Two things:

1. If you are currently supporting the parish financially, re-direct that financial support to an appropriate recipient (such as local conferences of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, which at the conference level are all-volunteer and give direct assistance to the need with very little overhead) and tell the pastor why.

2. If you are a parishioner, also communicate with the local ordinary and regional vicar and dean. That said, if any one of those - or an assistant to one of those - has the current pastor's back, as it were, don't expect much.* (A secretary to the ordinary can block an auxiliary bishop or dean.)

If you are *not* a stakeholder in the parish (either by being an actual parishioner or a financial supporter or employee or volunteer therein), your standing to complain is considerably reduced UNLESS you're someone who happens to have the ear of someone in the chain of command.

In all cases, your communications should be professional, avoid impugning motives where there is insufficient *factual* basis. You are free to communicate how you yourself feel about it, but be mindful of crossing the line into reading the minds and hearts of anyone else.

And pray for those in charge.

* Remember, expectations are premeditated resentments. And resentments are never of God.

By the way, I *love* that iconographic program in that space. Pure genius. I am never shocked by the capacity of pastors of Catholic parishes to do stupid things, however.

Assigning liturgical furnishings and fixtures to a trustee might make the gifts unacceptable from the diocese's perspective....

There's also this excellent article about the affair at the One Peter Five website.

The artist, Ken Woo, at the suggestion of the archdiocese, is urging people to contact the pastor directly. Liam's wise advice in this regard should not be ignored.

This seems to be yet another intentional and supported rape and murder of the traditional sacred arts here in the American Roman Catholic Church. I am tremendously sickened, disgusted and deeply grieved, but not surprised.

Authorities that are behind this understand only one thing, the power of the purse. I recall one church in the gothic style. A new pastor upon his arrival was going to remove all the highly carved oak interior, pews, statuary and stained glass (all from German artists of the 1850's). His plan was to replace with modern chairs in the round with a simple folding table as an altar; all in the nave of that church. Word of this got out. Financial giving went down by 89%. That new pastor was replaced in one month. Financial boycotts are powerful tools in the hands of the faithful!

A national lay organization holding in trust all sacred art and music of historic proportions, is an interesting idea.

He is the pastor, Isn't he?

And don't we wish that all of them were worthy of the office.

Financial boycotts are powerful tools in the hands of the faithful!

A national lay organization holding in trust all sacred art and music of historic proportions, is an interesting idea.

True! Unfortunately, it is all some priests and bishops understand. I like the "trust" idea.

Like a previous post said, unless you are a contributing member of the parish, it is not dignified nor is it catholic, to try to arm wrestle a pastor into doing something one does not like

I don't think anyone from outside his territorial parish is pretending that we can arm wrestle him into anything. All that has been done, from what I've seen, is exposing the secretive removal of these icons and bringing it to light to see what is happening there. In the case of the artist, he was not only an artist of NY, but a parishioner of the parish, where he was also baptized.

It's rather sad to see exorbitant amounts of money spent on renovations that were clearly not needed, taking the financial state of the parish to a much worse place. No matter what one thinks about the icons, that's a very unfortunate aspect of this whole story.

Iconoclasm is live and well.

Would the last soul to leave the church turn the lights off and make sure the windows are closed that Satanic smoke may not bleed further upon Park Avenue?

I’m glad your pastor said what I have been thinking, Heitor.

More sad news from Manhattan's East Side::

http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/organist-at-nys-st.-agnes-church-to-marry-gay-partner

Some of my fondest memories of Mass are at the EF at St. Agnes. I don't care if the organist is gay. The scandal is the loss of James Wetzel and the choir. The music section of their website is gone. I was never a trad warrior but the treatment of EF in the diocese is turning me into one.

Any word on James and the choir?

Well they love and need money... So as others have suggested...

If you are currently supporting the parish financially, re-direct that financial support to an appropriate recipient

The same should go if you are supporting the archdiocese, It is also important to write to the Parish priest / administrator and the administrator of the diocese that you are re-directing your financial support and WHY.

N.B. Even though my diocese is a reasonable one I do not contribute to the collection, I find other ways to support my parish.

Still trying to wrap my head around this news. The music at St. Agnes is was legendary, and the choir has been a revered fixture in the NY area for so long, it's hard to believe they've vanished from the scene.

It's the Church equivalent of being told the Metropolitan Opera has shut its doors.

I'm so grateful for having had the opportunity to attend Good Friday service (OF) there this year which was incredibly moving, the only dissonant note being a bizarre interlude after the homily when stage directions were shouted from the altar to the choir ("Hey, aren't you supposed to sing now?") and to the ushers in the rear ("Joe---where's Joe? Somebody get Joe. Joe, yeah, Joe, I'm talking to you. Take up the collection.")

I'm ignorant of the finer details of GIRM, but I was doubtful that such antics were approved in the OF, and it did give some indication that all was not well.

It's hard for me to imagine that the Archdiocese of New York has no particular laws either for the building and renovation of churches, or for the expenditure of extraordinary sums of money, as the icons certainly would have been. Something seems to be missing in Mr. Frankovich's reporting (besides the name of the new pastor).

If there are such laws, then Fathers Rutler and Robbins either followed them or did not when they made their sanctuary additions or subtractions. If there are such laws and either or both priests did not follow (or is not following) them, then the Archdiocese is to be blamed for not enforcing them. If there are no such laws, then the Archdiocese should be blamed for not having them.

Pastors are NOT kings over their realms parishes. They are bound to act in accordance with the universal and particular laws of the Church.

The icons were entirely funded by private donors.

Fr. Ruttler left the parish in far better financial position than when he arrived.

His work and efforts produced positive, productive, and spiritually fruitful effect all around.

ISTM the current pastor is causing unnecessary conflict and drawing rather corrosive attention to the parish by his actions.

At the core of it, it is dispiriting and causing much confusion and anger.

Something needs to be done, and the someone who needs to do it has an unfortunate track record.

Wetzel and St. Agnes's performance of the Cantus Missae of Rheinberger at Sacra Liturgia this year was nothing short of glorious—absolutely the highlight of the week for me.

Thank you, @Jahaza, for the added information. Even so, I have more questions than answers about what is going on.

G, I want copyright acknowledgement and any royalties that result from your purloining (man, I can't believe that word just popped up in me brain) my bon mot. Forget Tucker and Woods, I'm into money now, just like francis;-) I mean, if solar eruptions or S. Malachi predictions are gonna erupt in September, might as well cash Caesar's into Caesar's now.

What if I have given money ? How would I feel if what my donations for were throne to waste ? Sad, sad. Would God be happy to hear the phrase ?
Ph