St. John Chrysostom

The church stands on the southwest corner of East 166th Street and Hoe Avenue. One block behind the church is the busy intersection of Westchester Avenue and Southern Boulevard, at the Simpson Street station of the #2 and #5 trains.

See page 297 for the establishment of the parish of St John Chrysostom on East 167 St at Hoe Avenue, in 1899. The church dates from 1900. Also see page 521 for a 1974 photo of the parish Holy Name Society. The rectory address is 985 East 167 St., Bronx NY 10459, telephone 718-542-6164.
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Since 1914, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and lay teachers have staffed the parish school. The school address is 1144 Hoe Avenue, Bronx NY 10459, telephone 718-328-7266. The extensive and informative school website is lined here. With about 600 students, it apparently has two sections per grade.
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St. John, known as Chrysostom (golden-mouthed) because of his preaching, is recognized as both a Father and Doctor of the Church.  He lived from about 349 to 407, in what is now Turkey and in the imperial capital of Constantinople.  He spoke Greek, and many of his sermons survive in the original Greek, with some English translations available.  A brief life of St. John Chrysostom is linked here.

St. Anthony of Padua, East 166th Street

See page 221 for the foundation of the parish of St Anthony of Padua on the southwest corner of East 166 Street and Prospect Avenue, Morrisania, in 1901. The present church date from 1928. See page 606 for the parish becoming a mostly Hispanic parish. The rectory address is 832 East 166 St., Bronx NY 10459, the telephone number 718-542-7293. The pastor is Bishop Josu Iriondo, who is also vicar for the South Bronx.

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Please note that there are three parishes in The Bronx named after the same Franciscan saint, St. Anthony of Padua, also known as St. Anthony of Lisbon, where he was born in 1195. The three parishes are in Wakefield, Van Nest, and here in Morrisania.

The church faces Prospect Avenue and a bus stop of Bx17, a long route which connects Fordham Plaza with East 133rd Street. On East 166th Street, adjacent to the church, is the former school, now used by the Charismatic Center.  Please see the center's video here.  A block west, on Union Avenues, contemplative Missionaries of Charity reside.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

St. Anthony, Wakefield

To read the important announcement below the schedule, please click on the photo. While other rectories have been closed in the 200-year history of the archdiocese of New York, this is the first such sign I have seen. Note, however, that Mass is celebrated here.

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See pages 478 and 479 for the parish of St. Anthony, Wakefield, founded as an Italian parish in 1919. The present church dates from 1976. The above photos were taken at 4505 Richardson Ave., Bronx NY 10470, a few steps north of East 239th Street. This is west of White Plains Road. The parish office is now a half-mile south, but east of White Plains Road.

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Careful! There are three parishes in The Bronx with St. Anthony of Padua as patron: Mansion St. (Commonwealth Ave.), East 166 St., and this one. Also, this parish on Richardson Avenue shares its pastor or administrator with two other Wakefield parishes, St. Frances of Rome and St. Francis Assisi.
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The elementary school founded by the parish closed in June, 2011. The archdiocesan press release is linked here.


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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. Thomas Aquinas, Crotona Parkway, East Tremont

St. Thomas from Aquino, Italy, lived from 1225 to 1274. A Dominican friar, renowned for his teaching and his writings, St. Thomas is honored as a Doctor of the Church.

The rectory address is 1900 Crotona Parkway, Bronx NY 10460, telephone 718-589-5235. IN 2010, it appears that the parish is entrusted to the Institute of the Incarnate Word, priests from Argentina. The above photo looks east from Southern Boulevard and its linear park. The one-way northbound street is Crotona Parkway, parallel to Southern Boulevard. The street running west from this intersection is Fairmount Place.

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See page 296 for the establishment of the parish of St Thomas Aquinas on Crotona Parkway in East Tremont in 1890. See page 413 for a 1908 advertisement for the parish's annual picnic and games to be held at Morris Park Race Track. The directions suggest travel by trolley, perhaps influenced by the many parish males who worked for the Third Avenue Railway System, the car barn located two blocks south of the church. The present church dates from 1925.
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The address of the parish school, immediately east of the church, is 1909 Daly Avenue. For many years, the parish school was staffed by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. It seems to have about 230 students. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

St. Martin of Tours, East 182nd St.

The entrance to St. Martin of Tours church is on East 182 Street, the northeast corner with Grote St. Across Grote St. is Aquinas High School. Over the doorway is a statue of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours, France, who lived 316-397.


In the above photo, East 182 Street is to the left. Crotona Avenue goes north (at the right) past what seems to be a school gym.
See page 296 for the establishment of the parish of St Martin of Tours at the intersection of East 182 St. and Grote Street, Tremont, in 1897. This intersection is one short block east of Belmont Ave. The present church dates from 1953. See also page 348. The rectory address is 664 Grote St., Bronx NY 10457, telephone 718-295-0913.
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For decades, laity and the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill staffed the parish school.  Unfortunately, the archdiocese chose to close the school in 2011, and a public school now uses the rooms  
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David Gonzalez has written an excellent article on the final day of St. Martin of Tours school, which was Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The article appeared in the New York Times and is linked here. Photos accompany the article. Because newspaper articles sometimes change their url, you may have to do a search for the article. The web edition headline is "School's Out, Forever."



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