St. Athanasius Church (Bronx)

Last updated
The Church of St. Athanasius
Athanasius RCC Bx jeh.jpg
Photographed in 2010
St. Athanasius Church (Bronx)
General information
Town or city Bronx, New York City
Country United States
Completed1908
Client Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The church in 1914 Saint Athanasius Church, Bronx, New York.jpg
The church in 1914

The Church of St. Athanasius is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at Tiffany Street between Fox Street and Southern Boulevard, Longwood, Bronx, New York City. It is dedicated to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, a Doctor of the Church. [1]

Contents

History

Archbishop John Murphy Farley commissioned the parish in 1907, purchasing the entire city block for $58,000. The cornerstone was laid on May 31, 1908, by Cardinal Logue, Archbishop of Armagh, who was visiting on the occasion of the centenary of the Archdiocese of New York. The building was solemnly dedicated on February 21, 1909. Terence James Cooke (later Archbishop of New York) served there as a curate in the 1950s. [1]

The parish has long been prominent in serving its low-income neighborhood, in partnership with St. Anthony of Padua. Of note are longtime pastor Louis R. Gigante— brother of notorious gangster Vincent "the Chin" Gigante [2] — who founded the Simpson Street Development Association in 1967; and Sister Miriam Thomas. Thomas, a nun who came to St. Athanasius in 1962 as a teacher, and who joined with Gigante to found the South East Bronx Community Organization (SEBCO) in 1968. SEBCO collects federal Section 8 funds to convert abandoned buildings into affordable housing. [3] Another neighborhood activist group, the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes, was co-founded by St. Athanasius priest William Smith in 1974 [4] In 1985, Thomas even organized the first South Bronx Halloween parade, in 1985 [5]

A 105-unit affordable housing development which SEBCO built on the last parcel of city-owned land in the South Bronx was the Sister Thomas Apartments in 2008. At the dedication, the New York State Housing Finance Agency stated that "In the '60s and '70s the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx was a desolate place lined with the carcasses of buildings still smoldering from the latest fire…. The only refuge was St. Athanasius and its priests and nuns, who became beacons of hope and leaders in the tenants' rights movement…." [6]

Nevertheless, Sister Thomas and the flea market she long organized were expelled from the parish unceremoniously in 2010, dividing the community, shortly after the arrival of a new pastor. [6] Many parishioners participated in protests against the move, while others defended the new pastor. [7]

School

The Sisters of Charity of New York opened St. Athanasius School on September 8, 1913. The original school was situated adjacent to the church on Fox Street, but was outgrown. The parish constructed the current school building at 830 Southern Boulevard in 1965. [8]

Related Research Articles

Holy Rosary Church (Manhattan)

The Church of the Holy Rosary was a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 444 East 119th Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City.

St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan)

St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church, also known as St. Brigid's or Famine Church, is a church located at 123 Avenue B, on the southeast corner of East 8th Street, along the eastern edge of Tompkins Square Park in the Alphabet City section of the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. Associated with the church is a parish school, Saint Brigid School, consisting of grades Pre-K through 8, which has been in existence since 1856.

St. Monica Church (Manhattan)

The Church of St. Monica, commonly referred to as St. Monica's, is a parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 413 East 79th Street, Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1879.

St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church (New York City)

The Church of St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr is home to the oldest Polish Roman Catholic parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, It is located at 101 East 7th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen

The Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 149 East 28th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was established in the 1980s when the parish of the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel was merged into the parish of the Church of St. Stephen the Martyr. In January 2007, it was announced by the Archdiocese of New York that the Church of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus, located at 307 East 33rd Street, was to be merged into Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen, then, in November 2014, the Archdiocese announced that the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen was one of 31 neighborhood parishes which would be merged into other parishes. Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen was to be merged into the Church of Our Saviour at 59 Park Avenue.

Our Lady of Mount Carmels Church (Bronx)

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located three blocks south of Fordham University at the corner of Belmont Avenue and 627 East 187th Street, Fordham, the Bronx, New York City, New York.

Church of St. Anselm and St. Roch (Bronx)

The Church of St. Anselm is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 685 Tinton Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. It was established in 1891 and is staffed by the Order of Augustinian Recollects. Previously it was staffed by the Benedictine monks.

