St. Margaret Mary, East Tremont and Morris Aves.

The above view looks south across busy Tremont Avenue. Morris Avenue is one-way northbound, at the right of the photo, and the rectory is a few steps down that block. To the left of the church is the parish school and the Grand Concourse.

This view is also taken from Tremont Avenue. The church is to the right. This appears to be a parking lot or playground for the school, whose northern entrance is seen here.

Above is the south entrance to St. Margaret Mary school, situated on East 177 St.

See page 408 for a 1950's photo of a First Communion procession in St. Margaret Mary church. Parents and Sisters of Mercy may be seen at the procession. See page 472 for establishment of the parish in 1923. Page 473 has an exterior photo of the church. See page 606 for a reference to parishioners from Ghana. The rectory address is 1914 Morris Ave., Bronx NY 10453, telephone 718-299-4233. The parish website is linked here.
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The parish school address is 121 East 177 Street, Bronx NY 10453, likewise between Morris Avenue and the Grand Concourse. The telephone number is 718-731-5905. With an enrollment somewhere over 300, it would seem that this school has one or two sections per grade.

St. Simon Stock, Valentine Ave. and East 182 St.

See pages 472 and 473 for the founding of the parish of St. Simon Stock in 1919 on the south side of East 182nd Street from Ryer Avenue to Valentine Avenue. The clergy are Carmelite Friars, known in some places as the Whitefriars, distinguishing them from the Blackfriars (Dominicans) and Greyfriars (Franciscans). The rectory address is 2191 Valentine Avenue, Bronx NY 10457, telephone 718-367-1251.

This is a view of the southeast corner of the intersection of Ryer Avenue and East 182 Street. The low building is the basement of the never-completed church, with a cornerstone (below) of 1921. As happened in several Catholic parishes in New York, the urgency of building a school meant that construction efforts turned to the school, which has a cornerstone of 1925. If my memory is correct, in 1950 St. Simon Stock High School had the least expensive monthly tuition in The Bronx, $8 for parishioners of other parishes.

The above photo of St. Simon Stock elementary school looks west. Valentine Avenue goes downhill (south) to the left. West on 182nd Street (at the right edge of the photo) is the lower church.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. The parish elementary school is located at 2195 Valentine Avenue. It has about 300 students, one section per grade. The school website is linked here. Please note that the home page has links both in the center and at the bottom. For me, the forty-two pages of the school handbook is an interesting and clear example of school management.

Above is the rectory at 2191 Valentine Avenue. The school is to the right.

Our Lady of Refuge, Briggs Ave. & East 196 St., Fordham

The above photo looks west across Briggs Avenue at East 196th Street. The parish center is on the southeast corner of the intersection, where all traffic meets stop signs. The parish school can be seen to the right. As an older, larger public school is on the north side of 196th Street, the neighborhood is filled with young students and their parents at arrival and dismissal. During school hours, traffic is prohibited on 196th Street from Briggs Avenue to Bainbridge Ave.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

In the above photo, the combined parish school and church is to the left of the red houses.

See page 478 for the founding of the parish of Our Lady of Refuge on Briggs Avenue at East 196 St., Fordham, in 1923. The church is within a combined school-and-church building. The parish extensive website is linked here. Under "About us" is a posting board. The website also has an informative history, the pastor's blog, photos, and a guest book. The rectory address is 290 East 196 St., and the phone number is 718-367-4690.
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The school address is 2708 Briggs Ave., telephone 718-367-3081. From the photos on the parish website, it appears that each grade numbers 25 to 29 students.

