Police and Fire

No One Injured After Stones Fall Off Blessed Sacrament Church

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For two days in a row the Boston Fire Department visited the Blessed Sacrament Church to attend to falling stones from the building. On Nov. 24, the Boston Fire Department tweeted that, "Some of the beautiful coping stones have show they're aging by falling to the steps below." No injuries were caused by the falling stones. The Blessed Sacrament Church is owned by Hyde Square Task Force, which purchased it in 2014 with the intent of redeveloping it into a community center.

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From the Community

Halloween Story Walk & Activity Packages in Hyde and Jackson Squares

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Celebrate Halloween with a Story Walk by taking a stroll down from Hyde Square to Jackson Square and grab a kids' activity bag with games and treats. The Story Walk can be completed at any time between October 26th and 31st. While walking you read from the children's book Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales, which will be hanging in business windows from October 26th to October 31st. There will be two routes that you can follow: one starting at Jackson Square and the other from the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library. Both routes end at the Blessed Sacrament Plaza where there will be a photo booth set up.

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From the Community

Free Screening of Magical Realist Film ‘Hyphen’ on Oct. 3

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The Hyde Square Task Force is offering a free screening of Hyphen, a short film by Boston's Maria Servellón, an award-winning filmmaker, multimedia artist, educator, and arts advocate on Oct. 3. The screening of the film starts at 6 pm, and will be followed by a discussion between the filmmaker and Paloma Valenzuela of La Gringa Loca Productions and a Q&A with audience members. Hyphen is a magical realist, short fiction film based on the director's own memories and experiences. It follows four character versions on a transformative chronicle: Mimi, Maia, Mia, Ria.

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Afro-Latinx

Free Virtual Salsa Class with Angie & Audrey Courtesy Hyde Square Task Force Sept. 24

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Get moving with Angie and Audrey with a virtual salsa class that will kick off with a performance by these two incredible dancers on Sept. 24. Angie and Audrey are a queer Latinx couple with a mission to decolonize society’s mentality by uplifting Afro-Latinx culture, history, and gender-free expression in partner dance. Angie started her formal training at age 14 in her hometown in Colombia. Audrey was born in the Dominican Republic, where her training began in ballet at the age of 4.

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From the Community

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with Self-Guided Public Art Tour of Boston’s Latin Quarter

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Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month by learning about the public art located in Boston's Latin Quarter. Take a stroll and learn about the history, meaning and significance of the many murals, sculptures, and other public art in the cultural district. The self-guided audio tour begins at Jackson Square MBTA Station and will lead you up Centre Street as you explore 11 different public art pieces, which all reflect the beautiful culture of the neighborhood. To access the self-guided audio tour, click the links:
English Tour: www.youraudiotour.com/tours/917
Tour en español: www.youraudiotour.com/tours/946

Take a photo of yourself next to one of the art pieces and tag Hyde Square Task Force @HydeSquareTF on Facebook or Instagram to be entered to win a $100 gift card to a local business. Submissions will be counted anytime between September 15th and October 15th.

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From the Community

Letter to the Editor: We Need to Keep Our Promise to Youth of Boston’s Latin Quarter

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I am writing this letter to call on the Hyde Square Task Force, elected officials, and our entire community to come together to find a solution to the future of the Blessed Sacrament Church. The announced decision that the church will be sold with no restrictions for luxury housing or some other use that won’t benefit the Latin Quarter will hurt both the future of our neighborhood and the legacy of a great organization that has done so much for the youth of our community. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and have lived in Jamaica Plain since 1975, raising two kids as a single mother. I have owned a business here since 1980 and participated as an active volunteer for almost 40 years in the Business Association, Main Street program, Mount Pleasant Home, Spring House, and also with the Hyde Square Task Force. My two children and three siblings were educated at Blessed Sacrament School and my children were baptized in the church, which we attended every Sunday.

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Real Estate
Inside Blessed Sacrament Church on Saturday, March 29, 2014.

Blessed Sacrament Church Being Sold By Hyde Square Task Force

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The Hyde Square Task Force will be selling the Blessed Sacrament Church property after two years of being unable to find a partner to redevelop it into a community center. The Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) purchased the property in 2014, and has been carrying $500,000 in debt, and expenses for the building cost more than $100,000 annually, according to a press release. In 2014, HSTF provided a tour of some of the closed-to-the-public areas of the church. "Dedicating our resources, solely, to meet the needs of our youth is the only way we can fulfill our core mission and that is why the HSTF Board of Directors voted to sell the former Blessed Sacrament Church,” said HSTF Executive Director Celina Miranda. The original plan was for a performing arts center with space for community events, but a 2019 request for proposal seeking investors failed to generate interest.

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From the Community

Hyde Square Task Force Receives $50K for Music Programming from Lewis Prize for Music COVID-19 Fund

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Hyde Square Task Force is receiving $50,000 for its youth music education programming thanks to the Lewis Prize for Music. The Lewis Prize for Music's COVID-19 Community Response Fund is distributing $1.25 million to 32 Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations across the U.S. that have adapted and responded to the pressing needs of the young people they serve amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyde Square Task Force’s Musicians in Community is one of three Afro-Latin arts teams that youth in grades 8-12 can join at HSTF. Musicians in Community is offered year-round at no cost to participants, and youth receive training in areas such as music theory, ear training, songwriting, improvisation, music history, stage performance, and overall musicianship. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, programming has occurred virtually.

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From the Community

Free Art Supplies and Activities for Families Being Handed Out July 10

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Hyde Square Task Force is working with two incredible artists, Rixy Fz and Silvia López Chavez, who have collectively created six visual art activities that Latin Quarter families can do at home. Every Monday at noon from July 13th to August 17th, the Hyde Square Task Force will be releasing bilingual instructional videos that correspond to each activity, and also be distributing the supplies that families will need to participate from home. If you and your family are interested in getting creative with us this summer, please complete the form by clicking here. You will then be able to pick up the supplies on either July 10 or July 11, on the Blessed Sacrament Church Plaza, 361 Centre St. While supplies last.

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From the Community

Border Stories with Playwright Octavio Solis on Nov. 18

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Join the Hyde Square Task Force for a discussion on Nov. 18th with playwright and author Octavio Solis on his new play Quixote Nuevo, an exceptionally poetic adaptation of the classic novel. Solis will also read excerpts from his book, Retablos: Stories of a Life Lived Along the Border, a memoir of his life growing up in El Paso, Texas. The book will be available for sale and signing following the discussion. The discussion will be moderated by WBUR’s Cristella Guerra and begins at 7 pm.

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