Brooklyn Catholic

St. Teresa of Avila, Sterling Place

2012-01-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

The church of St. Teresa of Avila is located on the northeast corner of Classon Avenue and Sterling Place. Its postal address is 563 Sterling Place, Brooklyn NY 11238, telephone 718-622-6500.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Yes, the cornerstone of this church was laid in 1874. For more of the church history, please see this link.

The parish had two school buildings, one here on the southeast corner of Sterling Place and Classon Avenue. There is no longer a parish elementary school, but
about eighty-five students of Brooklyn Jesuit Prep now attend grades 5 though 8 in this building. Further down Classon Avenue, one can see the parish auditorium.

On the north side of St. John's Place are the auditorium, the second school, and senior apartments. The B45 bus connecting downtown Brooklyn with Crown Heights provides frequent service, eastbound on St. John's Place, westbound on Sterling Place.

St. Joseph, Pacific Street

2012-01-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

St. Joseph parish, Prospect Heights, is located at 856 Pacific Street, Brooklyn NY 11238, telephone 718-638-1071. Its website, linked here, states that the parish was established in 1850 by Archbishop John Hughes of New York. The diocese of Brooklyn was created in late 1853. "Diocese of Immigrants" shows an older church here with one steeple. The cornerstone of this church is dated 1912.

This banner appears adjacent to the apse, along the Dean Street side of the church. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The former school, built around 1920, is a senior residence at 683 Dean Street. The church apse may be seen to the east.

This view southeast from Atlantic Avenue shows both the church and the school. In 2012, construction continues on the 22-acre Atlantic Yards project, of which Vanderbilt Avenue (crossing this photo) is the eastern end.

St. Benedict, Fulton Street

2012-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

A reader favored me with an inquiry about St. Benedict, a German national parish which existed for 120 years (1853-1973) on the south side of Fulton Street west of Ralph Avenue. When the church at 1916 Fulton Street was sold in 1973, it continued as a place of Christian worship, now the Mount Sinai Cathedral. The parish school on Herkimer Street is now a Head Start Center.
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Credit for information: Arcadia Book, "Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle post cards, 1902-1905."
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A photo of the church that was St. Benedict's appears on the Facebook page of Mt Sinai Cathedral, linked here. It is an excellent photo and can be enlarged by clicking on it.
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Above is a view looking north from a train on Atlantic Avenue, taken in January, 2012. The school faces Herkimer Street. The church faces Fulton Street. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

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Page 38 of "Diocese of Immigrants" has photos of eight German parishes, but not St. Benedict.
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The first pastor, Fr. Maurus Ramsauer, was a Benedictine.

St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy

2011-12-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

On 11.30.2011, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio decreed the establishment of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy next September in the building currently used by Holy Name of Jesus School at 241Prospect Park West, Brooklyn NY 11215. Merged into this new academy will be Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Kensington, and Holy Name.
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In January, 2012, the Holy Name school website is linked here. I do not know whether it will be replaced by a website for the renamed school.
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For photos, please see Holy Name and Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Decrees about charter schools

2011-12-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has issued two decrees recently regarding charter schools in parish buildings. I provide links to the decrees so the reader will examen the decree rather than just accept my summary. In a decree dated 11.18.2011, the Bishops reminds all that a parish which has rented space to a charter school must share 40% of the rental income with other parishes whose schools have been adversely affected by the establishment of that charter school.
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Also, there are four pages of revisions to guidelines of how rented property may or may not be used. These five pages are dated 11.17.2011.

Guardian Angel, Brighton Beach

2011-11-11T17:23:00.001-08:00

Guardian Angel church, dedicated in 1905, stands on the west side of Ocean Parkway at Oceanview Avenue. It seems that the building behind the church, now used as a parish hall, was the 1880 church.

This view looks west across Ocean Parkway. The rectory, to the left of the church, is at 2978 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11235. The parish website, linked here, includes the Mass schedule and an interesting history of the parish.
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The parishioners include faithful of many languages. Mass is celebrated in English, Spanish, Polish, Filipino, and Malayalam.
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One long block south (to the left in the photo) is the Ocean Parkway station of the Q train from Broadway, Manhattan. Another long block south is the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The B1 crosstown bus from Bay Ridge to Manhattan Beach stops in front of the church.

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St. Martin de Porres, Bed-Stuy

2011-11-08T03:29:00.000-08:00

In 2007, the bishop of Brooklyn created the parish of St. Martin de Porres by merging three parishes, Our Lady of Victory, St. Peter Claver, and Holy Rosary. The pastor and his assistant live at 583 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11216, telephone 718-574-5772. The parish website, giving the address, Mass schedule, telephone, and e-mail of each of the three churches, is linked here.

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Above is the shrine of St. Martin de Porres, to the left of the altar in Our Lady of Victory church, Throop Avenue.

On the northeast corner of Throop Avenue and MacDonough Street stands the magnificent church of Our Lady of Victory. The parish was established in 1868, and this church, designed by Thomas F. Houghton, was consecrated in 1893. Francis Morrone writes, "It is a strong Gothic church of Manhattan schist with highly contrasting limestone trim."

The above view looks south on Throop Avenue from Macon Street. The rectory is at the left. Up Macon Street to the left is the convent of the Missionaries of Charity and the former parish school.

A single click on any photo will enlarge it. Then the original size will also be offered.

The history and architecture of this parish and church are of great interest, but the faith and zeal of the congregants are the soul of the parish.

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At this link to Flickr, Emilio Guerra has provided two photos of Our Lady of Victory church. He also provides a helpful text from the city's Landmark Commission. Also, one might look at page 11 of this pdf document.

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More photos, history, and a description of the organ are provided at this link to the New York Organ project.

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Bus B43 (from Ebbets Field to Greenpoint) stops in front of the church. The southbound B43 uses Tompkins Avenue. Nearby is the Kingston-Throop station of the C train under Fulton Street.

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A mile west of Our Lady of Victory church is that of St. Peter Claver.

On the southeast corner of Claver Place and Jefferson Avenue is the church of St. Peter Claver, now one of the three churches in the parish of St. Martin de Porres. The address is 29 Claver Place, Brooklyn, NY 11238, telephone 718-622-4647. For the Mass schedule, please see this link.

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The cornerstone is dated 1921. Fulton Street is a short block to the right (south). Nearby is the busy subway station at Franklin Avenue and Fulton Street (C and S trains).

On the northeast corner is St. Peter Claver Institute, with a cornerstone dated 1931. The parish and this institute have an amazing, impressive history. A statue of St. Peter Claver and a slave is at the corner. To the left, one door is marked Convent, another door is marked School.

In 2011, the Brooklyn Waldorf School leased this property for 49 years.

Three blocks northwest, on the southeast corner of Madison Street and Classon Avenue, is the former church of Nativity parish. In 1973, the bishop of Brooklyn merged that parish into St. Peter Claver. Another Christian congregation purchased Nativity, according to this link.

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Holy Rosary, at 139 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn NY 11233, is one of three worship sites for the parish of St. Martin de Porres, established in 2007. Please see the parish website, linked here.

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Chauncey Street is one block north of the Utica Avenue station of the A and C subway lines beneath Fulton Street. Walk one block north on Malcolm X Boulevard, turn west, and you will see the church.

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The parish was established in 1889. The handsome brick church dates from 1894. Holy Rosary is the easternmost church of St. Martin de Porres parish, extending about 1.5 mile from St. Peter Claver to Holy Rosary, or approximately the east-west extent of the residential neighborhood Bedford-Stuyvesant.

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It seems that a campanile was removed after 1946. On this website, please click on the photo.

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mybqcatholicschool.com

2011-10-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the Education Department of the Diocese of Brooklyn has created a new website listing up-to-date addresses of its elementary and high schools. This new website can be found at
http://mybqcatholicschool.com/
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I am puzzled by out-of-date information I have met on the regular Diocese of Brooklyn website. For example, even when The Tablet praised the new Salve Regina Catholic Academy, it was still listed as St. Michael's parish school on the older website.

Salve Regina Catholic Academy, East New York

2011-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

The website of the Brooklyn diocesan newspaper, The Tablet, includes a lengthy article about the high enrollment and other success at the new Salve Regina Catholic Academy. The writer states that 732 students are currently enrolled (October, 2011) in grades N-8, with three sections per grade. A grade-by-grade breakdown of enrollment is not provided.
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The academy uses the buildings at Jerome Street and Liberty Avenue, pictured in this blog within the St. Michael's parish heading, linked here. The address of Salve Regina Catholic Academy is 237 Jerome Street, Brooklyn NY 11207, telephone 718-277-6766.
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This article dated 11.21.2011 appeared on the web of The Brooklyn Ink, providing much information on how the three schools have formed one. Of particular note to me is that only thirty students transferred from St. Sylvester's school. Distance matters.

St. Margaret Mary, Manhattan Beach

2011-09-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Facing Manhattan Beach Park on Ocean Avenue is the church of St. Margaret Mary. The parish, established in 1920, seems to own the short block along the south side of Oriental Boulevard from Exeter Street to Ocean Avenue. The rectory address is 215 Exeter Street, Brooklyn NY 11235, telephone 718-743-1824.
Note that two Masses are offered each week.

On Oriental Boulevard at Ocean Avenue, this sign faces the bus stop. Bus routes B1 (from Bay Ridge and the Brighton Beach subway station) and B46 (from the full north-south Ocean Avenue and the Shepshead Bay subway station) travel along Oriental Boulevard towards Kingsborough Community College. Although this is a residential neighborhood, street parking is severely restricted.
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St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) of Burgundy, France, became a Visitation nun. Because of her visions, she encouraged a devotion to Jesus and His Sacred Heart.

St. Edmund Preparatory High School

2011-09-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

St. Edmund Preparatory High School faces Ocean Avenue just south of Avenue T. Its address is 2474 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-743-6100. The Prep's website is linked here.

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URGENT: Eighth graders seeking admission to freshman year at St. Edmund's and other Catholic high schools in 2012 must register for the Test for Admission to Catholic High School. Please read the TACHS website linked here. Deadlines are fast approaching. Open House at St. Edmund's is scheduled for Saturday, October 15, 2011, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Tuesday, October 25 at 7 p.m. Also, please read this page.

St. Edmund, Avenue T & Ocean Ave.

2011-09-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

As one travels south on Ocean Avenue, this sign appears at the corner of Avenue T.

St. Edmund church is within St. Edmund elementary school on Avenue T. The rectory, Ocean Avenue and St. Edmund Prep are to the left. The rectory address is 2460 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-743-0102. The parish website is linked here. In 1922, Bishop Thomas Molloy established this parish under the patronage of St. Edmund of Canterbury.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The address of St. Edmund Elementary School is 1902 Avenue T, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-648-9229.

St. Edmund Preparatory High School faces Ocean Avenue just south of Avenue T. Its address is 2474 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-743-6100. The Prep's website is linked here.

