Dear Editor: In his Dec. 29 column “Put Out into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio reminds us of the stories of the Holy Family’s difficulty finding shelter in Bethlehem, of their seeking refuge in Egypt, and of the massacre of the Holy Innocents which they narrowly escaped.

He instructs us to recognize in “strangers… the living presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.” I have read in The Tablet of the re-purposing of many former convents and rectories into centers and homes for folks in need. In my own parish, on the other hand, I see a half-empty rectory and a former convent building, which I understand will be renovated into apartments.

I would like to see a portion of that housing made available to needy New Yorkers or immigrants seeking asylum.

Proud as I am of such initiatives on the diocesan level, I would take even more satisfaction seeing the like in my own parish and the other parishes in my brownstone neighborhood.

And it would witness to us parishioners and to our neighbors our love for the living presence of Jesus in all whom we encounter.

BARBARA BOLTON

Via Website