Monday, August 22, 2011

St. Dominic, Bensonhurst



The church of St. Dominic is located on the east side of 20th Avenue between 74th Street and Bay Ridge Parkway, Bensonhurst.  The mailing address is 2001 Bay Ridge Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11204, telephone 718-259-4636. 



The church seating appears to be L-shaped.


The church foyer includes these devotional votive statues, with more to the left of this view, and another room of shrines.
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Established in 1972, this is the newest "fresh" parish in Kings County.  In 2010 and 2011, "new" parishes have been canonically erected on paper from closed or merged parishes, using some of the previous churches.


Above is the rectory at 2001 Bay Ridge Parkway, with a Fatima shrine and Padre Pio on the lawn. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.


Adjacent to the rectory, Blessed Angelo Roncalli (John XXIII) enjoys the fresh air and the passers-by.



Sunday, August 21, 2011

St. Athanasius, Bensonhurst



Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  Above is the Mass schedule as of August, 2011.  St. Athanasius church is located on the southeast corner of Bay Parkway and 61st Street. The mailing address is 2154 61st Street, Brooklyn NY 11204, telephone 718-236-0124.  The parish website is linked here.
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The parish was established in 1913.  Shortly after Bishop Kearney High School was built across the street in 1961, the congregation built the beautiful new church you see in the photos below.  The older church was located on the north side of 61st Street in what is now a parking lot between the high school and its convent.



This view looks east across Bay Parkway.


St. Athanasius was bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, in the fourth century.  His writings and teachings have designated him as a Greek Father of the Church.  I presume the mosaic shows the harbor of Alexandria.




La quinceƱera in her blue gown is seated facing the altar, while a lector reads Scripture.  It is a Friday afternoon.


The upper windows show prophets and teachers of the Old Testament.  The lower windows depict apostles and other teachers.


Across the street is St. Athanasius School at 6120 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11204, telephone as on the banner above.  The school website is linked here.
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Please note that the rectory is not adjacent to the church.  Rather, it is across Bay Parkway at 2164 61st Street.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bishop Kearney HS, Bensonhurst




Bishop Kearney High School is located on the southeast corner of 60th Street and Bay Parkway, on the borders of Bensonhurst and Parkville, Brooklyn.  The mailing address is 2201 60th Street, Brooklyn NY 11204, telephone 718-236-6363.  The school's website, linked here, is extensive and informative.  There are many photos, including this slideshow of the graduation in 2011.
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Two important bus routes cross at this location.  In the photo is a B6 bus connecting Bath Beach to East New York.  On 60th Street runs the B9, connecting Bay Ridge to Kings Plaza.



Above is the view at 61st Street.  St. Athanasius church is off the right side of the photo.  Josephite Sisters and lay teachers staff both the private high school and the parish elementary school.
  

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Our Lady of Grace, Ave. W, Gravesend




The parish of Our Lady of Grace is located at 430 Avenue W., Brooklyn NY 11223, telephone 718-627-2020.  The parish website is linked here.  For Mass schedules, please see the website.  In the above photo, the church faces Avenue W, and East 4th Street is to the right.  Ocean Parkway is two short blocks further to the right (east).


Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy is also on Avenue W, immediately west of the church.  The school address is 385 Avenue W, Brooklyn NY 11223, telephone 718-375-2081.  




Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Ed Wilkinson on numbers in OCD 2011

Ed Wilkinson, editor of the Brooklyn Tablet, has written about statistics reported in the 2011 edition of the (P. J. Kennedy) Official Catholic Directory. You may read his remarks at this link.
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I point out:
1) Because of the time required to edit the book, the numbers are about a year out of date.  A possible clue to the date of reporting is whether the replacement of a pastor has been entered.  Some parishes report the same number of religious ed students as the previous year.
2) Regarding school enrollments, it is sometimes unclear whether pre-school is included in the count. It would be helpful if an October issue of The Tablet included a chart of grade-by-grade enrollments in each academy.