Good Shepherd, Avenue S

2011-09-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Early Christian art portrayed Jesus as the Good Shepherd, in a pose resembling the statue here at the corner of Avenue S and Brown Street between Midwood and Marine Park, Brooklyn. The mailing address of Good Shepherd parish is 1950 Batchelder Street, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-998-2800. The parish website, linked here, is very informative.

Dedicated to the Good Shepherd. Batchelder Street, with rectory, school yard, and convent, is adjacent.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. To the right of the holy water font is a plaque memorializing six parishioners who died in the catastrophe of 9/11. The schedule dates from September, 2011.

The older altar has a puzzling inscription, "Nos nos oraque Deo." Please send an explanation to cjmcmann(at)msn.com
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James Sullivan has added a helpful comment. Many thanks! What I took as the letter o (after the second s) could well be a t with a curl. Then it would read, Nos nostraque Deo, We and ours to God, nostra being neuter nominative plural. I wonder what the lowest seven letters read. By clicking on the photo, you may enlarge it.

On May 20, 1939, fire destroyed the original 1927 church. The new one is remarkable for its Spanish Mission design, its use of ceramic tiles (including the Stations of the Cross) and the nave windows that refer to Biblical shepherds (David, Bethlehem, parables of Jesus).

The school is at 1943 Brown Street, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-339-2745. Its website is linked here. The above photo faces north, towards the church at Avenue S.

Whimsy enlivens.

Resurrection, Gerritsen Beach

2011-09-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

The postal address of Resurrection parish is 2331 Gerritsen Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11229, telephone 718-743-7234. The photo shows the church facing Gerritsen Avenue, with the intersection of Whitney Avenue at the right. To the left is the former school and, left of that, the rectory.

Above is the Mass schedule as of September, 2011.

The rectory is to the left, a school to the right. The staff of Brooklyn Blue Feather School now teach children in the former parish elementary school. For decades, Dominican Sisters taught in the school. The rectory is a former convent built in the late 1950's.

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The parish was founded in 1924. A photo of the interior of the church appears on Flickr, linked here. The website Gerritsen Memories offers some history and many photos of the parish and its school. The adjacent parish 0.6 mile north is Good Shepherd, with a parish school.

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The Wikipedia article on Gerritsen Beach states that the parish school closed in 2005.

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Gerritsen Avenue and the community of Gerritsen Beach extend another mile southeast through the peninsula before reaching the point. Bus route B31 connects this community with the Brighton Line at Kings Highway Station.

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Admissions test for Brooklyn Catholic high schools

2011-09-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

There are eleven Catholic high schools in Brooklyn. The organization that runs the Tests for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) has published an informative, printable chart at this link. I will attempt to provide links to the school websites below, but I give them in order of approximate enrollment in the 2011 edition of the Official Catholic Directory. The TACHS chart uses a different number, approximate admissions in September, 2011. The final date for registration for the test (that is, registration by internet) is October 17, 2011. Please examine each page of the TACHS Information Site for important instructions.
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Lourdes Academy High School, Bushwick, enrollment not dislosed.
Catherine McAuley High School, East Flatbush, enrollment about 200 girls.
Saint Saviour High School, Park Slope, enrollment about 250 girls.
St. Joseph High School, Willoughby and Bridge Sts., enrollment about 295 girls.
Nazareth Regional High School, East Flatbush, enrollment about 350 students.
Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, enrollment about 525 girls.
Bishop Kearney High School, Borough Park, enrollment about 600 girls.
St. Edmund Prep, Midwood, enrollment about 775 students.
Bishop Loughlin High School, Clinton Hill / Fort Greene, enrollment about 880 students.
Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School, Windsor Terrace, enrollment about 1,000 students.

Xaverian High School, Bay Ridge, enrollment about 1,200 students.

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Saint Saviour High School, Park Slope

2011-09-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Saint Saviour High School is a highly-regarded Catholic school for girls, located at 588 Sixth Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-4406. I urge you to view the school's website, linked here.

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OPEN HOUSE for eighth graders and their parents is on Sunday, October 23, 2011, from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The school is on Sixth Street between Prospect Park West and Eighth Avenue, Park Slope.
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For Saint Saviour parish and its elementary school, please see below.

Saint Saviour, Park Slope

2011-09-23T09:13:00.001-07:00

St. Saviour church is located at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and Sixth Street in Park Slope. Its mailing address is 611 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-7983.
The parish website is linked here.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. Above is the Mass schedule as of March, 2010.

The parish high school is at 588 Sixth Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-4406. The website is linked here. The cornerstone of the building is dated 1908, so I presume that sometime in the 1950's the elementary department moved to a newer building on Eighth Avenue, shown below.
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OPEN HOUSE for eighth graders and their parents is on October 23, 2011, from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
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On nearby Seventh Avenue, the public high school's cornerstone is dated MCMII. Park Slope's elegance goes back to the nineteenth century. In quite a few American cities, wealthier folk sought to live on "Prospect Street" or on "The Heights." Workers tended to live near their riverfront jobs.

Above is Saint Saviour Elementary School, 701 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-8000, website linked here.

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Immaculate Conception, Maujer St.

2011-09-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issued a decree 9.14.2011declaring that the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 72 Maujer Street, Williamsburg, has been relegated to profane use and may be placed for sale. Please read the decree linked here. For some years it has been part of Most Holy Trinity parish.
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The parish of Most Holy Trinity was established in 1841 for German-speaking Catholics. In 1853, Immaculate Conception parish was established a half-mile north.

St. Dominic, Bensonhurst

2011-08-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

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. An information page is linked here.

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.

St. Athanasius, Bensonhurst

2011-08-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

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 quinceñera 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.

Bishop Kearney HS, Bensonhurst

2011-08-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Our Lady of Grace, Ave. W, Gravesend

2011-08-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

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. 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).

The parish elementary school is also on Avenue W, immediately west of the church. The school address is 385 Avenue W, Brooklyn NY 11223, telephone 718-375-2081. The school website is linked here.

The bulletin previous to Summer 2011 gave this schedule: Saturday - 5:00PM (Vigil)
Sunday - 7:30AM. - 9:00A.M. (Italian) - 10:15 A.M.(Family) 11:45 A.M. (Choir) and 6:30 P.M.
Monday through Friday - 7:30 A.M.
Saturday - 8:00 A.M

Ed Wilkinson on numbers in OCD 2011

2011-08-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy, Williamsburg

2011-07-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

I just came across the website of Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy. Please note that this elementary school functions at two locations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: one at the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (10 Withers St., Brooklyn NY 11211), and one at St. Nicholas Parish (287 Power Street, Brooklyn NY 11211). St. Nicholas is about a mile east of Mt. Carmel.

Please go to the academy's website for further information.

St. John the Evangelist, Park Slope, & St. Rocco

2011-06-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issued a decree 5.20.2011 suppressing the parishes of St. Rocco and St. John the Evangelist and creating a new parish, named St. John the Evangelist - St. Rocco. The decree is linked here. Both churches, about a half-mile apart, will remain open as worship sites. The rectory for the combined parish will be at St. John the Evangelist, 250 21st Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, shown in the above photograph.
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The church of St. John the Evangelist is on the south side of 21st Street as the street ascends from Fifth Avenue to Sixth Avenue, Park Slope. As you can see in the above photo looking east, the nave is parallel to 21st Street. As the parish was established in 1849, maybe the parish grounds were purchased before the surrounding plots were modified. I don't know how many successive church buildings the parish had.

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A 1944 view of the church, together with a current satellite view, is linked here.

Opposite the church is the former parish school, with a cornerstone dated 1904, which closed in 1989. It appears to be in excellent condition as an apartment house.

Above are the church and rectory of St. Rocco on 27th Street. between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The banner over the door celebrates the centennial of St. Rocco's parish, established in 1902. To the right of the church is the office at 216 27th Street, Brooklyn NY 11732, telephone 718-768-9798. The parish website is here. The 478 acres of Green-Wood Cemetery begin at Fifth Avenue.

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A history of St. Rocco's parish may be read at this link.

This youth center at the corner of Fourth Avenue and 27th Street was dedicated in 1956. By clicking on the photo you may notice that 27th Street also commemorates Sister Mary Franciscus. This link explains OBT and the work of this Sister of Mercy.
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Please see two comments linked here. To add more comments, please click on "Comments" at the top of this post. Comments will be added after the editor reads and approves them.
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An article in the Home Reporter of 7.11.2011 is linked here.

Academies: alignment decree

2011-05-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

An alignment decree signed by Bishop DiMarzio and effective May 17, 2011, is linked here.
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The decree is a list of some Catholic Academies (that is, parish or regional elementary schools renamed as Catholic Academies with a two-level board in charge). Below each academy on the list are the parishes whose priests are responsible for the pastoral care of the students in the academies. It seems to be largely aimed at the provision of Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation. Please read the document.
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My interest is in the geographical assignment of parishes to academies. These are the Brooklyn schools on the list:
St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy, Greenpoint.
Sts. Joseph and Dominic, Williamsburg
Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy, Williamsburg
Holy Angels Catholic Academy, Bay Ridge
Midwood Catholic Academy, Midwood
St. Mary, Mother of Jesus - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Academy, Bensonhurst
Our Lady of Trust, Canarsie
Pope John Paul II Family Academy, Bushwick
St. Catherine of Genoa - St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Academy, East Flatbush
Salve Regina Catholic Academy, East New York

Our Lady of the Presentation, Bedford-Stuyvesant

2011-05-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

A bishop's decree is published here.
A photo of Our Lady of the Presentation church is on Flickr, linked here. It is an imposing structure on the north side of Eastern Parkway where Rockaway Avenue and St. Marks Avenue also meet.
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Thanks to a correspondent wrote this explanation:
"Actually Our Lady of the Presentation Church is in Bedford-Stuyvesant via zip code 11233. Brownsville's zip code is 11212. East New York's zip code is 11208. Historically though, the boundary of Brownsville had started at Eastern Parkway (the church is on the corner of St. Marks Avenue and Eastern Parkway). Now the northern boundary of Brownsville starts at East New York Avenue to coordinate with its 11212 zip code."
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Effective 6.30.2011, there will be a new parish named Our Lady of the Presentation - Our Lady of Mercy. The address of the parish will be at Presentation, 1677 St. Mark's Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11233. The church of Our Lady of Mercy, a mile south at 680 Mother Gaston Blvd, will also be a place of worship for the merged parish. Our Lady of Loreto church will have another use, described in various newspaper articles. A Tablet article is linked here.
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More parish mergers, 5.1.2011

2011-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

More parish "reconfigurations" were decreed, as linked here.
Mergers effective June 30, 2011:
1) St. John the Evangelist with St. Rocco.
2) Our Lady of Mercy with Our Lady of Presentation (which already absorbed Our Lady of Loreto)
3) Holy Family, Greenpoint, with St. Anthony of Padua (which already absorbed St. Alphonsus)
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Also, 13 parishes received warnings. Please see the above link.

