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.



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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

St Lucy, at Mace and Bronxwood Aves., Williamsbridge

See pages 482 and 484 for the parish of St. Lucy, shown above on the northwest corner of Mace Avenue and Bronxwood Avenue, Williamsbridge. The parish was established in 1927. The rectory address is 833 Mace Ave., Bronx NY 10467, telephone 718-882-0710. The church is entered by entering a gate (near the tree at the center of the photo) and descending steps. An upper church may have been planned. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
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The website of St. Lucy's parish school is kept up-to-date and informative.

The school takes up the south side of Mace Avenue from Matthews Avenue (on the right) to Bronxwood Avenue (beyond the left edge of the photo).
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Several newspaper articles available on the internet recount the history of the Lourdes grotto at this parish. Scroll down Forgotten-NY for photos, context, and text.
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Above is a partial view of the Hall of Saints, perhaps twenty-five statues of saints and objects of devotion.

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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.

Six Bronx parish schools to close in June, 2011

A link to the press release dated 1.11.2011 is here.
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The six Bronx parish schools to close in June are:
Saint Augustine
Saint John Vianney
Saint Martin of Tours
Saint Dominic
Saint Anthony-Saint Frances, Wakefield
Saint Pius V Girls' High School

Holy Family, Unionport

On August 1, 2015, a parish merger took place, with this parish, Holy Family, absorbing Blessed Sacrament parish and that of St. John Vianney.  Mass will not longer be offered at St. John Vianney, but Mass and sacraments will take place at both Holy Family and Blessed Sacrament.  The Holy Family website, which needs updating is linked here.

See page 220 for the parish of the Holy Family, Unionport, founded in 1896 for German Catholics. The present church on the southwest corner of Castle Hill Avenue and Watson Avenue was built in 1962.This intersection is a short block south of the Cross-Bronx Expressway (Interstate 95; the service road is also named East 177 Street). The rectory address is 2158 Watson Avenue, Bronx NY 10472, telephone 718-863-9156. The parish elementary school is at 2169 Blackrock Avenue, immediately south of the church.
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The parish is staffed by the Apostles of Jesus Missionary Congregation, A.J. A relevant article appeared in 2017, linked HERE.

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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Elementary CCD or Religious Education

The 2010 Official Catholic Directory reported that about 96,600 youngsters were enrolled in the CCD or Religious Education classes of the ten counties of the archdiocese of New York. These generally are the programs for students attending public schools, and the classes often meet an hour or two a week. Adding up the enrollment at about 61 Bronx parishes gives a total of about 11,800, quite a large group of youngsters learning their faith in classes led by mostly unpaid faithful, that is, faith-sharing Christians. By the way, CCD is a colloquialism or short-hand for a Catholic version of Sunday School, usually on a weekday. The term Confraternity of Christian Doctrine dates back to the 1500's, when such classes were organized in Milan.

St. Theresa parish, Pelham Bay

Looking north on Pilgrim Avenue at St. Theresa Avenue, one can see St. Theresa School on the southwest corner and St. Theresa church on the northwest corner.
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See pages 482 and 483 for the parish of St Theresa of the Infant Jesus, Pelham Bay, founded in 1927 as an Italian national parish. The present church dates from 1970. The rectory address is 2855 St. Theresa Ave., Bronx NY 10461, telephone 718-892-1900.
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The parish school is located at 2872 St. Theresa Avenue, telephone 718-792-3688. The school website is here. Apparently, the school has about 350 students, two sections per grade.
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An interesting history is linked here. It explains that an architect, Anthony DePace, was a parish trustee who designed both the school and the new church.



The above photo looks east on St. Theresa Avenue towards to #6 train over Westchester Avenue.


Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

Our Lady of the Assumption, Pelham Bay

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.


See page 481 for the 1923 founding of Our Lady of the Assumption at Mahan and Roberts Avenue in the Pelham Bay neighborhood. The present church dates from 1961. The rectory address is 1634 Mahan Ave., Bronx NY 10461, telephone 718-824-5454. A parish bulletin is linked here.  Many thanks to the reader who supplied the URL for the parish website, which is very helpful and interesting.
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The parish school is on the Parkview Avenue side of the block, as in the above photo. The school address is 1617 Parkview Avenue, Bronx NY 10461, telephone 718-829-1706. The school website is linked here.  Enrollment appears to be about 320. Plastic owls keep pigeons away from Maria Assunta.

The above view is from Middletown Road. Mahan Avenue is at the left, Parkview Avenue at the right.

St. Frances de Chantal, Throgs Neck

See pages 482 and 483 for St. Frances de Chantal, established as a parish in 1926. The present church at the intersection of Harding Avenue and Hollywood Avenue in Throgs Neck dates from 1970. The rectory address is 190 Hollywood Avenue, Bronx NY 10465, and the phone number 718-792-5500. The parish website is here. According to the AIA Guide, the architect of the 1970 church was Paul W. Reilly, who also designed St. Vincent Ferrer church in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

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The above photo looks west across Hollywood Avenue. Buses Bx40, Bx42, and BxM9 stop near the church.



The Chapel in the upper church lobby is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. for private prayer.


A newer, larger wing of the school is to the left. The school address is 2962 Harding Avenue, Bronx NY 10465, telephone 718-892-5359. The school website is linked here. There appears to be one section of students per grade.

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Adjacent southeast is the Jeanne Jugan Residence, a work of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The property was formerly the site of a monastery of Poor Clares.