"All We Want Is A Fair Shot": City Says Group's Efforts To Save 'Our Lady Of The Parkway' Statue Could Backfire
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As a steelworker from South Oakland was walking home from work in 1956, he claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary.
As he topped a ridge overlooking the Parkway East, the man said he saw a bright light and the face of the Blessed Mother. Those he told, embraced the story.
Soon after, an open-air shrine known as "Our Lady Of The Parkway" was born. And for the past seven decades, true believers have found peace and calming there.
The shrine has evolved over time, with a grotto and an altar for the occasional Mass. But the people who've taken care of the shrine over the years have grown older and are now worried about its future.
The land is owned by the City of Pittsburgh.
A nonprofit group headed by former federal magistrate Francis Caiazza wants to buy it and establish a trust to preserve it.
"All we want is a fair shot at buying the property. That's it," says Caiazza.
But after two years of trying, Caiazza says they still haven't heard back from Mayor Bill Peduto.
The mayor disputes that claim.
"They did get an answer. That was a couple of years ago. It may not have been the answer they wanted," says Peduto.
The mayor's advice to the group is to leave well enough alone and keep the current arrangement.
He says the city can't make a direct sale to the group, and would need to open the parcel up to other bidders, which could possibly include a billboard company.
Peduto claims the city is actually protecting the shrine, and warns the group could risk losing it altogether.
"The more they make an issue of it, the more they're attracting other business interests into that land and putting the city in a position to possibly remove it because of their actions," says Peduto.
However, the group says they have the community support and financial wherewithal to be the successful bidder and preserve the landmark.
They say they just need a fair hearing in front of Pittsburgh City Council to make their case about how to preserve the shrine for future generations.