St. Mark, Sheepshead Bay

2011-04-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

A quarter-mile north of the wharves of Sheepshead Bay, on Ocean Avenue from Jerome Avenue to Avenue Z, is the church of St. Mark, with a campanile benefiting its name. The parish address is 2609 East 19th Street, Brooklyn NY 11235, telephone 718-891-3100, website linked here.
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A better photo is on Flickr, linked here.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. The parish school is located at 2602 East 19th Street, Brooklyn NY 11235, telephone 1-718-332-9304.

Rarely do Brooklyn parishes take up a full square block, but St. Mark's parish fills another block west with school, auditorium, and parking. This view looks west on Avenue Z towards the Sheepshead Bay subway station, and, further west, to the site of the parish's first two churches, each wooden and each unfortunately destroyed by fire (1891, 1929). A photo of the second church on the southeast corner of Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th Street (west of the Brighton Line) is here on the parish website.

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Brian Merlis, who has written numerous interesting books on Brooklyn history, treats of St. Mark's parish in his volume titled "Brooklyn's Gold Coast: The Sheepshead Bay Communities."

St. Brendan, Midwood

2011-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

The address of St. Brendan's parish 1525 East 12th Street, Brooklyn NY 11230, telephone 718-339-2828. There is a Saturday evening Mass and two on Sunday. Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

It appears that the religious education department shares the former St. Brendan's diocesan high school with one or other entities., one of them called New York League Early Learning - William O'Connor Midwood. The school extends south on East 13th Street, has a 1912 cornerstone, and apparently received a fourth-story addition at some time.
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Many thanks to MaryAnne for this clarification which led me to edit the above paragraph:

"As an alumna, I wanted to point out that the building in the pic of the former St. Brendan's Elementary School was originally St. Brendan's Diocesan High School from 1922 to 1977.

I think the original convent (Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood) and the original elementary school (across Ave O) were torn down and turned into Senior Citizen housing when the High School closed. But my memory may not be totally accurate on those buildings." Your memory has been confirmed by another former parishioner. The senior housing is were the elementary school was.

The above view looks north on East 13th Street towards Avenue O, where one may glimpse a small part of the Senior Citizen housing across the avenue.

St. Rose of Lima, Parkville

2011-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

The rectory address for St. Rose of Lima parish is 269 Parkville Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11230, telephone 718-434-8040. On Sundays, there are Masses in English, Spanish, and Polish.

The above view looks west on residential Parkville Avenue from East 8th Street towards Ocean Parkway. To the left of the church is new construction at a for-profit charter school which purchased or leased the parish school. The construction is where the statue of St. Rose was in this 2006 photo on Flickr. The statue, bearing the inscription in my photo above, is now to the front left of the church. I remark how useful it is when people, as Betty Blake, use Flickr or other sites to post photos of their own neighborhoods.

View from Newkirk Avenue. The cornerstone of the school reads 1892 and 1913. Both church and former school extend from Newkirk Avenue to Parkville Avenue. The banner reads "Brooklyn Dreams Charter School, National Heritage Academies."

St. Vincent de Paul, Williamsburg

2011-04-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: On December 6, 2011, the Brooklyn Paper linked here reported that the church of St. Vincent de Paul has been sold to a developer. In recent days, the diocese has removed the bell and stained glass windows for storage in East New York. The article is not clear about the other buildings adjacent to the church, to the left in the photo below and the school on the adjoining block behind. It says that zoning restricts development to residential buildings no taller than fifty feet.
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On December 20, 2011, BrooklynEagle.com reported here that the sale price was $13.7 million and the size of the property 37,500 square feet (0.86 acre). The buyer "plans a new residential project."
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On April 4, 2011, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issued a decree linked here, stating that the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel could no longer afford to maintain the church of St. Vincent de Paul on North 6th Street and that said church could be sold for profane use after June 30, 2011, except for sordid purposes. Please read the decree linked above.
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Note that nothing is mentioned about St. Ann's Cathedral or any buildings other than the church. What follows below dates from 2010, so maybe the status has been changed.

The mailing address of St. Ann's Cathedral is 167 North Sixth Street, Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-388-4218. It is the former church of St. Vincent de Paul, the parish having been established in 1860 and closed about 2005. The above view of North Sixth Street east of Bedford Avenue was taken March 27, 2010. See link here.

Concerning Armenian Catholics, please see the link here. The ecclesiastical jurisdiction is the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg.

The parish school has a courtyard facing North Sixth Street. This view along North Seventh Street would suggest that Northside Catholic Academy in 2010 had a pre-school program in this building. From a notice I found in another church, it seems that Northside Catholic Academy and St. Nicholas parish school will be renamed Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy in 2010. The buildings will be those at St. Nicholas and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

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St. Matthew, Crown Heights

2011-03-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

The parish of St. Matthew, Crown Heights, has three churches: St. Matthew on Eastern Parkway near Utica Avenue, St. Gregory the Great at Brooklyn Avenue and St. John's Place (that is, a mile west of St. Matthew), and Our Lady of Charity on Dean Street (that is, eight blocks north of St. Matthew). The parish address is 1123 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11213, telephone 718-774-6747.
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The website of St. Gregory the Great elementary school is linked here.

My photos of the church of St. Gregory the Great are linked here.

Two more Catholic academies in Brooklyn

2011-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

Please see Msgr. Harrington's announcement dated March 1, 2011, linked here. It describes the creation of one Catholic academy in Queens and two in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, Salve Regina Catholic Academy (that is, elementary school) will be formed from the merger of three schools: St. Michael, St. Rita, and St. Sylvester. Salve Regina will use the St. Michael building at Jerome Street and Liberty Avenue, East New York.

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The East Flatbush merger concerns St. Catherine of Genoa school moving to St. Therese of Lisieux parish on Avenue D near Troy Avenue. The combined elementary school will be named St. Catherine of Genoa - St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Academy. Its website is linked here.

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The announcement from Msgr. Harrington does not provide current enrollment numbers for the Brooklyn mergers.

Divine Mercy, Williamsburg (triple merger)

2011-02-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

Effective January 31, 2011, three parishes in Greenpoint and Williamsburg were canonically suppressed to create a single parish (Divine Mercy parish) with three "worship sites" or churches. The parishes merged are St. Cecilia , St. Nicholas, and St. Francis of Paola. An administrator, a parochial vicar (or assistant), and two deacons have been appointed to Divine Mercy, located at 219 Conselyea Street, Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-387-0256. The territory, assets and obligations of the three parishes were transferred to the new Divine Mercy Parish.
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Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio's decree is linked here.
The assignment page from The Tablet is linked here.
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As of 2.13.2011, the schedule of worship at the three churches can be found in a bulletin linked here.
Only one of the three parishes, St. Nicholas, has a school, and that has been merged in some way with Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy (formerly Northside Catholic Academy), functioning at St. Nicholas and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
I may have made errors in the above narration. Correction is welcome.

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The March 6, 2011 parish bulletin from St. Francis of Paola church carries this declaration: One parish created in the heart of Divine Mercy to serve God's people in the Churches of Saint Cecilia - Saint Francis of Paola - Saint Nicholas as a sign of Jesus' merciful love.

The above photo shows the rectory (with a red awning) and church. Most photos may be enlarged by clicking on them.

On the south side of Conselyea Street is a grotto, perhaps an ex-voto.

West on Conselyea Street is the former parish school, now Francis of Paola Early Learning Center of the New York AHRC. In the distance can be seen some of the many new apartment houses constructed in Williamsburg during the housing boom.
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St. Nicholas parish was established in 1865, St. Cecilia in 1872, and St. Francis of Paola in 1918.
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Concerning the name Conselyea Street: It seems that only two years before the English took New Amsterdam in 1664, Jan Conselje (Jean le Conseille) arrived and went to Bushwick. Please see an explanation here.

An inquiry about Transfiguration church

2011-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

I have received an inquiry about some of the stained-glass windows in the Church of the Transfiguration, Williamsburg. Please follow this link.

St. Paul and St. Agnes, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens

2011-01-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Over the course of decades, the Diocese of Brooklyn has merged several parishes in South Brooklyn (older designation) or Cobble Hill (newer designation) and Carroll Gardens. In 2011, two churches and two offices are open, but the combined parish of St. Peter and St. Agnes is a single parish, its informative website newly created and linked here. I intend to combine my separate posts into this single post.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The residence of the administrator and the morning office address is 234 Congress Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. The above photos are taken along Congress St. The second photo shows Congress Street eastward towards busy Court St.
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The parish now carries the name of St. Paul and St. Agnes, and its website is linked here. The afternoon office and parish hall is at 433 Sackett Street, Brooklyn NY 11231, telephone 718-625-1717, adjacent to St. Agnes church.
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From the AIA Guide, it would seem that much of St. Paul's church at Court and Congress Streets was designed and built about 1838 by Gamaliel King, allowing the claim that this church is the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Brooklyn. The steeple was added in the 1860's, and other enlargements were made. The church fronts on Court Street, the chapel and former rectory on Congress Street. For a while, the parish had three names: St. Peter (from the church on Hicks Street that is now a condo), Our Lady of Pilar, and St. Paul. The signs now name it as the parish of St. Peter and St. Agnes, with services alternating between the two church buildings.

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St. Paul's parish school at 205 Warren Street closed in 1973. A good friend of mine is recalls with gratitude the education she received there in the early 1940's.

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Above, looking east on Sackett Street, Carroll Gardens, we see St. Agnes Church at the intersection of Hoyt Street. Clicking on any photo enlarges it.
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Thomas F. Houghton was the architect for the design of this church when it was built in 1905. Houghton, who lived 1842-1913, was the son-in-law of the famous church-builder Patrick Keely. Keely designed the older church building here. The present church was built in 1905 to replace the earlier church that burned in 1901. An account of the fire is here.

The above view looks west on Sackett Street.

Presumably, the above statue represents St. Agnes, a young virgin-martyr in Rome about the year 300.

John Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn, established the parish of St. Agnes in 1878, when this neighborhood was probably thought of as Brooklyn or South Brooklyn. The name Carroll Gardens is relatively new, promoted in a successful attempt to sell homes at higher prices. The magnificence of this 1905 church and of the nearby houses may show that the neighborhood was already a good place, near the busy ports and industries of Erie Basin and the Gowanus Canal. About 2008, the parish was combined with that of St. Paul (from which it was sliced in 1878?), so that Masses alternate between the two churches. Please see the new parish website here.
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The parish school closed in 1988. Above is the parish hall, the subject of a post card in the Brooklyn Eagle Post Cards, Series 27, No. 158. There are nine windows on the second floor as in the photo above. The title of the postcard is "St. Agnes' Church, Sackett and Hoyt Streets." No date of the photo is given. Calling this building a church is puzzling. Was it an interim church after the fire?
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An article from the Manchester, Michigan, Enterprise, dated 12.16.2010, linked here, states that Father Edwin Fisher had three field stone churches all built to the same design, and one is St. Agnes. However, here is a photo of St. Mary's church in Manchester, Michigan, and it shows few resemblances to St. Agnes. Maybe the news story is a false lead because of some lack of precision. St. Agnes is apparently not built of field stone, and the steeple is on the corner.
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I was glad to receive this note from a former parishioner of St. Agnes:
Just now found your site on St. Agnes Church and School!!! I graduated from the school in 1945 and received a great education there. My maiden name was Barbara DiNapoli and I lived at 380 Union Street. I would so very much like to locate some of my friends from way, way back then and hope you might have heard from some.St. Agnes was/is a most beautiful church, probably one of the best in all the boroughs. We were taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph. I remember Father Bill Toomey, Father Griffen, and a Monsignor with an Irish brogue! For the life of me I can't remember his name, but I can see his face as it was then.Hope you have some good referrals for me...my dad was a doctor and my grandparents lived at 90 Douglas Street! What memories!!
Thank you. Barbara DiNapoli Cody tyebc@yahoo.com
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I was glad to receive this note from a former parishioner of St. Peter's:
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joseph Murgolo a graduate of Saint Paul's School Class of 1963. The reason(s) that I am corresponding with you is the ask for your assistance in attempting to learn as much as I can about the years that I spent at Saint Paul's School ( 1955 to 1963 ). As to what it is that I am seeking :

* Locate Photos , Biographies and Stories of the School , Church , Alumni , Sisters of Charity, Priest and Convent.

