St. Thomas Aquinas, Park Slope

The photos and text below are from when I visited this parish in 2010.  Much has changed since then. The church is red brick, not painted off-white as in my photo.  The interior is more colorful. Please see The Tablet article of June 18, 2015, for a complete description of the extensive renovations.  The article includes an excellent slide show.

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. 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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St Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands

The website of the parish of St. Thomas Aquinas in Flatlands is linked HERE. 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.
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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.

A few years ago, Midwood Catholic Academy moved into the former St. Thomas Aquinas school at 1501 Hendrickson St., Brooklyn NY 11234.

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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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