The Archdiocese of New York announced Wednesday that an unexpected $20 million anonymous donation means resurrection for the threatened St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church on Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, the New York Times reports.

The “unexpected but very welcome gift” of $20 million includes $10 million to restore the building, $2 million to establish an endowment for the parish and $8 million to support St. Brigid’s School and other Catholic schools in need.

“This magnificent gift will make it possible for Saint Brigid’s Church to be fittingly restored with its significant structural problems properly addressed. The two additional gifts, to create an endowment for the parish and to support the parish school, are a powerful testament to the donor’s goodness and understanding. He has my heartfelt gratitude, as I recently told him at a meeting in my residence,” Cardinal Edward M. Egan said in a statement, quoted by the same source.

The church’s main building closed in 2001 due to structural problems, and the final Mass, in the basement of the Catholic school next door, was held in 2004. Despite protests by parishioners and fund-raising efforts, St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church was scheduled to be closed. Supporters of the church filed two lawsuits, one in 2005 and another in 2006. In July 2006, only a day after demolition work started, a State Supreme Court justice issued a temporary restraining order halting the work. However, in February 2007, the suit was dismissed.

A representative for the archdiocese, Joseph Zwilling, explained that a precise date for reopening the parish had not been scheduled yet. “We can’t really tell yet. We’ve got architects who are starting to develop plans. Then we’re going to have to hire construction firms to do the work. There are significant structural problems that need to be repaired,” Zwilling said, according to the Times.