European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday september 21, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 19 modern living Connecticut of Lys and of 7ft Den by Michael Knight new York times hings just Haven t been going right for the holy land since the catacombs were torn Down and the Garden of Eden burned. After that came a plague of vandals who swept through the peace through love lending Library gift shop and cafeteria two nights in a Row. And after that the tourists stopped coming. Which leaves sister Lucy and sister Josephine alone and frightened pretty much of the time up there on a windswept Hilltop overlooking the Industrial Naugatuck Valley in Connecticut As guardians of an intensely per Sonal and tensely eccentric Monument to one Man s religious Fervour. The Only break domes when a police car cruises through the 17-acre exhibit looking like an adult in a doll House As it patrols the winding streets of a Minia Ture Jerusalem and Bethlehem. John Greco a still Active 82-year-old Waterbury lawyer began building the exhibit in 1956 out of bits of Stone wire plastic and scrap lumber. Now and then he still trudges up the Hill to rebuild and repair the damage himself. Occasionally a Busload of tourists arrives unexpectedly. They come in saying that they just have to see the place one More time before it s torn Down explained sister Josephine a Flippina teaching order nun who has been taking turns with sister Lucy standing watch at night. Of my lord it s horrible they All think we re closing and nothing of the sort is happening. It s All a big  holy land s troubles began in 1974 when the state started talking about rebuilding and realigning a Section of interstate 84 just below the Hill. Included in the plans was the demolition of the catacombs a 200-foot-Long con Crete Block Tunnel that the state feared would come Tum bling Down onto the Roadway one Day. Greco fought Back through newspapers and save the catacombs prayer groups. He appealed to the governor of Connecticut the archbishop of the Hartford diocese and the Pope. The Vatican had named him a Knight of St. Gregory an honorary order for Lay persons. Eventually a Compromise was worked out with the catacombs rebuilt in another direction and a new two Lane Blacktop constructed right up to the front Gate of holy land which had previously been accessible Only through a Maze of narrow streets. The publicity generated to save the catacombs Back fired however. Word of the impending demolition had spread but word of the Compromise had not. The bulldozers arrived last year to begin the Highway project and after them came a series of fires that swept across the Hilltop around the 56-foot-High Cross that has remained a illuminated since the Energy crisis began and Over to the statue of satan which is fenced in these Days to protect it from a local satan hater Bent on destroying it. The worst of it was the firemen Greco  came in with axes and knocked everything Down. But i m rebuilding  hard times in holy land West Sisters Lucy Josephine at Model of crucifixion in Waterbury. Lost in the fires were the Garden of Eden two depart ment store dummies in a wooden shed decorated with plastic Plant the Gates of Damascus the Laws of god two towers that were part of the replica of Jerusalem the Story of Santa Glaus and the marriage exposition. In the Wake of the fires came the vandals who smashed the nativity Cave and got As far into the Cata Combs As the exhibit about St. Sebastian in addition to wrecking the Library gift shop and cafeteria. We were frightened after that said sister Jose Phine who recently published her first Book entitled there is no business like sold business. We sit up nights on watch. Sister Lucy will watch and then i will watch. They Haven t been Back since but they could come Back any  in previous Summers holy land had attracted 44,000 people a year with 30 busses and 500 cars on a Peak weekend. Now we re Down to half of that and even less and it really Breaks our hearts to have attorney Greco see it this Way now sister Lucy said. The state s Road building activities have actually enhanced holy land. First there is the new Road. Then two ranch houses condemned by the Highway department were moved from the Bottom of the Hill to the top for the Sisters to use As a Convent. And the new catacombs Are even better than the old ones with imitation Walnut panels serving As a ceiling instead of the Canvas that had been used before. The original Entrance remains however with its store mannequins shown being mauled by gift shop China tigers and roasted on electric fireplace logs. Here we show How the christians were tortured for their Faith Greco said slipping into the Mono Logue he used for the tourists who generally saw beyond the rough edges of things at holy land to the spirit behind them. I built the place because i be devoted my life to doing something for the cause Greco said later while gingerly holding a Crown of thorns he had Woven in the real Garden of Gethsemane years ago. I never married and some Day we All have to give an accounting of our lives. A married Man does plenty for others. But i have no one and i have to show  his one regret about All that has happened in recent months he said is that he s had to spend so much of the time he has left rebuilding holy land rather than finish ing it. Only the dead sea had remained unfinished and even there lot s wife Las a pillar of Salt is already in place. New York times by enl pc Hearlton 2 holy land builder John Greco strolling with Helper in front of a Model of Jerusalem