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.
----
The former school is behind the rectory, at 2685 Claflin Avenue.  The archdiocese closed it in 2013.
----
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. 
-----

St. Anthony, Commonwealth Ave.

Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. The above photos show the church and school on Mansion Street at the corner of St. Lawrence Avenue. The rectory is to the right, around the corner of Commonwealth Avenue. The parish address is 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Bronx, NY 10460, telephone 718-931.4040. The school address is 1776 Mansion St., Bronx, NY 10460, telephone 718-892-1244. The neighborhood is north of the Cross-Bronx Expressway and south of Tremont Avenue, in the neighborhood called Van Nest.

Ten minutes after a crowded and jubilant sung Mass had finished on 4.10.2011, I took the above photo, which shows the tabernacle atop steep steps and the present altar among the people. A Latin American band (at the left corner) led enthusiastic singing. The crucifix and statues are covered for Lent.

Unfortunately, the archdiocese closed this school in June, 2013.

In Msgr. Shelley's book, see page 481 for the parish of St. Anthony, Van Nest. The parish was established in 1908 for Italians, but now includes faithful of many heritages. For years, the Sisters of Charity staffed the parish school. The above view is from Commonwealth Avenue. The church-within-a-school was built in 1930.



----

Sisters of Charity of Mt. St. Vincent

The Sisters of Charity of Mount St. Vincent, Riverdale, staffed the following Bronx parish elementary schools for decades:
Blessed Sacrament
Our Lady of Angels
St. Anthony, Commonwealth Ave.
St. Augustine
St. Barnabas
St. Gabriel
St. John Vianney
St. Raymond
Sts. Peter and Paul
Visitation
Others? Please send corrections to cjmcmann@msn.com
Thank you

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

----

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.
---
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.

-----
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.
----
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

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.
----
(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.)
----
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.
----
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.
----
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.

Blessed Sacrament, Beach Ave., Soundview

See pages 484 and 486 for the 1927 creation of Blessed Sacrament parish, Beach and Gleason Avenues, a block south of Westchester Avenue. The church and school date from 1929. The rectory address is 1170 Beach Avenue, Bronx NY 10472, telephone 718-892-3214.  Facebook has pages of alumni and parishioners of Blessed Sacrament.
-----
In May, 2009, President Obama nominated a graduate of Blessed Sacrament school to the United States Supreme Court. This article by Michael Daly of the New York Daily News describes the school in 2009.  Unfortunately, the archdiocese decided to close the school in 2013.
-----
In the above photo, note the stained glass windows indicating the location of the church, with classrooms above it. Quite a few Bronx parishes were built with such combined use.


Above is the cornerstone at the north end of the combined school and church.

A second school building, with a 1955 cornerstone, is on the west side of Taylor Avenue, behind the 1929 building. According to the same New York Times article referred to above, the younger students used this building. Also on Taylor Avenue is the Seton House, a former convent with a 1950 cornerstone. For many decades, the Sisters of Charity taught in Blessed Sacrament School.

A playground and ballfield occupy the north side of Watson Avenue between Beach Avenue (to the left) and Taylor Avenue to the right.

One may find in the neighborhood quite a few signs like the above.

St Raymond parish, Westchester or Parkchester

St. Raymond's church is on East Tremont Avenue at Castle Hill Avenue.  This view looks south. 
See page 171 for an account of the founding of St. Raymond Parish in 1842 by Father Felix Vilanis, "who had been the first rector of St Joseph's Seminary in Fordham two years earlier." Page 141 has an old photo of the original St Raymond's church. Note that this was once the Town of Westchester within the County of Westchester, before Bronx County was formed. See page 174 for later history and photos of the present church, built in 1898, shown also above.
-----
The parish website is linked here. The history page on that website explains that the patron is St. Raymond Nonnatus (1204-1240). The rectory address is 1759 Castle Hill Ave., Bronx NY 10462, and the phone number is 718-792-4044.
-----
McNamara's Blog, linked here, reproduces a 1914 history of St. Raymond's parish.  This snippet adds much to other accounts, as it describes the early parish history in more detail.

The rectory and church seen from Castle Hill Avenue. The front of the church faces Tremont Avenue, to the right.
Clicking on any photo enlarges it. Above is the interior of St. Raymond's church. According to the New York City Organ Project, the church, built in 1898, was designed by George H. Streeton, who later designed St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn.  As of November, 2010, the lower church is being used for services.  A note in the parish bulletin states that the upper church will be renovated by the spring of 2011.

St. John Baptist de la Salle. A biography is here.

The above building now houses the girls' high school.

