STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Members of the Committee to Save Mount Manresa, who walked Saturday in a protest march from the Angel’s Circle 9/11 memorial to the Jesuit retreat house up for sale, decried what they called the “insensitive” way the buildings and religious items on the property were being handled and dismantled.

During their now-weekly rally in front of the retreat house on Fingerboard Road in Fort Wadsworth, the group walked up the pathway to retrieve a stack of Mass cards and prayer cards that were found scattered in the woods near the grotto on the grounds. Mass cards are used by Roman Catholics to request a Mass or special prayers be offered for an individual, usually someone who is deceased. Prayer cards are printed to honor deceased individuals and usually contain a photo of the deceased with a memorial prayer on the back of the card.

According to members of the committee, a few of the Mass cards retrieved contain names of 9/11 first-responders and one bore the name of Monsignor John Servodidio, the late pastor of nearby St. Joseph’s R.C. Church in Rosebank.

Walking peacefully in the light rain that was falling, the group was asked to leave the grounds after being spotted by security.

“I think the way this whole thing has been handled, from the moment the sale was announced, has been insensitive to the community, to people who have given generously to Mount Manresa through the years, and also it’s against everything we believed the Jesuits are about,” declared Barbara Sanchez, one of the leaders of the committee, a Grasmere resident, who said she was educated by the Jesuits at Fordham University and believes she is only applying the values she was taught by protesting the sale.

She said members of the preservation committee have also found rosary beads, bibles and other Catholic religious articles tossed carelessy into dumpsters on the ground, along with “perfectly good furniture that was purposely broken up, that could have been donated.”

This comes on the heels of the removal by heavy construction equipment, of the chapel bell, dating from 1906, and statues of the Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Those items were trucked out of Manresa on Wednesday, en-route to Fordham University, on the feast day of the founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Ms. Sanchez noted ironically.

“It’s just wrong, on so many levels; the environmental angle, the historical angle, the religious angle, and the decent human angle. It is very hurtful to see what’s going on here, and the disrespectful way it’s being carried out,” Ms. Sanchez said.

Jack Bolembach, president of the Committee to Save Mount Manresa (www.savemanresa.org) said he was encouraged by the events of the past week.

FUNDRAISING INVESTIGATION

The inquiry into the fundraising practices at Mount Manresa Jesuit Retreat house intensified Friday as Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and State Sen. Diane Savino asked contributors to step forward with information to bolster their case against the non-profit organization.

On Wednesday, the state legislators, along with City Council members James Oddo and Debi Rose, successfully requested state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to withdraw his “non-objection” to the sale for a “windfall profit” of $15.5 million to Savo Brothers, a private developer. The action by both Republicans and Democrats delayed the closing of the 15.4-acre property zoned for townhouses, allowing for the possibility of complaints being heard by the state Supreme Court, which has to approve the sale under New York Not-For-Profit Corporate law.

The elected officials also asked the AG to investigate the fundraising practices at Manresa.

The politicians alleged that solicitations for charitable contributions were made and accepted by the 102-year-old non-profit institution owned by the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits, despite plans to sell the property.

“It is our belief that Mount Manresa has misrepresented itself for an extended period of time with regard to soliciting money from donors for improvement to the site,” said Ms. Malliotakis and Ms. Savino in a joint statement.

Ms. Malliotakis and Ms. Savino have been meeting with people who donated money or purchased memorials at the site and are looking to meet with more contributors as they work with the attorney general on this matter. Donors are encouraged to contact Paul Marrone at Assemblywoman Malliotakis’ office at 718-987-0197 or Robert Cataldo at Senator Savino’s office at 718-727-9406 to participate.

LANDMARK STATUS

Meanwhile Bolembach said his group is also pursuing the environmental and historical angle of the property. He said he is working with “professionals” to identify and preserve trees on the property that date back more than two centuries, and a few that may even date back before the borough’s Dutch settlers.

Landmark status to some of the buildings on the property is also being pursued as a possibility. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has indicated that Mount Manresa is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and there is a request pending with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

On Wednesday, legal representatives for the religious order reportedly closed on the sale of another retreat house owned by the Jesuits, in Manhasset, Long Island. That property was also sold to developers for more than $45 million. The religious order has not indicated what it might do with the proceeds from the sale of its properties. 