St. Thomas, East 221 Street

On East 221st Street, Wakefield, between Barnes Avenue and Bronxdale Avenue, is the church of St. Thomas. The address of the parish is 810 East 221 Street, Bronx NY 10467, telephone 1-718-994-4747.  St. Thomas the Apostle Syro Malabar Catholic Church serves a Catholic Asian Indian community.  The parish website is http://www.stsmcc.org/

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The church has 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 this former church of St. Valentine, built in 1937.  See pages 236 and 240 Thomas Shelley's book for the foundation of the Polish parish of St Valentine in 1889. 

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Church within a school

As I tour The Bronx, I sometimes encounter parish schools that have a church enclosed within the school, as at St. Ann (Bainbridge Ave.), Sts. Philip and James (Boston Road), Our Savior (Washington Avenue), St. Gabriel, Christ the King, and Blessed Sacrament.  I hope to learn more about the architects that designed these buildings, which tend to have construction dates between 1900 and 1940, although there are examples newer and older.

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I will label these Church Inside School.

Sts. Philip and James, Boston Road

Update, July 13, 2020 -- The church is open, the school is closed. The pastor  is Father Steven Masinde, A.J.  A relevant article from 2017 is HERE.
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See pages 488 and 489 for the 1949 establishment of the parish of Saints Philip and James on Boston Road at East 213 Street. The parish address is 1160 East 213 Street, Bronx NY 10469, telephone 718-547-2203.  I neglected to take a photo of the church entrance on East 213th Street, which just around the right corner of this view from Boston Road.  The property is bounded by Boston Road, East 212 Street (to the left of this photo), Msgr. Cahill Place, and East 213 Street.
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The parish and school website, offering much information,  is linked here.  The school address is also 1160 East 213 Street, Bronx NY 10469.  The school telephone is 718-882-4576.
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For many years the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt staffed the parish school. The Sisters also have a blog here.
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The patrons face northwest on the school wall.  Since St. James wrote an Epistle, I presume he holds a scroll.  The parish website has biographies of each.

Our Lady of Mercy, Fordham

Above is the Mass schedule as of October, 2011.  The parish website includes a schedule (linked here) with the abbreviations spelled out.
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The schedule may have changed, as the parish has been administered by the pastor of Our Savior parish on Washington Avenue since October, 2014.

See page 472 for a reference to the current church of Our Lady of Mercy on Marion Avenue, south of Fordham Road, dedicated in 1908. The parish was begun about 1855 on the property of St. John's College. Later, the church was located on Webster Avenue. The rectory, adjacent to the church, is at 2496 Marion Avenue, Bronx NY 10458, telephone 718-933-4400.  The informative and extensive parish website is linked here.
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Our Lady of Mercy parish school at 2512 Marion Avenue closed in June, 2013. For many decades renowned Sisters and lay persons directed or staffed the school. Until the 1970's, there were separate boys' and girls' departments, Ursuline Sisters teaching the girls and Dominican Sisters teaching the boys.

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Facing Marion Avenue is this shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, apparently with references to Our Lady's other titles in Latin America.  La Virgen de la Altagracia is patroness of the Dominican Republic.

Weekday noon Mass is offered in the chapel here, to the right of the rectory.  The sign in the window explains that this is the location for preparation for Baptism.

All Hallows High School

At the north end of Joyce Kilmer Park, on the west side of the Grand Concourse, is All Hallows High School.  For full information about the school, please visit the underlined link.  

The address of All Hallows High School is 111 East 164th Street, Bronx NY 10452, telephone 718-293-4545.  The above view shows the intersection of Walton Avenue and 164th Street.  The Grand Concourse and buses Bx1 and Bx2 are one short block to the right.
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The name All Hallows is a synonym for All Saints, the name of the school prior to 1930.
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Please note that this school is a private Catholic high school, that is, not owned by the Archdiocese of New York.  Throughout its history, the Irish Christian Brothers, now known as the Congregation of Christian Brothers, have sponsored this school, Rice High School, and Iona College, New Rochelle. 
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A different congregation, the De La Salle Christian Brothers, sponsors Manhattan College at West 242nd Street, Bronx.

Cardinal Hayes High School, Grand Concourse

The address of Cardinal Hayes High School is 650 Grand Concourse (near East 153rd St), Bronx NY 10451, telephone 718-292-6100. The school's extensive and informative website is linked here.  When I took the above photos in October, 2011, scaffolding hid the facade.  For better photographs, please visit the website.
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See page 513 for the opening of Cardinal Hayes (archdiocesan) High School on the Grand Concourse in 1941. The building with art-deco features was designed by the firm of Otto Reinhold Eggers (1882-1964) and Daniel Paul Higgens (1886-1953), linked here.
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The school is located three blocks north of the important subway station of 149th Street and Grand Concourse of subway routes 2, 4, and 5.  Bus routes Bx1 and Bx2 also serve Cardinal Hayes High School.