St. Thomas, East 221 Street

See pages 236 and 240 for the foundation of the Polish parish of St Valentine in 1889. on East 221 Street near Barnes Avenue. The church now serves the Catholic Asian Indian community as St Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
This is a link:
http://www.stsmcc.org/
The church is St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic church, with roots in Kerala, India, going back to the time of St. Thomas the Apostle. This is a Catholic parish, not under the jurisdiction of the Latin Rite archbishop of New York, but rather through the Syro Malabar bishops. In 2002, the archbishop of New York offered this pastor and congregation the former church of St. Valentine on East 221 Street.
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The address of the parish is 810 East 221 Street, Bronx NY 10467, between Barnes Avenue and Bronxwood Avenue, telephone 1-718-994-4747.
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel, East 187 Street

The above photo shows the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the northwest corner of East 187 Street and Belmont Avenue, three blocks south of Fordham University. See pages 231, 472, and 474 of Msgr. Shelley's book for the creation of the parish in 1906. The upstairs church was dedicated in 1917. The website of this parish includes a history page. The rectory address is 627 East 187 St., Bronx NY 10458, telephone 718-295-3770.
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The school is at 2465 Bathgate Avenue, the corner of East 189th Street and Bathgate Avenue. From easyschoolsearch.com , it would seem that Our Lady of Mount Carmel School has about 25 to 30 students per grade.
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Clicking on a photo will enlarge it. Someone is carrying lunch in this noontime photo.

St Augustine, Franklin Avenue and East 167 St.

See pages 175 and 176 for the founding of The Bronx's third parish, St Augustine, on East 170th Street in 1855. The imposing church on East 167 St. between Fulton Avenue and Franklin Avenue was erected in 1895. The rectory address is 1183 Franklin Ave., Bronx NY 10456, the telephone number 718-893-0072.
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As the above greeting explains, Sunday Masses are offered in the auditorium of the school, in Spanish at 9:30 a.m. and in English with a Gospel choir at 11 a.m. Weekday Masses are offered in the chapel of the Spiritual Life Center, to the right of the school. The church building cannot be used because the roof needs major restoration.

The much-praised parish elementary school is located at 1176 Franklin Avenue, Bronx NY 10456, telephone 718-542-3633. It seems that St. Augustine School has one section per grade, with an enrollment of about 270.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
For about seventy years the boys' department was staffed by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The Sisters of Charity taught younger boys and all the girls.

Above is the Lwanga+DePorres Spiritual Life Center, 1168 Franklin Avenue, adjacent to the school.

Immaculate Conception, Melrose

The above view looks west at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and East 150th Street in The Bronx. The large building at the corner is the parish rectory, 389 East 150th St., Bronx NY 10455, telephone 718-292-6970. Adjacent is the church of the Immaculate Conception, with a cornerstone dated 1889.
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See page 175 for the foundation of Immaculate Conception parish in 1853, by Father Joseph Stumpe. See page 392, for the visitation by coadjutor archbishop Corrigan in August, 1883. In 1886, the parish was given to the care of Redemptorists. See page 606 for the parish becoming a Hispanic parish. (Please do not confuse this parish with another parish named Immaculate Conception on East Gun Hill Road.)
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Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

The above view looks east on 150th Street. The cornerstone of the church bears the date September 25, 1887.

The above view looks east on 151 Street towards Melrose Avenue. Immaculate Conception school is in the foreground, with a parish hall at the corner of Melrose Avenue. The school website, extensive, current, and informative, is here. The school address is 378 East 151 St., Bronx NY 10455, telephone 718-585-4843.

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For many years, the Sisters of Christian Charity have lived and worked for the parish. They continue to provide teachers in the school.
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Grace Outreach, a non-profit organization, is located on the fifth floor of the school building.
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St. Michael the Archangel, Co-op City

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

See page 489 for the 1969 establishment of the parish of St Michael, Co-op City. The rectory address is 765 Co-op City Blvd., Bronx NY 10475, telephone 718-671-8057. The church is at the intersection of Co-op City Blvd. and Rombouts Avenue, but, as shown above, the Rombouts Avenue sign is missing from the intersection. Blue street signs are memorials.
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Co-op City is a development of cooperative apartments in the northeast Bronx near Baychester and Pelham Bay. When this large project was planned and built, no government agency was willing to extend rail service to this community of 55,000. Hence, people rely on walking, cars, and buses. Five bus routes have a stop near the church.
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In driving to St. Michael's church, it is helpful to note that the church is quite close to the Connor St. Exit of Interstate 95. By using Connor Street eastward to reach the maze of apartment houses and curving streets, one soon meets Co-op City Boulevard, a principal winding road. Turn right on Co-op City Boulevard and within a quarter-mile one will see the church. If you become lost, take note of the address: 765 Co-op City Blvd.
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The parish has no school. I have been told that some students attend Our Lady Star of the Sea on nearby City Island. Holy Rosary parish school and Cardinal Spellman High School are both near sections of Co-op City.

