Monday, May 17, 2010

St. Brendan, East 207 St., Norwood







See pages 477 and 478 for the creation of the parish of St. Brendan, Norwood or Bedford Park, in 1908. The church is at East 207th Street and Perry Avenue, near the northern terminal of the D train. The present church, built in 1968 resembles the prow of an ocean-going ship, in reference to the title "Brendan the Navigator." The rectory address is 333 East 206th St., Bronx NY 10467, telephone 718-547-6655. The parish website is here.
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The above view shows the rectory on East 206th Street, with Perry Avenue at the end of the street. The slope of Perry Avenue provides an entrance to the lower church and, a few steps further north at East 207th Street, the main entrance to the upper church. The architects were Belfatto and Pavarini, who designed Epiphany, Second Avenue, about the same time.



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The address of the parish school, shown above, is 268 East 207 Street, Bronx, NY 10467, telephone 718-653-2292. For decades, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill staffed the elementary school and the now-closed girls' high school. In this photo, the church is to the left of the school. Photos of the church and school are on this site.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Visitation, Van Cortlandt Park South

Sometime in 2023, Visitation Church was sold and leveled.  Please see https://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/van-cortlandt-church-property-fetches-29-million,80028

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As of August 1, 2015, Visitation church was closed for regular worship.  The merged parish of St. John - Visitation worships at St. John church, Kingsbridge Avenue near West 230th Street. Visitation School closed in June, 2017. At the same time, the archbishop decreed that Visitation church, pictured below, has been canonically relegated to profane, not sordid, use. The decree may still be available HERE on the archdiocesan website.
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The photos below are from 2010.  This was demolished in 2023.








See pages 478 and 480 for Visitation parish, Kingsbridge, founded in 1928. The second church dated from 1953, because the previous church and school (a combined building, if memory is correct) was destroyed to construct Major Deegan Expressway. The rectory address was 160 Van Cortlandt Park South, Bronx NY 10463.


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The parish school, now closed, is at 171 West 239th Street, Bronx NY 10463. The school had one section per grade. Lay teachers, Sisters of Charity, and Dominican Sisters staffed the school. In the 1940's, Mom occasionally subbed here. She learned that the principal required the students to walk on the gold or bronze line that separated the slabs of terrazzo in the halls.
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This note is from a viewer:
Just some more info on the Visitation Parrish
My family the
Greco/Caputo's moved to 238th St. around 1935 from St Nicholas Ave.
I know that my Uncles owned the stores along Bailey Ave.
I think cousins still may own them
and each of the Uncles had a business - the others were rented.
One of the 10 or so stores was given to Father Stafford?? the founder of Visitation by my uncles to use for Mass.
until the first church was built on 238th st. next to 135 west 238 st.
my older cousins who are now in their 80's went to Visitation and graduated from the old school.
I was in the first first grade class  at the new school and graduated in 1961.
in those days our first grade class had 58 students. Sister Dorothy was our teacher.
FYI
Rosemary Dilgard

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Cardinal O'Connor Residence,Riverdale

An article in The Riverdale Press of 2.4.2010 gives an interesting history of the priests' residence at 5655 Arlington Avenue, Riverdale, NY 10471. Built as a monastery for cloistered Sisters in 1902, it was later used as a pre-seminary residence. Now, some 28 retired priests of the Archdiocese of New York live there. Link to the article here.
It seems that the full name of the residence is John Cardinal O'Connor Clergy Residence. The Press's article is titled, "Living on God's Doorstep."
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A blogger of extraordinary insight, sense, and writing ability resides there. His blog is Archangel.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

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 former 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, closed in 2023. .

Above is the south entrance to former 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.
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On 10.18.2023, I phoned the rectory and learned that the parish school closed this year..

Monday, January 11, 2010

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. The parish website (active in 2022) is linked HERE.


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. A few years ago, it has about 300 students, one section per grade. However, the school will not reopen in September, 2024, 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.

Friday, January 8, 2010

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 extensive parish 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.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

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.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

St Augustine, Franklin Avenue and East 167 St.



Please see this news story from the Commercial Observer, 8.18.2015.  An all-affordable apartment house will be built on this site, which the church still owns.  An affiliate of Catholic Charities will develop the site, together with state and city agencies.

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. Unfortunately, on January 29, 2012, some of the church buildings were closed and merged with that of Our Lady of Victory on Webster Avenue.  Among several news stories, please see this article from the New York Daily News.  Also, check out ny1.com for a video clip.
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(Insertion: The Catholic New York of 1.14.2014 states that the church in the above photo was torn down in the fall of 2013.)
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From the news stories, it is obvious that a parish is the faithful, the community, not necessarily the buildings.
Parishioners will worship with the faithful of Our Lady of Victory, linked here.
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Please note this comment from Bill:
 I would like to correct the statement that St. Augustine Parish closed. The church buildings were unfit and not safe for use and needed millions to restore. The buildings were closed, not the parish. 
Since both the St. Augustine and Our Lady of Victory communities were struggling financially, many meetings were held in both communities under the leadership of our pastor,it was decided,that St. Augustine and Our Lady of Victory would join together to form a NEW parish. Thus on January 29,2012 St. Augustine Our Lady of Victory parish was born.
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The A.I.A. Guide credits Louis C. Giele, a prolific church architect.


A former Mass schedule.

The former school is now used by a charter school.  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. The A.I.A. Guide says that the architect was Henry Bruns.
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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.) I note that Henry Bruns is also credited with designing a rectory for the Redemptorists at 323 East 61 Street, Manhattan, in 1887-8, according to this link.
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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 address is 378 East 151 St., Bronx NY 10455, telephone 718-585-4843. Please see this announcment as the school will be replaced by Brilla Public Charter School.
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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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At the far end of the block is a school hall said to be designed by Anthony F. A. Schmitt, who designed the nearby church of St. Pius V.





Saturday, October 31, 2009

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.


Saturday, August 22, 2009

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, which closed in 2020, was at 608 East 139th Street. 
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On August 5, 2015, Catholic New York reported that Fr. Steven Markantonis was appointed pastor of St. Luke's.  That apparently negates the proposed merger with the parish of St. Jerome. Please see this article about the parish being a home for Christians from Ghana.


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.
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Father Gerald Ryan served this parish from 1966 until his death 4.11.2013.  An inspirational account of his life appeared as a news item the next day in the New York Times.

The school on East 139th Street is now entered through a passageway from the busier East 138th Street. Please click on this old 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.