Above, looking west from the front steps of the church. It seems the church yard was much larger before this elementary school was built about 1950, as shown in this link a helpful reader has sent me. It is a 1905 view from past the school and facing the church. It shows the extent of the graveyards in 1905. It is also a good view of the church.


Above, looking west. The parish owns two other cemeteries, about two miles east.

Above, the rear of the elementary school is seen from Purdy Street.

Above, looking south from Tremont Avenue. Both the elementary school and the girls' high school are entered through this gate.

At some point after 1924, year unknown, the parish built the above building at 1754 Castle Hill Avenue as a convent for the Sisters of Charity. It seems that in the late 1950's a new convent was built on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue, and the De La Salle Christian Brothers moved from a frame house several blocks away on Benson Street to this commodious building. One can see the chapel and a parlor facing the sun. The entrance is on the far side, on Castle Hill Avenue. The new convent, with elegance resembling Motel 6, is now used for parish or archdiocesan offices. In June, 2018, the pastor, Rev. James Cruz, removed the De La Salle Brothers from work in this parish.
-----
The parish website is linked here. The rectory address is 1759 Castle Hill Ave., Bronx NY 10462, and the phone number is 718-792-4044.
----
The parish maintains an elementary school at 2380 East Tremont Avenue, adjacent to the church, a girls' high school, St. Raymond Academy at 1725 Castle Hill Avenue, and St. Raymond High School for Boys, at 2151 St. Raymond Avenue, Bronx NY 10462, main entrance on Purdy St. The De La Salle Christian Brothers were 1909 to 2018. The 2008 edition of the Official Catholic Directory gave these enrollment figures: 654 students in the elementary school, 351 students in the girls' academy, and 714 students in the boys' high school.
-----

Above is St. Raymond High School for Boys at the corner of St. Raymond Avenue and Purdy Street.

In the fall of 2011, a new entrance and addition was constructed along Purdy Street.

----

An 1924 aerial view of St. Raymond's parish may be viewed here, courtesy of the New York Public Library.

St Barnabas, Woodlawn

To the left of the steps, one can detect the door to a new elevator connecting street level with both the upper and lower churches. In this photo, Martha Avenue, going north, is at the left, and the next building is in the city of Yonkers. To the right is East 241 Street, Bronx, with the rectory and elementary school in sight.

A click on any photo enlarges it.
Looking west at McLean Avenue and Hyatt Avenue, Yonkers. This is St. Barnabas Chapel, on the street level of the high school.




See pages 478 and 479 for the creation of St. Barnabas Parish, Woodlawn, in 1910. The present church, built in 1911 at the corner of East 241 Street and Martha Avenue, has long been insufficient for all the Sunday Masses. Some Masses are said at a nearby school building on McLean Avenue, Yonkers. The border separating two cities (New York and Yonkers) apparently goes through the parish property. The rectory address is 409 East 241 St., Bronx NY 10470, telephone 718-324-1478.  The parish website, with exceptionally clear layout, is linked here.
-----
The Sisters of Charity and religious sisters of other congregations have staffed the parish schools (K-12) for many decades. The address of the parish elementary school is 413 East 241 St., Bronx NY 10470. The website of the elementary school is here. An enrollment of 400 was reported to the Official Catholic Directory, but this count seems to include Pre-K.  The website of the girls' high school at 425 East 240th Street is here.

Catholic Protectory

See pages 362 for references to the Catholic Protectory on the 114-acre site of what is now Parkchester. That property was purchased in 1865 and sold to Metropolitan Life about 1938. For seventy or seventy-five years, the Sisters of Charity (Mother Seton's congregation) staffed the girls' division and the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers) the boys' division.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Brook Avenue, Melrose

The church is on Brook Avenue. East 159 Street is to the right. The school is to the left.

The above photo of the parish school was taken in October, 2006. Clicking on a photo enlarges it. In this case, you can then read the signs.
See pages 295 and 296 for the establishment of the parish of Saints Peter and Paul on Brook Avenue, Melrose, in 1898. The present church was completed in 1932. Page 587 has a photo of a student with a Sister of Charity in 1989. For years, the Sisters of Charity and lay teachers have staffed the parish school
-----
The rectory address is 833 St. Ann's Avenue, Bronx NY 10456. telephone 718-665-3924. The parish property includes the north side of East 159th St. from St. Ann's Avenue on the east to Brook Avenue on the west. The church and school face Brook Avenue.
-----
The school address is 838 Brook Ave., Bronx NY 10456, telephone 718-665-2056. . It seems to have more than 300 students and one or two sections per grade. The school website is here.
-----
Alumni of the parish have created an interesting website with photos, linked here. In the views looking north on Brook Avenue, one can see the el between the school and the court house. There are photos of teachers, families, and students.