St. Frances de Chantal, Borough Park

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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Holy Spirit, Borough Park

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. Catharine of Alexandria, Boro Park

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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A September 2, 2019, article in Brooklyn Paper describes the demolishing of the school facing the church on Fort Hamilton Parkway. The city School Construction Authority may get this and adjacent parish property. Link HERE.