St. Pius V, East 145 St., Mott Haven

As of August 1, 2015, the Archbishop has merged this parish with that of St. Rita of Cascia at 448 College Avenue. This church no longer has regular weekly services.  

The address of St. Pius V parish was 420 East 145 St., Bronx NY 10454.  The church remains on the south side of East 145 Street, just east of Willis Avenue. According to the notice from the archdiocese, it may be used for special occasions. The above photo is from 2012. The symmetrical design is evident: a church with two towers, the rectory to the left, the convent to the right.

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See page 476 for the 1906 establishment of the parish of St. Pius V. The church, according to the A.I.A. Guide designed by Anthony F. A. Schmidt (more likely Schmitt), dates from 1908. Pages 584 and 586 describe the parish and other neighborhoods half-consumed by flames in the late 1960's and 1970's. However, in 2012, the Mott Haven is busy with residents and many small stores.  Buildings have been renovated or replaced.
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Michele Ghislieri was born in 1504 and served as Pope Pius V from 1566 until his death in 1572.

In January, 2012, this banner hung on the former convent.

Also, please see my post about the merged parish. The archbishop's decree of merger is linked here.

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.

St. Jerome, Alexander Avenue, Mott Haven

The above view shows St. Jerome's church at Alexander Avenue and busy East 138th Street in Mott Haven, The Bronx. Not everyone arrives by town car. Stairs from the Third Avenue station of the #6 subway train are to the right of the photographer.

The above view looks north on Alexander Avenue from East 137th Street. At the next corner is St. Jerome's church. In the foreground is Saint Jerome's elementary school, which the archdiocese closed in 2013. The rectory is between them at 230 Alexander Avenue, Bronx NY 10454, telephone 718-665-5533. It appears that neighboring St. Luke's parish will be staffed from St. Jerome's by August, 2016.  On 4.1.2015, Archbishop Dolan appointed Fr. Javier Correa-Llano, I.V.E, pastor of St. Jerome's.  A native or Argentina, he was ordained in 2001.

On the 138th Street side of the church is this shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico. On a weekday afternoon, I found the church locked.

In Msgr. Shelley's book, please see page 230 for a reference to Italians at St Jerome parish in 1893. On pages 292 and 293, there is a more lengthy description of the establishment of St Jerome parish in 1869 under Father John J. Hughes. By 1871, he constructed a school on Alexander Avenue at East 137 Street. The present church on the southeast corner of Alexander Avenue and East 138 Street dates from 1900. For many years, Ursuline Sisters staffed the school. For decades after 1928, the Brothers of the Christian Schools taught the older boys. Page 558 contrasts Mass attendance in 1950 (6,100) and 1975 (795). Page 586 describes the parish in difficult times. See also page 606 for recent restoration of the church.

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About 2007, Archbishop Egan entrusted this parish to the care of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, a congregation founded in Argentina about twenty-five years ago. They, "the IVE fathers," also staff St. Thomas Aquinas parish, Crotona Parkway, and St. Michael parish in East New York, Brooklyn.
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An excellent professional photographer has posted about 200 of her photos of St. Jerome's on Flickr, as linked here. Her photo of the Eye is here. Another photographer offers an interior shot from the altar steps to the main doors, linked here.
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The AIA Guide and other places give the church architect as the firm Delhi & Howard, but the spelling is wrong. Please see this brief biography of Arne Dehli. Dehli, from Norway, designed quite a few impressive buildings in metropolitan New York.