at Don Bosco Retreat Center
There was a weather-related disaster this morning at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw, N.Y. We're grateful to God that there was no one using the youth center at the time, or the disaster might have been a tragedy.
Fr. Dennis Donovan, the province treasurer, hastened to the scene from New Rochelle, and this evening sent out this message and the photos shown above:
The boys dorm attached to the gymnasium at the Marian Shrine/Don Bosco Retreat Center collapsed this morning around 9:00 a.m. under the weight of about 2-3 feet of now. Nobody was in that wing at the time. This is the section close to the picnic area near the swimming pool. The county fire marshal has ordered the entire building closed, including the chapel, gym and other sections until further notice. An engineer will survey the structural integrity of the rest of the facility tomorrow. This will have an impact on many activities that have been scheduled for that facility.
Anyone with reservations for a youth retreat or other function using the gym building for the immediate future, should call the retreat office for further information on how the group may be accommodated.
The number to call is 845-947-2200, ext. 313.
The collapsed wing of the youth center was used as dorm space during youth overnite retreats and similar programs. The building itself dates from the early 1950s, when it was built to house Salesian high school seminarians at what was then known as Don Bosco Juniorate.