* Historical information about the surrounding community ( Ebels Restaurant , Corner Candy Store , Local Businesses and such). During the time I attending Saint Paul's School I lived with my family who also attended Saint Paul's School and Church. Please note that I am not asking you to put this data together for me. I just need to be pointed in a direction. In the meantime I have sent a letter to Saint Paul's Church business office requesting copies of the Sacraments received at Saint Paul's School. Hopefully you have an idea of my journey. Please contact me if you need clarification.

Respectfully,

Joseph Murgolo, 102 Schuyler Drive,Huntersville , N.C. 28078

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Bishop Loughlin Memorial HS, Fort Greene

2010-12-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Bishop John Loughlin hoped to build Brooklyn's cathedral on this block, bounded by Clermont Avenue (left), Green Avenue (right), Vanderbilt Avenue (parallel to Clermont), and Lafayette Avenue (where Queen of All Saints church and school are). Through a go-between, he purchased the block in the 1860's and he commissioned Patrick Charles Keely to build a very large cathedral facing Lafayette Avenue. Other pressing needs of the people of the diocese of Brooklyn took precedence, and the cathedral construction went slowly About 1887, he asked Keely to design this house as a bishop's residence. The foundations for the cathedral were built, a chapel of St. John was built, but the project was later abandoned and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School was constructed in an L-shape around the house, now LaSalle Hall, a residence for students.

Above is the Clermont Avenue entrance to Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. Queen of All Saints may be seen on the north side of Lafayette Avenue, with the 1906 Brooklyn Masonic Temple to its left.

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Queen of All Saints, Fort Greene

2010-12-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

The church and school of Queen of All Saints are on the north side of Layfayette Avenue at Vanderbilt Avenue. The rectory and school address is 300 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11205. The rectory telephone is 718-638-7625. The school telephone is 718-857-3114. The church was built about 1913 as a chapel for the planned cathedral across the street.

The school website is linked here. That website includes a slide show of both school and church.

According to the diocesan listing, the parish celebrates Mass on Sundays at 10.15 a.m. A friend tells me that the morning sun beautifully illuminates the windows. An interior photo from 1913 is linked here. Please also see this commentary in The Brownstoner. The architect was Gustave Steinbeck, who also designed the impressive church of the Blessed Sacrament on West 71st Street, Manhattan.

Our Lady of Pompei, Bushwick

2010-11-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii Church is located at 225 Seigel St., Brooklyn NY 11206, telephone 718-497-0614. It is staffed by the Pallottine Order of Priests and Brothers, S.A.C., or Società dell'Apostolato Cattolico.
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A decorative plaza faces the church door. An office and instructional rooms are to the left, along Seigel Street. The cornerstone, visible above, is dated 1902. At that time, the parish was almost entirely Italian. The principal languages now seem to be English and Spanish.

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii began in the late 1800's, only a few years before this church was built.

For decades, the neighborhood has been more Latin American than Italian, so it is appropriate that Vincenzo Pallotti is honored with his baptismal name in Spanish. As he lived 1795-1850, he predates the devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii. A brief history of the work he founded is linked here. But who is Herr Seigel?

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November, 2010, Announcements of Closings and Mergers

2010-11-30T04:01:00.000-08:00

A Tablet article dated 11.17.2010 concerning the closing and merging of some Brooklyn parishes is linked here. The article includes several photos of interest: St. Edward, St. Patrick (Kent Ave., already including St. Lucy), Our Lady of Montserrat (already including St. Ambrose), and St. Ignatius. How long this article will remain available on the internet is unpredictable. That is one reason why I take my own photos. However, books will outlast blogs!

All Saints, Williamsburg

2010-11-30T03:49:00.000-08:00

The above photo looks north to All Saints church, at the intersection of Flushing Avenue, Throop Avenue, and Thornton Street. The office address is 115 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11206, telephone 718-388-1951. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The events at Tepayac on December 12, 1531, are commemorated on the passageway linking church and rectory. When the diocese established All Saints parish in 1868, the congregation was mostly German. Mexicans and other Latin Americans predominate nowadays.

When I took these photos in November, 2010, there was no outdoor sign telling the name of the church, welcoming anyone, or announcing the Mass schedule, perhaps because the schedule for the Feast Day 12.12.2010 is quite different: Hymns at 10 a.m., Lauds at 10:30, Procession at 11, solemn Mass at noon, Tecuaniz Dance in the basement at 1 p.m., and Mass at 7 p.m. A guess: the closure of the chapel of Our Lady of Monserrat may lead to other changes and necessitate new signs.

The above photo looks southeast on Throop Avenue. Perhaps a former school building at the left is used for religious education and other meetings. On the roof is a dish aimed at the diocesan television antenna adjacent to Bishop Ford High School. In the distance is part of Woodhull Medical Center. Parish school numbers were so large in the past, that schools were built on Whipple St. (at left, above), Throop Avenue, and Thornton Street. One was a parish high school for girls. A school playground is now the location of a busy McDonald's on Broadway. Buildings on Whipple St. appear to have been renovated as apartments. The building on Thornton Street now houses Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, founded by a Sister of Mercy. (Matthew Thornton signed the Declaration of Independence.)

If All Saints doesn't post a sign with its name, at least around the corner on Flushing Avenue, the Angels do.

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St. Lucy - St. Patrick, Kent Avenue

2010-11-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

Please read this decree concerning the merger of this parish into that of Mary of Nazareth, 41 Adelphi Street, effective January 31, 2011. The name of the parish is Mary of Nazareth, but the name of the church at 41 Adelphi Street is Sacred Heart. It is about a mile west of St. Patrick's.
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Note the 1843 date on the sign, ten years before the creation of the diocese of Brooklyn. According to John Sharp in "History of the Diocese of Brooklyn," vol. 1, p. 113, Catholics in this neighborhood "on the Newtown Road" (Flushing Avenue) purchased a Methodist church near what is now the intersection of Kent and Willoughby Avenues, and named their church St. Mary's. Bishop Hughes of New York sent them a pastor. About 1849, the parish was renamed St. Patrick's. The church shown below was dedicated by Bishop Loughlin of Brooklyn in 1856, three years after the diocese was created.

At the corner of Willoughby and Kent Avenue stands this church built in 1856 by the famous architect Patrick Charles Keely. My photos date from March, 2005. However, please also see this link.
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In the block adjacent to the left side of the church (that is, going downtown on Willoughby Avenue) is the historic property of the convent and orphanage of the Sisters of Mercy. The place is far more than historic; it is was important to many families for more than a century. A New York Times article is linked here.

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St. Gregory the Great, Crown Heights

2010-11-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

Please see this decree concerning the merger of this parish into St. Matthew's parish, effective January 31, 2011. The church of St. Matthew is about a mile east, on Eastern Parkway near Utica Avenue. The decree states that the church of St. Gregory the Great will remain a worship site for St. Matthew's parish.
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The cornerstone declares that this extraordinary church was built in 1915. This photo was taken on August 20, 2008. To the left is St. John's Place. At the right is Brooklyn Avenue, one-way southbound.
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The rectory address is 112 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11213, telephone 718-773-0100 (at the right of the tower in this photo). The parish website is linked here. The school address is 991 St. John's Place, Brooklyn NY 11213, telephone 718-774-3330. Conveniently, the B45 bus on St. John's Place stops at this intersection, as does the southbound B43.
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A better photo and brief commentary may be found here on Andrew Cusack's blog.

Some design elements

2010-10-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Several questions have arisen about campaniles and other design elements. Because posts can be edited, I intend to use this post to collect lists of churches with similar items.
1) Which Brooklyn Catholic churches have campaniles? Clearly, St. Mark's (Sheepshead Bay) and St. Gregory the Great (Crown Heights). Others?
2) Which Brooklyn Catholic churches are within a school? Fourteen Holy Martyrs appears to have an adjacent church, but that is really a church hall; the sanctuary is inside the school. Decades ago, both were sold to other Christians. Queen of All Saints at Lafayette and Vanderbilt Avenues is a combined building. Others?
3) Before the invention of electronic public address systems, a pulpit might be halfway down the nave, so that all could hear to the Gospel and the preacher. I believe St. Barbara's still uses that pulpit in the nave. Others?

St. Augustine, Park Slope

2010-10-29T14:46:00.001-07:00

The above view looks north on Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, with the towers of St. Augustine church under renovation in 2009. The rectory address is 116 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217, between Sterling Place and Park Place. The telephone is 718-783-3132, and the website is linked here.
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The church was built in 1888, under the design of the Profitt brothers.

The above view shows the Sterling Place (south) end of the former parish school, which runs through to Park Place. In addition to elementary grades, it once housed St. Augustine Diocesan High School for Boys. A link to that school's alumni organization is here.
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Tragically, on December 16, 1960, teachers and students saw an airliner descend along Stirling Place (left to right in this photo) before it crashed near Seventh Avenue.

St. Boniface, Duffield Street, Downtown

2010-10-29T14:40:00.001-07:00

The above photo looks north on Duffield Street from Willoughby Street. The website for the Oratory Church of St. Boniface is linked here. The church is at 190 Duffield Street, but the mailing address is 109 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn NY 11201, telephone 718-875-2086. A complex of large buildings called MetroTech looms north and west of the church. The parish location is truly downtown Brooklyn, with Lawrence Street, Jay Street, and Boro Hall subway stations nearby.

Designed by the prolific architect, Patrick Charles Keely, the church was built in 1872. It is maintained splendidly by the parishioners and the Oratorians.