St. Anthonys Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. Anthony is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Van Nest, Bronx, New York City, near the corner of Mansion Street and Commonwealth Avenue. Founded in 1908 as an Italian Personal Parish, St. Anthony as well as, Our Lady of Grace merged with the parish of St. Frances of Rome in 2015.

St. Anthony of Padua Church (Bronx)

St. Anthony of Padua Church is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 822 East 166th Street, Bronx, New York City in the neighborhood of Morrisania, near Prospect Avenue. The present church was built through the concerted efforts of pastor, the Rt. Rev. Joseph Francis Rummel (1876-1964), who was elevated as the bishop of the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska (1928-1935) and in that capacity consecrated the church, before being elevated to archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans (1935-1964).

St. Augustines Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. Augustine was a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was located at 1183 Franklin Avenue between East 167th Street and East 168th Street in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. The church was closed in 2011 and demolished in 2013.

St. Barnabas Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. Barnabas is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at Martha Avenue near East 241st Street in Woodlawn Heights, The Bronx, New York City. The parish was established in July 1910 by the Rev. Michael A. Reilly, separated from the Bronx parish of St. Frances of Rome. It is one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese.

The Church of St. Francis Xavier is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Archdiocese of New York, located at 1703 Lurting Avenue, Morris Park, in the Bronx. The parish has a church and school, both of which were founded by the Rev. James Edward Kearney (1884–1977), later the Bishop of Salt Lake City and Bishop of Rochester.

St. Johns Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. John is a parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 3021 Kingsbridge Avenue, Bronx, New York City. The parish was established in 1877 and has had long ties with the Religious of Jesus and Mary as their main base in New York.

St. Margaret of Cortona's Church is a parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 6000 Riverdale Avenue, Riverdale-on-Hudson, The Bronx, New York City, New York.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentine is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at Fordham Road at University Avenue, in the Bronx borough of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. The substantial stone twin-towered is deemed "The Cathedral of the Bronx."

The Parish of St. Rita of Cascia and of St. Pius V is a Roman Catholic parish under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The church is located at 448 College Ave. in the Bronx.

Church of St. Simon Stock – St. Joseph (Bronx)

The Church of St. Simon Stock – St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 2191 Valentine Avenue, Bronx, New York City. It was established in 1919 and has been continuously staffed by the Carmelite Fathers since its founding.

Immaculate Conception Church (Bronx)

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 754 Gun Hill Road, Williamsbridge, Bronx, New York City, New York. The parish was established in 1902-1903. The parish is currently run by Capuchin friars.

St. Philip Neris Church (Bronx)

The Church of St. Philip Neri is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, US, located on the west side of the Grand Concourse at East 202nd Street, Bedford Park, Bronx, New York City.

Parish of St. Brendan and of St. Ann Church in New York , United States

The Parish of St. Ann-St. Brendan is a parish of the Archdiocese of New York located in the Bronx, New York. It was created on August 1, 2015 by the merger of two previous parishes, the Shrine Church of St. Ann and the Parish of St. Brendan.

References

  1. 1 2 Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women. . (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.382.
  2. ↑ Redfearn, Jennifer (January 16, 2007), "Sins of the Father", The Village Voice
  3. ↑ Irfan, Umair (November 4, 2010), "Stars and More", The Uptown Chronicle
  4. ↑ Teltsch, Kathleen (October 30, 1987), "Once Desperate, a Bronx Housing Group Earns Praise", The New York Times
  5. ↑ Oros, John (October 26, 2010). "In Hunts Point, Halloween Celebrates Rebirth". The Hunts Point Express.
  6. 1 2 O'Shaughnessy, Patrice (August 10, 2010), "Unholy treatment: New pastor at St. Athanasius Church kicks out beloved Sister Thomas", New York Daily News
  7. ↑ Hirsch, Joe (August 23, 2010). "Protesters Call for New Pastor's Ouster". The Hunts Point Express.
  8. ↑ St. Athanasius School: History , retrieved 2011-02-01

Coordinates: 40°49′8.19″N73°53′40.25″W / 40.8189417°N 73.8945139°W / 40.8189417; -73.8945139

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.