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.

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 Helena, Olmstead Ave., Parkchester

Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

See page 487 for the beginnings of St Helena parish, Parkchester in 1940. The church was built in 1941 on Olmstead Avenue, just north of Westchester Avenue. Whereas St. Raymond's church is near the northeast corner of Parkchester, St Helena's is at the southeast corner. The parish website is linked here. The rectory address is 1315 Olmstead Ave., Bronx NY 10462, telephone 718-892-3232. The stained glass windows of the church are pictured and described on the parish website.
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Since 2014, Piarist Fathers staff the church.

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On May 5, 2020, the Bronx Times published an excellent article on the foundation of this parish, with important clarifications. Arthur Scanlan, it was, who chose to name the parish St. Helena because Spellman's mother, deceased five years previously was Ellen. When I walked the neighborhood, I wasn't looking for the green building, the former tavern in which Mass was first offered. A corner of it may be in the photo below! Also, there is a reference to Gustav Schultheiss, the priest of Staten Island origin, whom I met in 1950, in a practice session for an episcopal Mass. He was the antithesis opposite of gruff, putting the servers at ease. 
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The parish elementary school is at 2050 Benedict Avenue, adjacent to the church. Its website is linked here. 

Above is the elementary school as seen from Westchester Avenue. The school entrance is on the other side, Benedict Avenue.

Above, another view from Westchester Avenue.
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The parish high school, Msgr. Scanlan High School, is about a mile south of the church, at 915 Hutchinson River Parkway, Bronx NY 10465.

St. John Vianney, Castle Hill Avenue

Unfortunately, the 2010 Mass schedule shown below is invalid.  The Archbishop decided to close this church for all regular Masses and worship, effective August 1, 2015.  The parish has been merged with Holy Family at Castle Hill Avenue and Watson Avenue.  The rectory phone number is 718-869-9156.

See page 489 for the parish of St John Vianney, Cure of Ars, founded in 1949 at Castle Hill Avenue and Homer Avenue, and merged (closed) in 2015.

The above view looks west across Castle Hill Avenue. 

The parish elementary school was located at 2141 Seward Avenue, around the corner from the church.   Unfortunately, the archdiocese announced on January 11, 2011, that the school would close in June.  The press release is linked here.
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Castle Hill Avenue boasts several Christian churches in its 2.5 miles.  At its northern starting point stands the Church of St. Raymond.  Midway is the parish of Holy Family, and in this populated peninsula is St. John Vianney.  More than 5,000 people live in the Castle Hill Houses, immediately south of the church.






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St. Gabriel, Arlington Ave. and West 235 St., Riverdale

Above is the view from Arlington Avenue. The church entrance is seen ahead. Access to this door is from three directions: a short driveway from West 235 Street, a often-closed gate on Netherland Avenue, and the stairway from Arlington Avenue. The stairway is to the right of the photographer's position.

Until the school was closed, this sign was at the southwest corner of Netherland Avenue and West 235th Street. For an article in America magazine in September, 2023, please see this link.

The above view looks north. Inside this center door is a foyer, a few steps down, and then the east-west main section of the church. The altar is in the corner where the two wings meet. It appears that folding doors allow an expansion of church seating in the north-south wing (at the right side of this photo). The school is located upstairs.
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See pages 487 and 513 for St. Gabriel parish at Arlington Avenue and West 235 Street, Riverdale. The parish was created in 1939, and the combined church and school were completed in 1941. The address is 3250 Arlington Ave., Bronx NY 10463, telephone 718-548-4470. The parish website here includes both church and school. 
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An excellent bird's-eye view of the school appears on Flickr here.



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St Francis of Assisi, Baychester Ave., Wakefield

Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.



See pages 488 and 489 for the creation in 1949 and merger in 2007 of the parish of St Francis of Assisi, at Baychester Avenue and Pitman Avenue, seven blocks inside the city line. The rectory phone number is 718-324-5340. With St. Anthony (Richardson Ave.) and St. Frances of Rome (Barnes Ave.), St Francis of Assisi is one of three Wakefield parishes with the same pastor and associates. There is another parish named St. Francis of Assisi in High Bridge, but that has been merged with the larger parish of the Sacred Heart.
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This parish offers an elementary school at 4300 Baychester Avenue, Bronx NY 10466, telephone 718-994-4650. With about 300 students, it appears that there is one section per grade. Adjacent to the church is an early learning center, the sign for which appears above.