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A presentation about six parishes

2010-10-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

At Douglaston on October 28, 2010, Joseph Coen, archivist for the diocese of Brooklyn, offered an excellent Powerpoint review of the history of six parishes: St. James Cathedral, St. Joseph (Pacific Street), St. Augustine (Park Slope), Most Holy Trinity (Williamsburg), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Bay Ridge), and Regina Pacis (Bensonhurst). I must review my notes of this evening and make necessary corrections to this blog. Many thanks to Mr. Coen and to the members of the audience, who also made comments of interest.
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The diocese is under the patronage of Mary with the title of the Immaculate Conception. The long-planned and never-constructed cathedral on Greene Avenue was to have that title. However, high school students in the 1950's were told that the diocesan patron was St. Joseph, and a holiday was given March 19th instead of March 17th because the archdiocese across the river had St. Patrick as patron. So, who is the patron: Joseph or Mary?
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Some of the questions raised by the audience are answered well in the book, "Diocese of Immigrants," available from the archivist's office, 718-965-7300, ext. 1001.

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St. Frances Cabrini, Dyker Heights

2010-10-14T02:44:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of St. Frances Cabrini parish is 1562 86th Street, Brooklyn NY 11228, telephone 718-236-9165.
The above photo looks east on 86th Street towards the busy intersection of 16th Avenue and 86th Street. The church is on the southeast corner of 86th Street and Bay 11th Street in Dyker Heights. (The numbered "Bay" streets are parallel to and interspersed among the numbered avenues, leading to some confusion.)

About fifty students of the Catherine Laboure School use the former parish elementary school on Bay 11th Street, which merged with that of St. Mary Mother of Jesus on 23rd Avenue.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dyker Heights

2010-10-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

The church of Our Lady of Guadalupe faces 15th Avenue at the northeast corner of 73rd Street. The rectory address is 7201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11228, telephone 718-236-8300. The parish website is linked here. The 71st station of the D train is nearby.

In 1531, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, near what is now the Basilica of N. S. de Guadalupe in northern Mexico City, served by metro line 6, Basilica station.

The address of the parish school is 1518 73rd Street, Brooklyn NY 11228, telephones 718-331-2070 and 718-236-5587. The school website is linked here. Above is a view from 15th Avenue, but the school extends considerably along 73rd Street.

Along 72nd Street is another school building, apparently with a hall and sports facilities. In the 2010 Official Catholic Directory, the enrollment is listed as 400.

St. Ephrem, Dyker Heights

2010-10-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

The address of the parish of St. Ephrem is 929 Bay Ridge Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11228, telephone 718-833-1010, with a website linked here. In the above photo, the rectory is to the right, adjacent to the church, on Bay Ridge Parkway, otherwise known as 75th Street. The school is to the left, on Fort Hamilton Parkway.

The Fort Hamilton Parkway bus honors the Pontiff.

St. Ephrem's parish was founded in 1921. The previous October, Pope Benedict XV declared the Father of the Church, St. Ephrem the Syrian, a Doctor of the Universal Church. Living from about the year 303 to 373, St. Ephrem wrote many hymns, poems, and sermons in Syriac. (I wonder to what extent the script Ephrem used resembles that seen on medical offices along Bay Ridge Parkway.) The present church has a 1952 cornerstone. The church faces Interstate 287, the construction of which brought the demolition of hundreds of homes in St. Ephrem's parish in the early 1960's.

The school address is 7415 Ford Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11228, telephone 718-833-1440. The school's website is linked here.

Both new and old school buildings are in use by the approximately 400 students, two rooms per grade. The newer building is shown here on 74th Street, connected to the older building.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

St. Cecilia, Greenpoint, now Divine Mercy

2010-08-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

St. Cecilia's parish, Greenpoint, has been merged into a new parish of Divine Mercy, with the pastor residing at the former parish of St. Francis of Paola. I have not learned whether this office address is still valid: 84 Herbert Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222, telephone 718-389-0010. The buildings take up almost the entire rectangle of the block bounded by North Henry, Herbert, Monitor, and Richardson Streets, the exception being a few private houses to the right in this photo. The parish was established in 1871. One year, it seems, almost 1,700 students were educated in the parish school, which closed in June, 2008. For more photos of this parish, please look at my September, 2008, photos on Webshots here. When you get to that link, move to Previous or Next (near top right of photo) to explore more photos of the parish and Greenpoint.
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The parish website is linked here.
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For decades, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the De La Salle Christian Brothers staffed the parish school. Sad to relate, Brother Andrew Gerard Duncanson, teacher at St. Cecilia's Boys' department 1962-1964 and principal there 1967-1969, passed away in Providence, Rhode Island, 8/28/2011, where he worked at La Salle Academy.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Park Slope

2010-07-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

St. Thomas Aquinas church is located on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue (to the left) and Ninth Street (with bus B61 at the right). Its mailing address is 249 Ninth Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-9471. The parish website is linked here. In 2008, Holy Family parish on 14th Street was merged with St. Thomas Aquinas.

The parish was established in 1884. If I read the history on the website correctly, this church was dedicated in 1886.

These clips for men's caps and hats appeared in many churches in the last century.

A helpful folder available inside the church offers suggestions for prayer. "The doors of our church are open all day as a symbol that all are welcomed to enter and pray!" St. Thomas Aquinas is depicted with a scroll on which is written "Joy is the noblest human act."
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Regarding that axiom, an interesting link is here.

This building at Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street was the parish school from 1919 to 2005. It is now rented to the New York City Board of Education. There are at least several public school buildings with crosses in our city. The Brentwood Josephites taught in this parish since 1884.
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In Brooklyn there are two parishes named St. Thomas Aquinas. The other one is in Flatlands, established almost at the same time, but before Flatlands was part of the city of Brooklyn.

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Immaculate Heart of Mary, Kensington

2010-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

The parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary is located at 2805 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11218, telephone 718-871-1310. This is at the northern end of Fort Hamilton Parkway, between East 4th Street and East 5th Street, close to Prospect Park and the Prospect Expressway, but about 4 miles northeast of Fort Hamilton. The neighborhoods are Windsor Terrace to the north and Kensington to the south.
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One might recall a tradition of crossing oneself or of men tipping their hats when passing a church. Despite the locked fence, a young lady stops here to pray before a statue, either Jesus as the Good Shepherd between the doors, or Mary above the doors.

The parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was established in 1898, and the cornerstone of this church is dated 1931. In 1933, the Independent Subway came to this neighborhood, with a station entrance one block east on Fort Hamilton Parkway (F and G trains).

At East 5th Street is this prayer for peace, in eight languages.

And the public school across Fort Hamilton Parkway echoes the prayer.

Two blocks east is the parish school at 3002 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11218, telephone 718-438-7373. The school website is linked here. For many decades, the Brentwood Josephites staffed this school.

The south side of the parish school faces Caton Avenue and the B16 bus.

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St. Frances de Chantal, Borough Park

2010-06-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

The church of St. Frances de Chantal is at the southwest corner of 58th Street and 13th Avenue in the Blythebourne section of Borough Park. The mailing address is 1273 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219, telephone 718-436-6407. Established in 1892, the parish was recently offered as a center for the apostolate of Polish immigrants, and all three priests on the staff are of Polish heritage. The pastor is a Polish Pallottine, but the parish does not appear on a list of parishes specifically entrusted to the Pallottine Fathers, S.A.C. For decades, the Fathers of Mercy (of French heritage) staffed the parish, and the Amityville Dominicans (of Bavarian heritage) staffed the school.

Pope John Paul II stands to the right of the entrance, with the flags the United States, Poland, and the Vatican behind him. His arm may point to the B16 bus one block away.

Facing the church is the former parish elementary school. In this part of Brooklyn, the streets tend to be residential, the avenues lined with stores, often with two floors of apartments above the stores.

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St. Rosalia - Regina Pacis, Bensonhurst

2010-06-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

The mailing address for the parish of Saint Rosalia - Regina Pacis is 1230 65th Street, Brooklyn NY 11219, telephone 718-236-0909.
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The people of the parish of St. Rosalia (founded in 1902 as an Italian national parish, not a territorial parish) made a vow in 1942 to build a votive shrine, the magnificent Regina Pacis church, if their servicemen came home safe from the war and peace was established. In broad summary, that seems to be why this parish has two names. The history of the votive shrine from 1942 onward is given on the parish website. I have been unable to learn the parish history for the first forty years, especially whether there was more than one building for Sunday worship. This is not a merged parish. It is a parish that took on a supplementary name.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

Above is the church on 14th Avenue. Three weekend Masses are offered here: Saturday 5 p.m. in English, Saturday 7:30 p.m. in Chinese, Sunday 9 a.m. in Italian.

Above is the Regina Pacis Votive Shrine on 65th Street near 12th Avenue, Bensonhurst.

The parish website has descriptions and photos of the artwork surrounding the congregation.

The above view looks west on 65th Street towards 12th Avenue.
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Some Catholic parishes with beautiful churches do not host weddings of couples who are not active attendees of the parish itself. The Regina Pacis website implies a ready willingness to assist the celebration of Catholic marriage.

The above view likewise looks along 65th Street towards 12th Avenue. This building is signed Regina Pacis Youth Center and Catholic Migration Office. However, it seems the upper floors may have had classrooms. To the right is the rectory and then the Regina Pacis Votive Shrine. A former parish school building extends the short block on 12th Avenue from 65th Street to 66th Street.

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Holy Spirit, Borough Park

2010-06-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Holy Spirit church faces 17th Avenue at 46th Street in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. The mailing address is 1712 45th Street, Brooklyn NY 11204, telephone 718-436-5565. It would seem that three languages predominate: English, Korean, and Spanish. The church is two blocks west of the Culver Line station (F train) at 18th Avenue.

The above photo shows the well-maintained garden and grotto, as seen from 17th Avenue. The church to the right of the sign. In the background can be seen a rectory that includes a chapel for weekday 8:30 a.m. Mass. Walkers may reach the chapel through this garden or along the driveway from 46th Street.

The parish school closed in 2004. The building was offered for lease in November, 2009. The parish bulletin lists the phone numbers of nearby St. Agatha School (718-435-3137) and that of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (718-492-2209).

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St. Francis of Assisi

2010-06-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

The church of St. Francis of Assisi (combined with the parish of St. Blaise) is located on the east side of Nostrand Avenue between Lincoln Road and Maple St. The mailing address is 319 Maple St., Brooklyn NY 11225, telephone 718-756-2015. The school is at 400 Lincoln Road, Brooklyn NY 11225, telephone 718-778-3700. Please see the photos below for more information.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Above is the parish school on Lincoln Road. It is staffed by lay educators and Brentwood Josephites. Please see the school website here.

Above is a representation of the shepherds' vision of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Above is St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), as in the account of his preaching to birds.
From the parish bulletin, it would seem that this parish is now entrusted to the Society of Mary, s.m., or Marist Society.

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Holy Cross, Flatbush

2010-06-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Holy Cross parish is located at 2530 Church Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11226, telephone 718-469-5900. Its website is linked here. The diocese of New York established this parish in the Village of Flatbush in 1845, before the creation of the diocese of Brooklyn and before the city of Brooklyn absorbed Flatbush.

I am uncertain whether Flatbush Catholic Academy used this building or a much larger one behind it. The school was closed in 2009. The parish has a religious education program.

