Thursday, May 19, 2011

Academies: alignment decree

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

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Our Lady of Presentation - Our Lady of Mercy parish has a Facebook page linked HERE, as of August, 2016.  Its office address given by the diocese is 680 Mother Gaston Boulevard, Brooklyn NY 11212, at Our Lady of Mercy Church, telephone 718-345-2604. However, Our Lady of the Presentation church is also listed as 1677 St. Mark's Avenue.  
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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, a new parish was created, named Our Lady of the Presentation - Our Lady of Mercy.    
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Nearby Our Lady of Loreto parish was closed.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

More parish mergers, 5.1.2011

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.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

St. Mark, Sheepshead Bay


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.  St. Mark Catholic Academy 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).   
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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






The address of St. Brendan's parish 1525 East 12th Street, Brooklyn NY 11230, telephone 718-339-2828.  The parish website is linked HERE. 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 where 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


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, Polish, Urdu, and at times in the Filipino language. Please see the bulletin page on the parish website.



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."


Thursday, March 10, 2011

St. Matthew, Crown Heights

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.