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New York Yankees closing pitcher Mariano Rivera, along with his fellow congregants from the Spanish-speaking church, Refugio de Esperanza, have agreed to fix up and buy a century-old church building in the city of New Rochelle, N.Y.

The church, which was built in 1907, reportedly once housed the largest Presbyterian church in the county of Westchester, but has been owned by the city for years and has fallen into disrepair.

Rivera’s congregation will lease the building and restore it, at no cost to the city, and then buy it for a total price of $1. The Associated Press reports that the building had become such a safety risk that the city had to remove its bell tower last year. Some reports say that restoration costs could end up totaling about $3 million, but Rivera wants it nevertheless.

During a press conference Tuesday morning at New Rochelle’s City Hall, Mayor Noam Bramson spoke highly of the North Avenue church facility. He described it as “a much beloved structure that’s had a significant role in New Rochelle’s history.”

“Today, we are here to observe and to celebrate an agreement that will bring the church back to its former luster, and with its original purpose, as a house of worship,” he said.

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article courtesy of TheChristianPost.com

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