Agnieska, the daughter of a ship-builder, lived in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, during the early part of the 20th century. Along with her father, she emigrated to the United States from her native Poland. Though purported to be the most beautiful girl in all of Brooklyn, she was unconcerned with earthly rewards, and spent most of her free time along the North Brooklyn waterfront, the East River and Newtown Creek. There she communed with her friends, the pigeons and seagulls, the riverside being the place she felt closest to God.
Her renowned beauty drew the attention of the City’s bachelor mayor and he subsequently asked for her hand in marriage. Agnieska refused, as she had already devoted herself to God, there could be room for no other man. Feeling spurned, the Mayor lashed out and Agnieska was martyred on her beloved waterfront. Roughly 80 years after her death, she was recently canonized, Saint Agnieska.
In her saintly incarnation, Agnieska has returned to the waterfront which she loved so dearly in life, because of it’s dire situation. Saint Agnieska’s waterfront is in danger – under attack by many environmental problems: an underground oil spill, several power plants, a radioactive waste facility, a garbage transfer station, to name a few. The adjacent Williamsburg & Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Agnieska’s former home, are two of the most heavily burdened areas in the entire 5 boroughs of New York City, ecologically speaking, boasting high rates of both asthma and cancer.
Saint Agnieska has recently been spotted by witnesses at various toxic hot spots throughout this area. We here at “Saint Agnieska Watch” believe that she has returned to call attention to these issues, that she feels the waterfront needs her help. We are devoted to spreading the word about Saint Agnieska and her quest to rescue the waterfront, by reporting appearances that she makes. We also hope to highlight those people and organizations that are doing their best to improve the situation in North Brooklyn, working to solve various environmental problems plaguing the area, at a time when residential development in the area is at an all-time high.