Several parish buildings front on important Church Avenue: the church, rectory, a school building, and this chapel and parish hall. The property extends from Veronica Place on the east to Woods Place on the west. Brooklyn has been called "The Borough of Churches," and this stretch of Church Avenue from Nostrand to Bedford Avenue bears witness.

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Our Lady of Refuge, Foster Ave.

2010-06-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Refuge church can be seen above at the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue and Foster Avenue. Its mailing address is 2020 Foster Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11210, telephone 718-434-2090. The website of Our Lady of Refuge parish gives more information of about the church than can be seen from the street.

The cornerstone of the church is dated 1933. On a weekday afternoon, it was closed, possibly for repairs.

Where is the Mass schedule or the rectory phone number?

The inscription reads in three vertical sections: Mater Dei (mother of God); refugium hominum (refuge of men); ora pro nobis (pray for us). More information about the church may be found here from the New York City Organ Project, which names the architect as Henry V. Murphy, who also designed St. Anselm's church, Bay Ridge.

Adjacent to the former parish school is an Episcopalian parish, Church of the Nativity. Its announcement board, behind the blue box, also does not list the schedule of worship. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

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Christ Jesus Our Hope

2010-03-30T14:42:00.001-07:00

The bishop of Brooklyn has announced a procedure for determining which parishes will close. For further information about this plan, named Christ Jesus Our Hope, click here.

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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Williamsburg

2010-03-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is 275 North Eighth St., Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-384-0223. For the parish website, click here. For the renowned parish feast each July, click here.

Above is the intersection of Havemeyer St. and North 8th St. About fifty years ago, the older church was in the way of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. In a sense, Robert Moses paid for the new church.
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Architects did not consider the difficulty some people have climbing steps, as I observed before Mass 3.27.2010.

The size of the parish might be judged by the number of Masses scheduled for Easter, 2010: Three in English, one in Italian, plus two at the nearby Church of the Annunciation: one in Lithuanian, and one in Spanish. The first communion candidates and confirmation candidates each number about fifty.

Above is the parish school at 10 Withers Street, Brooklyn NY, telephone 718-782-1110. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it. In March, 2010, the diocese announced that Northside Catholic Academy would be renamed Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy and merged with St. Nicholas School.
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Two of the above photos show a new, taller building on Union Avenue behind the church and school. This is a rather typical view of Williamsburg and Greenpoint in 2010. Among houses of two or three stories are higher modern condos, perhaps not yet fully sold. One encounters these structures on all shapes of tracts, small or large, buildings of three centuries in a block.

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Our Lady of Consolation, Williamsburg

2010-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of Our Lady of Consolation parish is 184 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-388-1942. The church is on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue, between Berry St. and Bedford Ave., Williamsburg or Northside. Metropolitan Avenue replaces North 2nd Street.

The Saturday afternoon I stopped by this church, the vestibule was open for prayers at a painting of Our Lady, presumably under the title Our Lady of Consolation. The church itself was locked. Regarding the above schedule: Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

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Holy Ghost, Williamsburg

2010-03-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic church is located at 160 North Fifth Street, Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-782-9592. It belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford.

The church is on the south side of North Fifth Street east of Bedford Avenue.

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St. Ann's Cathedral, Williamsburg

2010-03-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of St. Ann's Cathedral is 167 North Sixth Street, Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-388-4218. It is the former church of St. Vincent de Paul, the parish having been established in 1860 and closed about 2005. Is demolition underway? The above view of North Sixth Street east of Bedford Avenue was taken March 27, 2010. See link here.

Concerning Armenian Catholics, please see the link here. The ecclesiastical jurisdiction is the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg.

The parish school has a courtyard facing North Sixth Street. This view along North Seventh Street would suggest that Northside Catholic Academy has a pre-school program in this building. From a notice I found in another church, it seems that Northside Catholic Academy and St. Nicholas parish school will be renamed Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy in 2010. The buildings will be those at St. Nicholas and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

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Sts. Peter and Paul, Williamsburg

2010-03-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul is 71 South Third St., Brooklyn NY 11211, telephone 718-388-9576. The church, pictured above, is on South Second Street between Berry St. and Wythe Avenue.
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To the left of the church is a convent of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara. This link describes their work. They, with the initials S.S.V.M., are connected to the group of I.V.E. priests from Argentina working in East New York parishes.

The pastor and staff serve a merged parish. This church is a few blocks north of the Williamsburg Bridge. Epiphany is a few blocks south of the Williamsburg Bridge. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The parish, founded in 1844, was one of the first Catholic parishes in Williamsburg. From 1848 to 1957 this parish was graced with architect Patrick Keely's first church.

This seems to be the former parish school on Berry Street. The new church is around the corner to the right.

Sister Helen Patrick Howley, a Brentwood Josephite, was principal of the parish school. For a brief and inspiring biography, please scroll down on this link.

Above: the rectory at 71 South Third St.

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Transfiguration, Marcy Ave., Williamsburg

2010-03-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of Transfiguration parish is 263 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211,telephone 718-388-8733. The church is located at Marcy Avenue and Hooper Street, only two blocks south of the Hewes Street station of the J elevated train.

A correspondent has inquired which windows in the church are Tiffany windows. He recently sent me a list that probably dates from 1910: Four Evangelists, St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, St. Mary Magdalene, Madonna and child, St. Dominic, Sts. Peter and Paul, ornamental windows and gable and porch lights. I took the above photo before I learned about the possible Tiffany source. Would anyone be able to identify the above windows or verify that the listed windows are currently in the church? Please email the inquirer at wab104(at)hotmail.com Thank you.

The window in the north transept depicts the Transfiguration. It is probably not a Tiffany.

Weekday Mass is offered in Spanish. Sundays have one English Mass, one Spanish.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. Bryan Karvelis, a deceased pastor, is commemorated on the street sign. See the link here for more information. A description of the church organ is here.

Transfiguration parish was founded in 1874, and 1889 is the date on the church cornerstone.

The parish school closed in 2005. Nearby on Marcy Avenue is a large public school now an academy for Satmar Hasidim.

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St. Agatha, Sunset Park

2010-03-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

St. Agatha's church is on the northeast corner of 48th Street and Seventh Avenue in the Sunset Park neighborhood. The parish address is 702 48th Street, Brooklyn NY 11220, telephone 718-439-1080.

The Mass schedule is linked here.

The parish school is located at 736 48th Street, Brooklyn NY, telephone 718-435-3137. The website is linked here.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

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St. Catharine of Alexandria, Boro Park

2010-03-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

St. Catharine of Alexandria Church is at Fort Hamilton Parkway and 41st Street in Boro Park. The mailing address is 1119 41st Street, Brooklyn NY 11218, telephone 718-436-5917. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it (to read the Mass schedule, for example).

The Lourdes grotto, above, is shown in a photograph taken through a fence separating this garden from Fort Hamilton Parkway.

Across the street is the older of two parish school buildings. There is no longer a parish school.

In the above photo, the rectory can be seen on 41st Street, to the right.

In the above photo, looking east on 41st Street, is the newer former parish school, now used by two public high schools. Its cross is covered. The adjacent building is a convent, then the church across Fort Hamilton Parkway. A contemporary description of Boro Park is given on Wikipedia here.

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Saint Saviour, Park Slope

2010-03-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. Above is the Mass schedule as of March, 2010.

The parish high school is at 588 Sixth Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-4406. The website is linked here. The cornerstone of the building is dated 1908, so I presume that sometime in the 1950's the elementary department moved to a newer building on Eighth Avenue, shown below. On nearby Seventh Avenue, the public high school's cornerstone is dated MCMII. Park Slope's elegance goes back to the nineteenth century. In quite a few American cities, wealthier folk sought to live on "Prospect Street" or on "The Heights." Workers tended to live near their riverfront jobs.

Above is St. Saviour Elementary School, 701 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-8000, website linked here.

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Our Lady of Peace, Gowanus

2010-03-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

Our Lady of Peace parish is at 522 Carroll Street, Brooklyn NY 11215-1030, telephone 718-624-5122, west of Fourth Avenue and near the Union St. station of the R train. The pastor is Father Patrick D. Boyle, O.F.M. (Immaculate Conception Province).

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The parish school is now occupied by PS 372, The Children's School. Note the two flags, two crosses.

Above, the Franciscan monastery and the church are on the south side of Carroll Street. The cornerstone of the church is marked 1904.

The official international website of the Neocatechumenal Way is linked here.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, Flatlands or Old Mill Basin

2010-01-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

The mailing address of the parish of Mary, Queen of Heaven, is 1395 East 56th Street, Brooklyn NY 11234, telephone 718-763-2330. The impressive parish website (including the school) is linked here. The church is on the south side of Avenue M between East 56th and East 57th Streets.

The school is at 1326 East 57th Street, Brooklyn NY 11234, telephone 718-763-2360.

This view of Mary Queen of Heaven school looks east from East 56th Street. The cornerstone says 1949. The Dominican Sisters' convent is to the left. If I understand correctly, for years the school was staffed by Sparkill Dominicans, and the current principal is an Amityville Dominican. The 8th grade graduation class of 1970 numbered 52 (photo on Facebook). It seems there is one room per grade now.

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Our Lady of Miracles, Canarsie

2010-01-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

The mailing address of the parish of Our Lady of Miracles is 757 East 86th Street, Brooklyn NY 11236, telephone 718-257-2400. Above is the sign and devotional statue on the north side of Flatlands Avenue at East 86th Street.

The parish church with the parish center to the left.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. This photo was taken January 20, 2010. The parish bulletin reported an attendance of 679 worshipers at the four Masses on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

The parish school is now part of Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy. Its address is 744 East 87 Street, Brooklyn NY 11236, telephone 718-649-0271.

It would appear that the former convent on East 87th Street is the New York State headquarters of the Pro Sanctity Movement.

Above is Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy on East 87th Street. How three parish schools took the name Our Lady of Trust when they were merged seems to arise from the Pro Sanctity Movement based here. In Italian, Our Lady's title is la Madonna della Fiducia, patroness of a Roman seminary.

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Nativity, Classon Avenue, closed

2010-01-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

Please see link here.
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Many thanks to the New York City chapter of the American Society of Organists for providing this informative history.
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Many thanks to a former parishioner for her comment linked here.

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St. Jude, Canarsie

2010-01-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

The mailing address of St. Jude parish is 1677 Canarsie Road, Brooklyn NY 11236, telephone 718-763-6300. The above view is from where Seaview Avenue, East 94th St., and Canarsie Road meet. This is only a few blocks northwest of Exit 13 of the Belt Parkway and Canarsie Pier.
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To read a comment, please click on the word Comments above this first photo.

The entrance to the church is here on Canarsie Road. To the left is the church. Immediately inside the door and to the right is an alcove with candles and votive notes near a statue of St. Jude. Directly across the foyer is a chapel for the adoration of the exposed Eucharist.

Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy is located in two buildings: here at 1696 Canarsie Road, telephone 718-241-6633, and also a mile away at the parish of Our Lady of Miracles. I have not yet learned whether each building has a full elementary school, K-8, nor have I found the present enrollment in each building. The 2009 Official Catholic Directory (possibly using 2008 statistics) listed 283 students here, 250 at Our Lady of Miracles, and 230 at Holy Family.

St. Jude parish was established in 1961. The cornerstone of the school is dated 1966.

On the south side of the church are the fourteen Stations of the Cross, a Pieta, and a crucifix. The numerous memorials on the stations and in the walkway reminded me that the Church is the assembly of believers rather than the hierarchy alone or the buildings.
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The November 3, 2011, edition of the Brooklyn Tablet published an excellent article about the 50th anniversary of this parish. The link is here.

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Holy Family, Flatlands Ave., Canarsie

2010-01-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Above, the church of the Holy Family stands at the busy intersection of Rockaway Parkway and Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie, Brooklyn. The mailing address is 9719 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11236, telephone 718-257-4423.

The "cornerstone" to the right shows the 1950 date of the construction of this church, replacing an older parish church. The parish was founded in 1880, and a photo of an earlier church building is linked here.

Left to right on the north side of Flatlands Avenue: the church, rectory, and former school. Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy is now located in the two other parishes of the Canarsie cluster, St. Jude and Our Lady of Miracles.
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Two other churches dedicated to the Holy Family exist in the borough of Brooklyn, one in Greenpoint, the other on 14th Street, Park Slope.
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St. John the Baptist, Lewis Avenue

2010-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have yet to walk around the block where St. John's University and St. John's Prep began along Lewis Avenue. In today's New York Post this article appeared, stating that a charter school, New Beginnings, will take over the space now occupied by the parish elementary school at 82 Lewis Avenue. It seems that the neighboring parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel on Putnam Avenue has already been merged into the parish of St. John the Baptist, one pastor covering worship at both churches. Two parish offices remain. Corrections and explanations are welcome.
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The website of the two parishes is linked here. The rectory address is 75 Lewis Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11206, telephone 718-443-7211.

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Our Lady of Lourdes, Bushwick

2009-11-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Our Lady of Lourdes parish, located along Broadway between Bushwick and East New York, has been combined with the parish of St. Martin of Tours. The building on DeSales Place in the above photo seems to be the former rectory, whose office is now located at St. Martin of Tours, 1288 Hancock St, Brooklyn, NY 11221, telephone 718-443-8484. The photo is taken from the window of a westbound J train between the Broadway Junction and Chauncey Street stations. To the left can be seen the former parish elementary school now used as Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School. Please see this article from the Brooklyn Tablet dated 11.9.2011. The address of the high school is 2 Aberdeen Street, Brooklyn NY 11207.
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The bulletin of the combined parishes says that Mass is offered Monday to Friday at the convent of the Missionaries of Charity, 34 Aberdeen Street, telephone 718-443-2868. Sunday at 11 a.m. a bi-lingual Mass is offered at 89 Furman Avenue.
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For an excellent capsule history of the parish, please see McNamara's Blog, linked here. The parish of St. Francis de Sales was established in 1872 and renamed Our Lady of Lourdes in 1897. For many decades, it was staffed by the Fathers of Mercy, a missionary and preaching congregation. That may be one reason for the the large size of the rectory.

Blessed Sacrament, Euclid Avenue, Cypress Hills

2009-11-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

As one rides the J train from Jamaica to the Williamsburg Bridge, so many steeples are seen that it is difficult to name them. The train crosses an invisible border from Queens to Brooklyn and stops at Crescent Street, Brooklyn, on an old section of the Fulton Street el. This photo of Blessed Sacrament parish is taken from the train platform.
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The mailing address for Blessed Sacrament parish is 198 Euclid Ave., Brooklyn NY 11208, telephone 718-827-1200.
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The parish school is at 187 Euclid Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11208. The school telephone is 718-235-4863.

The parish school is accredited by the Middle States Association (Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools). The evaluation team will soon reevaluate the school for renewal of its accreditation, a process all MSA school undergo periodically.

I note the trilingual sign above: Latin, English, Spanish.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

Is that St. Francis at the rectory door?

"Our church is open all day. Venid y adoremos." As I have observed at other unlocked churches in Brooklyn, worshipers visit the church often. I have seldom found an empty church.
The parish bulletin is one of the friendliest and most welcoming that I have seen.

This 1891 cornerstone may have been removed from the old church when the present church was dedicated in 1912. Please see the helpful narrative of parish history linked here. Also see the excellent account given here on McNamara's blog.
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Please note that there is a link to Comments at the top of this post. A new and much appreciated comment was received 2.13.2011.
Please note this admirable website, the East New York Project, with pages and pages of photos and commentary, found by using the zone tabs across the top.

St. Martin of Tours, Bushwick

2009-10-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

St. Martin of Tours church faces Weirfield Street and Irving Square. Knickerbocker Avenue with the parish school is at the right. Most hours, the church gates are padlocked. The inscription above the pillars reads, "Ecclesia Sancti Martini Turonensis." St. Martin lived from about 316 to 397. Martin was bishop of the diocese of Tours, France. He did not get along well with St. Brice, who succeeded him.

The Mass schedule is posted outside the rectory door at 1288 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221, just south of Knickerbocker Avenue. The phone number is 718-443-8484. This parish includes the closed parish of Fourteen Holy Martyrs. The rectory also serves as rectory for the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.
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The website of the combined parish is linked here.

Above is the parish school at 751 Knickerbocker Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11221, telephone 718-386-4050. Some years ago, the school was renamed St. Elizabeth Seton Parish School. In early 2009, Bishop DiMarzio threatened to close the school, but later allowed it to accept new students. The Brooklyn Tablet of 5.5.2010 announced that the school, with an enrollment of 180, will close in June, 2010.
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The website of the parish school is linked here.

For years, the Sisters of St. Joseph have provided staff for this school.

Fourteen Holy Martyrs, Closed

2009-10-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

The parish of Fourteen Holy Martyrs was established on Central Avenue, Bushwick, in 1887. After its 1976 merger with the parish of St. Martin of Tours, the property was sold to Pilgrim Church, which continues to use the buildings.
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Many thanks to a graduate of the class of 1962 for sending me a correction. He wrote that the building at the left above is a new parish hall, built in the 1960's to replace an older parish hall. He also explained that the church of Fourteen Holy Martyrs was located on the ground floor of the school, pictured below.
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Many thanks also to a former student, who wrote, "I went to that school starting about 1948. At that time the church was in the same building as the school. As the parish got larger, they had to use the other building to hold the overflow. Both buildings were used as a church. I don't know when they started to use the second building as a church."
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The parish was named after a popular Bavarian devotion, that of the Vierzehn Nothelfer. For decades, the Dominican Sisters of Amityville staffed the parish school.

Both views look west on Central Avenue towards Covert Street and a public junior high school. For some years, until about 2002, the Pilgrim Christian Academy educated elementary school children in this building, the former church and parish school. Apparently, the academy has made another attempt to open. One address seems to be 628 Central Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11207.

Visitation, Red Hook

2009-10-05T01:24:00.000-07:00

The address for Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish rectory, seen at the left of the above photo, is 98 Richards Street, Brooklyn NY 11231, telephone 718-624-1572. The church itself is on the southwest corner of Richards Street and Verona Street. The photo looks north, with Red Hook Park to the photographer's right.

On the southwest corner of Richards Street and Visitation Place is the former convent, now with some other use. The former parish school, mid-block on the north side of Visitation Place, appears to be used used by a health agency.
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A correspondent who has roots in this parish sent several notes of interest, which I will quote below.

"There is a website http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/VisitationRC.html that tells of the history of the organ in the Church. The organ was unbelievable.

"There is also website www.southbrooklyn.com. If you go to the beginning entries, there is a lot of information (historical) about different things concerning the church and school. You would have to scroll a lot to pick up on little things.

"As far as the falling enrollment, Visitation School did not have tuition until late 60's and I think it was $10.00. We were taught mainly by nuns. I don't know if the loss of the nuns in the parish and the loss of various closings of industries in the area (Todd Shipyards, Sucrest) which employed more than half of Red Hook had anything to do with it."
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Please see this Tablet article dated 2.7.2011 about hope for this parish due to volunteer labor.

Sacred Hearts and St Stephen, Carroll Gardens

2009-10-05T01:20:00.000-07:00

The postal address for the parish of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and St. Stephen is 108 Carroll Street, Brooklyn NY 11231, telephone 718-596-7750. The parish website is linked here. The above view looks east across the canyon of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Interstate 278.

The above view looks north on Hicks Street, with the church at the corner of Summit Street. The rectory is on Carroll Street, behind the church. Patrick Charles Keely designed St. Stephen's church. In 1941, the planned construction of the expressway caused the loss of the newer church of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and that parish was merged with St. Stephen's. Please see the date December 7, 1941, in the parish history, linked here.

Summit Street bears an alternate name, Monsignor Del Vecchio Place. Francis Del Vecchio was pastor from about 1950 until 1986. See a biographical obituary here.
For decades, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, staffed the parish school.

The parish has a Facebook page here.

St. Charles Borromeo, Brooklyn Heights

2009-09-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

Above is the church of St. Charles Borromeo at the corner of Sidney Place and Aiken Place in Brooklyn Heights. The parish address is 21 Sidney Place, Brooklyn NY 11201, telephone 718-625-1177. This location is two blocks west of Borough Hall and just south of Joralemon Street. The parish website is linked here.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it. To the right of this sign is a cornerstone bearing the date 1896. I understand that this church was designed by Patrick Keely.

Above is the parish school, now closed. A sign in the window inquires whether neighbors would have a need for pre-school here. The cornerstone is dated 1916.

On Sidney Place, a convent is to the right of the school.

Our Lady of Lebanon, Brooklyn Heights

2009-09-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral is on the northeast corner of Henry Street and Remsen Street, only three blocks west of Brooklyn Borough Hall. The postal address of this parish is 113 Remsen St., Brooklyn NY 11201, telephone 718-624-7228. The cathedral's website is linked here. The website of the Eparchy (diocese) is here. Both websites are beautiful, even if a few months stale.

People have been singing the Lord's praises in this building since it was built under the direction of Richard Upjohn in 1846.

The Remsen Street entrance to the church has these doors from the passenger liner Normandie. Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The main door of the church has these panels from the passenger liner Normandie. Note the cedars of Lebanon above. I met two women from France also taking photographs of these doors. They said that one of the medallions shows the cathedral of Rouen. Again, clicking will enlarge the photo.
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Linked here is a Time magazine article from July, 1945, about the purchase of these doors. It seems that the Church of the Pilgrims moved out in late 1944 and the Maronite Catholics from Lebanon moved in during 1945.

Chancery, Park Slope

2009-09-24T07:06:00.001-07:00

In 2009, the diocese of Brooklyn moved its chancery to 310 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-399-5900. The diocesan website is linked here. The above photo shows the chancery's proximity to Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School.