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St. Philip Neri, Bedford Park

See page 230 for the 1898 creation of the parish of St Philip Neri in Bedford Park to care for Italian laborers constructing a nearby reservoir. The church is located on the west side of the Grand Concourse at East 202nd St., a few steps north of Bedford Park Blvd. The rectory address is 3025 Grand Concourse, Bronx NY 10468, phone number is 718-733-3200.
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A parish website is linked here.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
An excellent summary of the church's history and a full description of its organ is linked here.

The school address is 3031 Grand Concourse, adjacent to the rectory.  For decades, the Ursuline Sisters directed and staffed the parish school.  In 2010, the enrollment seems to have been about 250.
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Catholic Charities has received approval in January, 2020, for two apartment houses quite opposite each other on Villa Avenue, behind the church. Please see this article in New York Yimby. A 14 story apartment house will replace a parking lot on the west side of Villa Avenue. It seems that the new structure on the east side (church-and-school side) is a smaller apartment house.

St. Mary Star of the Sea, City Island

On August 1, 2015, this parish was merged with that of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mahan Avenue, Pelham Bay.  Mass will continue to be offered at both churches, but it seems that the priests will live only at Our Lady of the Assumption, which will also have the records of both parishes.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.  These photos were taken in August, 2011.

See page 182 for a reference to a mission on City Island in the 1850's, attended from New Rochelle. See pages 299 and 300 for the foundation of the parish of St Mary, Star of the Sea, on City Island in 1887. The present church dates from 1959. The rectory address is 595 Minnieford Ave., Bronx NY 10464, telephone 718-885-1440.  
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There is only one bridge approach to City Island. Continue on the principal business street. The church is soon on the left, at approximately 590 City Island Avenue. To reach the rectory and school, one may continue to the next traffic signal (Cross St.), make a left and another left onto Minnieford Avenue. Minneford is an alternate spelling, an early name for City Island, according to John McNamara in "History in Asphalt."

In 2013, the archdiocese decided to close the parish school.

St. John Chrysostom

The church stands on the southwest corner of East 166th Street and Hoe Avenue. One block behind the church is the busy intersection of Westchester Avenue and Southern Boulevard, at the Simpson Street station of the #2 and #5 trains.

See page 297 for the establishment of the parish of St John Chrysostom on East 167 St at Hoe Avenue, in 1899. The church dates from 1900. Also see page 521 for a 1974 photo of the parish Holy Name Society. The rectory address is 985 East 167 St., Bronx NY 10459, telephone 718-542-6164.
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Since 1914, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and lay teachers have staffed the parish school. The school address is 1144 Hoe Avenue, Bronx NY 10459, telephone 718-328-7266. The extensive and informative school website is lined here. With about 600 students, it apparently has two sections per grade.
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St. John, known as Chrysostom (golden-mouthed) because of his preaching, is recognized as both a Father and Doctor of the Church.  He lived from about 349 to 407, in what is now Turkey and in the imperial capital of Constantinople.  He spoke Greek, and many of his sermons survive in the original Greek, with some English translations available.  A brief life of St. John Chrysostom is linked here.

St. Anthony of Padua, East 166th Street

See page 221 for the foundation of the parish of St Anthony of Padua on the southwest corner of East 166 Street and Prospect Avenue, Morrisania, in 1901. The present church date from 1928. See page 606 for the parish becoming a mostly Hispanic parish. The rectory address is 832 East 166 St., Bronx NY 10459, the telephone number 718-542-7293. The pastor is Bishop Josu Iriondo, who is also vicar for the South Bronx.

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Please note that there are three parishes in The Bronx named after the same Franciscan saint, St. Anthony of Padua, also known as St. Anthony of Lisbon, where he was born in 1195. The three parishes are in Wakefield, Van Nest, and here in Morrisania.

The church faces Prospect Avenue and a bus stop of Bx17, a long route which connects Fordham Plaza with East 133rd Street. On East 166th Street, adjacent to the church, is the former school, now used by the Charismatic Center.  Please see the center's video here.  A block west, on Union Avenues, contemplative Missionaries of Charity reside.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

St. Anthony, Wakefield

To read the important announcement below the schedule, please click on the photo. While other rectories have been closed in the 200-year history of the archdiocese of New York, this is the first such sign I have seen. Note, however, that Mass is celebrated here.