Bronx Catholic high schools

There are fourteen Catholic high schools in The Bronx. The organization that manages the Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) has prepared an informative, printable chart at this link in preparation for the October, 2009, open houses. Also, here is a short version of the list, in order of approximate enrollment, a number that is different from the approximate admissions numbers on the TACHS site:
St. Pius V Parish (parish) High School, about 200 girls enrolled.
St. Barnabas (parish) High School, about 350 girls enrolled.
St. Raymond (parish) Academy, about 350 girls enrolled.
Academy of Mount St. Ursula, about 400 girls enrolled.
All Hallows High School, about 600 boys enrolled.
Preston High School, about 600 girls enrolled.
Aquinas High School, about 700 girls enrolled.
Monsignor Scanlan (parish) High School, about 700 students enrolled.
St. Catharine Academy, about 750 girls enrolled.
St. Raymond (parish) High School for Boys, about 700 boys enrolled.
Mount St. Michael Academy, about 870 boys enrolled.
Fordham Prep, about 930 boys enrolled.
Cardinal Hayes (archdiocesan) High School, perhaps about 1,100 boys enrolled.
Cardinal Spellman (archdiocesan) High School, about 1,500 students enrolled.

St. Luke, 138th St., Mott Haven

The address of St. Luke's parish address is 623 East 138th St., Bronx NY 10454, telephone number 718-665-6677. The school address is 608 East 139th Street, telephone 718-585-0380. An informative website is here. There would appear to be one or two sections per grade level.

The church of St. Luke, completed in 1919, stands on the north side of East 138th Street just west of Cypress Avenue. Because the building east of the church has been demolished, one can see the side of the church and the school behind it. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

The school on East 139th Street is now entered through a passageway from the busier East 138th Street. Please click on this photo to read the signs.
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See page 293, for the establishment of St Luke parish on East 137 Street, Mott Haven, in 1897, where a Sadlier family stable was converted into the first church. The present church on the north side of East 138 Street was completed in 1919. See also page 587 for a view of the survival of the people of St Luke's parish.
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Since 1910, the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt have staffed this school. For some years, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart taught older boys.

St. Jerome, Alexander Avenue, Mott Haven

The above view shows St. Jerome's church at Alexander Avenue and busy East 138th Street in Mott Haven, The Bronx. Not everyone arrives by town car. Stairs from the Third Avenue station of the #6 subway train are to the right of the photographer.

The above view looks north on Alexander Avenue from East 137th Street. At the next corner is St. Jerome's church. In the foreground is Saint Jerome's elementary school. The rectory is between them at 230 Alexander Avenue, Bronx NY 10454, telephone 718-665-5533.

The school address is 222 Alexander Avenue,Bronx NY 10454, telephone 718-292-4920. The school website is linked here. Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

On the 138th Street side of the church is this shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico. On a weekday afternoon, I found the church locked.

In Msgr. Shelley's book, please see page 230 for a reference to Italians at St Jerome parish in 1893. On pages 292 and 293, there is a more lengthy description of the establishment of St Jerome parish in 1869 under Father John J. Hughes. By 1871, he constructed a school on Alexander Avenue at East 137 Street. The present church on the southeast corner of Alexander Avenue and East 138 Street dates from 1900. For many years, Ursuline sisters staffed the school. For decades after 1928, the Brothers of the Christian Schools taught the older boys. Page 558 contrasts Mass attendance in 1950 (6,100) and 1975 (795). Page 586 describes the parish in difficult times. See also page 606 for recent restoration of the church.

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About 2007, Archbishop Egan entrusted this parish to the care of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, a congregation founded in Argentina about twenty-five years ago. They, "the IVE fathers," also staff St. Michael's parish in East New York, Brooklyn.
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An excellent professional photographer has posted about 200 of her photos of St. Jerome's on Flickr, as linked here. Her photo of the Eye is here. Another photographer offers an interior shot from the altar steps to the main doors, linked here.