The date 1968 at the door is about six years after Bishop Ford High School opened across the street. A helpful correspondent has explained:

"The building was built by the Nursing Sisters of the Sick Poor, who used this building as their mother house. This congregation used to go door to door. As the congregation dwindled, they decided to sell the building. The Brooklyn Diocese purchased it to house offices of the Bishop, Accounting, Stewardship, Parish Fiscal Management, Futures in Education (a foundation that provides scholarships for students to go to Catholic schools), Buildings and properties, Human Resources, Health Insurance, Pension, Car Insurance, Vicar Generals, IT Department, and The Tablet. Other offices at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, Queens.

The former Chancery (at Greene and Clermont Avenues) is no longer in use because of better use of space in the Immaculate Conception Center."

The bus which begins here at the chancery passes St. James Cathedral about 30 minutes later.

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Bishop Ford Central Catholic HS, Park Slope

2009-09-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School is located at 500 Nineteenth Street, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-360-2500. Its website is linked here.

The principal entrances of the school are along Nineteenth Street, indicated by the activities entrance on the right, and the academic entrance underneath the cross, as shown in the second photo.
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A helpful correspondent has explained: "The Franciscan Brothers Residence was the top floor of Bishop Ford. They now occupy a smaller section with their own chapel on their floor. The other space is used for the school ."
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The Prospect Expressway (NY 27) parallels Nineteenth Street. When the bishop of Brooklyn announced the construction of several diocesan high schools about 1960, suitable property was scarce. In this case, a streetcar barn took up the entire block now used by Bishop Ford High School. These streets border the school: on the northeast, Fifteenth Street, seen above; on the southeast Tenth Avenue, marked in the above photo by the tall transmitter of the diocesan television station; on the southwest Twentieth Street and Green-Wood Cemetery, and on the northwest Prospect Park West.

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Holy Name of Jesus, Windsor Terrace

2009-09-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

The address of Holy Name of Jesus church is 245 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-3071. The parish website is linked here. Prospect Park West is in front of the church. Prospect Avenue is alongside the church.

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

Holy Name of Jesus School is at 241 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn NY 11215, telephone 718-768-7629. The school website is linked here.
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PLEASE NOTE: In September, 2012, this school will be known as St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy.
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For almost a century, Sisters of St. Joseph staffed this parish school, and the Xaverian Brothers taught her for several decades. An excellent guide titled "Weekend Walks in Brooklyn" was authored by Robert J. Regalbuto, who graduated from this school in 1964. He says the school was built in 1923 and the Gothic Revival church dates to 1878.

Dominican Sisters of Amityville

2009-09-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Dominican Sisters of Amityville have staffed many parish schools in Brooklyn for decades, some perhaps more than a century. A friend has given me this list of Amityville Dominican parish schools, which I separate by zip-code in order to keep neighborhoods somewhat together and to facilitate using this information when I walk around more neighborhoods to write this blog. In order of numerical zipcode:
11206 -- Sts. Joseph and Dominic Academy, at Most Holy Trinity parish, Williamsburg. From 1853 until the 21st century, the Dominican Sisters staffed the parish school here.

11209 -- St. Patrick, Fort Hamilton.
11211 -- St. Nicholas, Williamsburg.
11219 -- St. Frances de Chantal, 58th Street.
11221 -- St. Barbara, Bushwick.
11221 -- St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Suydam St.
11221 -- Fourteen Holy Martyrs, Bushwick.
11223 -- Sts. Simon and Jude, Gravesend.
11224 -- Our Lady of Solace, Coney Island.
11228 -- Our Lady of Guadalupe, 73rd Street, Dyker Heights.
11228 -- St. Frances Cabrini, Bay 11th Street.
11229 -- Good Shepherd, Batchelder St.
11231 -- St. Mary Star of the Sea, Court St., Red Hook.
11236 -- St. Jude, Carnarsie.

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The work of these religious Sisters has been most effective and generous.

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Sisters of St Joseph, Brentwood

2009-09-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Sisters of St. Joseph (sometimes called Brooklyn Josephites or Brentwood Josephites) have staffed many parish schools in Brooklyn for decades, some perhaps more than a century. An inquiry has resulted in this list of Josephite parish schools, which I separate by zip-code in order to keep neighborhoods somewhat together and to facilitate using this information when I walk around more neighborhoods to write this blog. In order of zipcode:
11201 - St James
11204 - Holy Spirit, St Athanasius
11205 - Queen of All Saints
11206 - Immaculate Conception
11207 - Our Lady of Lourdes, St Malachy, St Michael
11208 - Blessed Sacrament, St Gabriel
11211 - Epiphany, Our Lady of Mt Carmel, St Vincent de Paul, Transfiguration
11213 - St Matthew
11214 - Precious Blood
11214 - St Mary, Mother of Jesus
11215 - Holy Name
11215 - St Francis Xavier
11215 - St John the Evangelist
11215 - St Thomas Aquinas
11216 - Our Lady of Victory
11217 - St Augustine
11218 - Immaculate Heart
11220 - Our Lady of Perpetual Help
11221 - Our Lady of Good Counsel
11222 - St Anthony
11222 - St Cecilia
11225 - St Francis of Assisi
11226 - Holy Cross
11229 - St Brendan
11230 - St Rose of Lima
11231 - St Agnes
11231 - Visitation
11232 - St Michael
11234 - St Thomas Aquinas
11238 - St Joseph (Pacific St), St Teresa of Avila
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Imagine the number of years given by these sisters to Christian education!

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St. Columba, Marine Park

2009-09-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of St. Columba's parish is 2245 Kimball Street, Brooklyn NY 11234, telephone 718-338-6265. Kimball Street is near the busy Kings Plaza shopping center at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U. Because Kimball Street is one-way north, an easy approach is west from Flatbush Avenue on Avenue V three short blocks, then a right turn onto Kimball Street. The views above and below are from Kimball Street.

The parish does not have a school.

St. Columba (521-597) is presented to the right of the entrance.

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Our Lady, Help of Christians, Midwood

2009-09-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

The mailing address of the parish of Our Lady, Help of Christians, is 1315 East 28th Street, Brooklyn NY 11210, telephone 718-338-5242. The parish website is here. The above photo shows the church with Avenue M along the left and East 28th Street in front of the steps. Both streets and beautiful with trees. Avenue M is one-way westbound from Nostrand Avenue. East 28th Street is one-way southbound.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

In the summer of 2009, Midwood Catholic Academy left this building, the former OLHC parish school, to find larger quarters at 1501 Hendrickson Street, Brooklyn NY 11234, the former St.Thomas Aquinas parish school.

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St Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands

2009-08-30T03:12:00.000-07:00

The above view looks north on residential Hendrickson Street. On the left is the rectory, the church, and a convent. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

A few days before the start of school, a new sign shows that Midwood Catholic Academy has moved to the former St. Thomas Aquinas school at 1501 Hendrickson St., Brooklyn NY 11234.

The address of St. Thomas Aquinas parish is 1550 Hendrickson Street, Brooklyn NY 11234, telephone 718-253-4404. Some parish buildings stand on the southwest side of Flatbush Avenue and Flatlands Avenue, but the nearby rectory, church, and school line Hendrickson Street, on which traffic moves northbound from Avenue P to Flatlands Avenue. Hendrickson Street is parallel to Flatbush Avenue, a short block west of Flatbush Avenue. The parish website states that the parish offices will move out of the rectory to a building on Flatbush Avenue, but that the mailing address will remain.

The website of St. Thomas Aquinas parish is linked here.
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Please note this recent this article in the Brooklyn Tablet. Midwood Catholic Academy, a combination of three parish elementary schools, is scheduled to enroll 370 students in September, 2009. Needing larger quarters, it is moving into the former St. Thomas Aquinas elementary school on Hendrickson Street.
There are two parishes in Brooklyn named St. Thomas Aquinas. This parish was established in 1885, before the City of Brooklyn included Flatlands.

Above is the old church on Flatbush Avenue.

To the right of the church is a convent for contemplative Sisters in the former convent of the Sisters of Mercy.

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Francis Morrone, Architectural Guidebook

2009-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Since I have covered only about a fourth of the Brooklyn parishes so far, I must mention a guidebook that offers enthusiastic, informative understanding of some Brooklyn Catholic churches that I must still visit. The book is Francis Morrone's "An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn."
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Her are the page numbers that describe Catholic parish churches:
Page 129: St. Charles Borromeo, 1868, Sidney Place, Brooklyn Heights, by Keely.
Page 136: Our Lady of Lebanon, 1846, Remsen and Henry Streets, purchased from other Christians about 1945.
Page 173: Queen of All Saints, 1915, Lafayette and Vanderbilt Aves.
Page 177: An article on Patrick Charles Keely.
Page 236: St.Anthony of Padua, 1874, Greenpoint, by Keely.
Page 241: St. Elias, 149 Kent St., apparently now sold.
Page 255: Our Lady of Victory, 1891-1895. "A strong Gothic church of Manhattan schist with highly contrasting limestone trim."
Page 297: St. Gregory the Great, 1917, St. John's Place and Brooklyn Ave., by Helmle and Corbett. Morrone writes, "It is one of the most beautiful churches in Brooklyn."
Page 302: St. Paul's, 1838, by Gamaliel King.
Page 345: St. Augustine, 1897, by Parfitt brothers. "Skillful use of color."
Page 350: St.Francis Xavier, 1904, by Thomas F. Houghton "who also did St. Agnes and Our Lady of Victory."
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The book is very helpful for anyone interested in Brooklyn.

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St. Rita, Shepherd Avenue, City Line

2009-08-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

St. Rita's church, school, and rectory are located on Shepherd Avenue, just south of Atlantic Avenue, in City Line, Brooklyn. The parish address is 275 Shepherd Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11208, telephone 718-647-4910. The parish website is linked here.
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You may click on any photo to enlarge it. To revert to the blog entry, return to the previous page.

St. Rita's church is beautiful with the light and colors of the stained glass windows. The Stations and some of the bas-reliefs appear to be ceramics.

Looking north on Shepherd Avenue, where traffic is one-way southbound.

Pedestrians are free to approach Shepherd Avenue from any direction, but automobiles must travel east on Atlantic Avenue and turn south onto Shepherd. The above photo shows the helpful and clear sign at the corner where one turns.

The above photo, snapped in front of the church, looks north on Shepherd Avenue. The parish school's address is 260 Shepherd Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11208, telephone 718-647-6040, with a website linked here. In the 2010 Official Catholic Directory, its enrollment of 493 made it the largest parish elementary school in the borough of Brooklyn. However, in September, 2011, this school will be merged into the new Salve Regina Catholic Academy, to be housed in the present St. Michael's school at Jerome St. and Liberty Avenue.

The window over the choir loft shows St. Rita of Cascia, 1381-1457. She was canonized on May 24, 1900, together with John Baptist de la Salle, a two-fer ceremony. Soon afterwards, parishes under St. Rita's patronage for established in The Bronx and here in Brooklyn.
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St. Rita's has a page on the East New York project linked here. The creator of that project deserves praise for his work putting together stories and photos of life in East New York and adjacent neighborhoods.

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