Decrees of Relegation. June 30, 2017

The archbishop has signed decrees relegating certain churches of the archdiocese for profane, not sordid, use. This canonically clears the way for their sale or lease. The list is linked HERE and may disappear soon from the archdiocesan website. Note that this list of properties "up for sale" is limited to churches. Properties other than churches do not require this type of decree.

In The Bronx, the list includes
St. Ann, Bainbridge Avenue, pastor Rev. Raul Miguez. This church is inside a school that was closed in June, 2017. Nearby Montefiore Hospital keeps buying up the neighborhood, so I would not be surprised if St. Ann's will go to Montefiore.
Visitation (a relatively new church on Van Cortlandt Park South), pastor Father Michael Kerrigan.
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Warning: I may have misread some of the decrees in this list, as both halves of each merger are named in the text but only one building is deconsecrated. Please inform me of any error!
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In Manhattan: Nativity Church on Second Avenue between Second and Third Streets. I consider the "modern" design of this church a box used as a gathering place of worship.
The church of Most Holy Crucifix on Broome Street.
The church of St. John the Martyr, a former Presbyterian church on East 72nd Street, purchased for Bohemian Catholics in 1904.
The church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary on East 83rd Street.
The church of St. Lucy on East 104th Street.
The church of St. Paul on East 117th Street, not St. Paul the Apostle at West 60th Street.
The church of St. Gregory the Great on West 90th Street. One building contains the church, the school above the church, and the rectory above the school!
The church of St. Benedict the Moor on West 53rd Street.
The church of All Saints at the corner of East 129th Street and Madison Avenue, This landmarked Gothic Revival church may be the most imposing building on this list.
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In Westchester: the church of St. Ursula, Mount Vernon.
The church of Sacred Heart, Mount Vernon.
The church of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Port Chester.
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In Dutchess County, Immaculate Conception, Bangall.
The chapel of St. Joseph in Clinton Corners.
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In Sullivan County, the church of St. Thomas Aquinas in Forestburgh.

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.

St Ann, Bainbridge Avenue, Gun Hill

Both the school and church in this post are now closed (2017).
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See pages 478 and 478 for the 1927 creation of the parish of St. Ann on Bainbridge Avenue, just north of Gun Hill Road. Inside the door, another set of stairs leads up to the church. Higher up is the school. Several Bronx parishes have a similar construction of school-above-church. Because of the steps, a ramp has been installed to a new church door along the left side of the building. 



For years, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill staffed this school.
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The New York Times of March 31, 1928, announced the filing of plans for the school and convent. The pastor was Rev. Martin Cavanagh.  The architects were Viemuster and Brady.