Parishioners from closed, yet thriving, New York City church hope for Pope Francis miracle
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UNITED STATES - AUGUST 30: PLACE where a funeral for Carmen Gonzalez was held in front of the closed Our Lady Queen of Angels Church August 30, 2007 at 232 East 113th Street in Harlem. Gonzalez fought the closing of the parish but lost to the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese also would not budge when asked to open the church temporarily for the funeral for Carmen Gonzalez, a long-time parishioner, church activist and community leader. (Photo by Robert Sabo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) (2007/Daily News, L.P. (New York))
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 30: One of the ladies of the church places her hand on the caket where a funeral for Carmen Gonzalez was held in front of the closed Our Lady Queen of Angels Church August 30, 2007 at 232 East 113th Street in Harlem. Gonzalez fought the closing of the parish but lost to the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese also would not budge when asked to open the church temporarily for the funeral for Carmen Gonzalez, a long-time parishioner, church activist and community leader. (Photo by Robert Sabo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) (2007/Daily News, L.P. (New York))
The church Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem, nestled among housing projects on 113th Street, remains closed. (Soni Sangha/ Fox News Latino)
Maria Marte continues to meet on these benches with other parishioners of the shuttered church to pray every Sunday. (Soni Sangha/ Fox News Latino)
Marte and neighbors chat in front of the convent next to shuttered church, Our Lady Queen of Angels. The nuns distribute food and blessings. (Soni Sangha/ Fox News Latino)
A mural on the wall of a beauty parlor in the front yard of a row house across the street from the school, Our Lady Queen of Angels, indicates the deeply religious nature of the surrounding community. (Soni Sangha/ Fox News Latino)
The exterior of Our Lady Queen of Angels School is seen on August 20, 2015 in New York. The media was given a tour and preview of Our Lady Queen of Angels School in Harlem in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis on September 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)