merged with St. Peter‘s Church on Ludlow Street.