Dear Editor: As a former resident of New York City — 51 years in Bayside, Queens — I protest against dismissing Mother Frances Cabrini from her rightful place in New York City history.

During the years my family lived in New York City, we benefited from the tremendously generous contributions of our Catholic Church and, especially the nuns, to my education and those of children. We could not have been prepared better — we all received college degrees up to and including a PhD — thanks in no small part to the heroic nuns and other religious and lay teachers.

To deny this honor to Mother Cabrini is to dishonor those teachers and thousands of others. After receiving the majority vote, there is no other explanation but the bigotry of an administration that overlooks the will of the people. We Catholics deserve better.

James O’Connor

Garden City

Editor’s note: There is going to be a march and procession in honor of Mother Frances Cabrini Oct. 6. More information on page 24.