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See pages 478 and 479 for the parish of St. Anthony, Wakefield, founded as an Italian parish in 1919. The present church dates from 1976. The above photos were taken at 4505 Richardson Ave., Bronx NY 10470, a few steps north of East 239th Street. This is west of White Plains Road. The parish office is now a half-mile south, but east of White Plains Road.

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Careful! There are three parishes in The Bronx with St. Anthony of Padua as patron: Mansion St. (Commonwealth Ave.), East 166 St., and this one. Also, this parish on Richardson Avenue shares its pastor or administrator with two other Wakefield parishes, St. Frances of Rome and St. Francis Assisi.
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The elementary school founded by the parish closed in June, 2011. The archdiocesan press release is linked here.


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St. Joan of Arc, Stratford Avenue

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

See pages 488 and 489 for the foundation of St. Joan of Arc parish, at Stratford Avenue and East 174 Street, in 1949, because of the postwar construction of public housing (the Bronx River Houses, 1951). The church dates from 1953. The rectory address is 1372 Stratford Ave., Bronx NY 10472, telephone 718-842-2233. In the top photo, two-way East 174 Street is along the left side of the church. The car is on one-way northbound Stratford Avenue.

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The Bx36 crosstown bus provides frequent service along East 174th Street here, with a bus stop a few steps from the church. In automobile terms, the church is located southwest of the interchange of the Cross-Bronx Expressway and the Bronx River Parkway. Getting from a highway exit to the church can be a bit complicated, but keep in mind that St. Joan of Arc church is at the corner of East 174 Street and Stratford Avenue.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Crotona Parkway, East Tremont

St. Thomas from Aquino, Italy, lived from 1225 to 1274. A Dominican friar, renowned for his teaching and his writings, St. Thomas is honored as a Doctor of the Church.

The rectory address is 1900 Crotona Parkway, Bronx NY 10460, telephone 718-589-5235. IN 2010, it appears that the parish is entrusted to the Institute of the Incarnate Word, priests from Argentina. The above photo looks east from Southern Boulevard and its linear park. The one-way northbound street is Crotona Parkway, parallel to Southern Boulevard. The street running west from this intersection is Fairmount Place.

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See page 296 for the establishment of the parish of St Thomas Aquinas on Crotona Parkway in East Tremont in 1890. See page 413 for a 1908 advertisement for the parish's annual picnic and games to be held at Morris Park Race Track. The directions suggest travel by trolley, perhaps influenced by the many parish males who worked for the Third Avenue Railway System, the car barn located two blocks south of the church. The present church dates from 1925.
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The address of the parish school, immediately east of the church, is 1909 Daly Avenue. For many years, the parish school was staffed by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. It seems to have about 230 students. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

St. Martin of Tours, East 182nd St.

The entrance to St. Martin of Tours church is on East 182 Street, the northeast corner with Grote St. Across Grote St. is Aquinas High School. Over the doorway is a statue of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours, France, who lived 316-397.


In the above photo, East 182 Street is to the left. Crotona Avenue goes north (at the right) past what seems to be a school gym.
See page 296 for the establishment of the parish of St Martin of Tours at the intersection of East 182 St. and Grote Street, Tremont, in 1897. This intersection is one short block east of Belmont Ave. The present church dates from 1953. See also page 348. The rectory address is 664 Grote St., Bronx NY 10457, telephone 718-295-0913.
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For decades, laity and the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill staffed the parish school.  Unfortunately, the archdiocese chose to close the school in 2011, and a public school now uses the rooms  
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David Gonzalez has written an excellent article on the final day of St. Martin of Tours school, which was Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The article appeared in the New York Times and is linked here. Photos accompany the article. Because newspaper articles sometimes change their url, you may have to do a search for the article. The web edition headline is "School's Out, Forever."



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Our Lady of Angels, Kingsbridge Heights

Our Lady of Angels church is located on Sedgwick Avenue, Kingsbridge Heights, a few steps south of Reservoir Avenue. The Bx3 bus passes the door and stops nearby. The rectory, behind the church, is at 2860 Webb Avenue, Bronx, NY 10468, telephone 718-548-3005. The parish website is linked here.
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The former school is behind the rectory, at 2685 Claflin Avenue.  The archdiocese closed it in 2013.
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In Thomas Shelley's book, please see pages 478 and 480 establishment of this parish in 1924. The present church dates from 1958.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is honored by this statue because her Sisters of Charity and lay teachers staffed the parish school for decades.

Three streets mentioned here run parallel, north-south. The church is on Sedgewick Avenue, the rectory on Webb Avenue, the former school on Claflin Avenue. 
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