Church of the Most Precious Blood (Manhattan)

For the church in Philadelphia, see Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church, Rectory and Parochial School.

Church of the Most Precious Blood
View along Baxter Street (2013)
40°43′04″N73°59′56″W / 40.717778°N 73.998902°W / 40.717778; -73.998902
Location	113 Baxter Street, Manhattan, New York City
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	oldcathedral.org/shrine-church-of-the-most-precious-blood
History
Status	Church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of New York
Parish	St. Patrick's Old Cathedral

The Church of the Most Precious Blood is a Roman Catholic parish located in New York City. The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York, and is the National Shrine Church of San Gennaro . Located at 113 Baxter Street with an additional entrance on Mulberry Street, the Church of the Most Precious Blood is part of Manhattan's Little Italy neighborhood. The Most Precious Blood parished merged with Old St. Patrick's Cathedral parish, and the two churches share priests and administrative staff. ^[1]

History

The parish of the Most Precious Blood was established in 1888 as a National Parish to serve the rapidly growing number of Italian immigrants in Lower Manhattan. Building of the church was begun by the Scalabrini Fathers around 1891. The Scalabrini Order built the foundation but ran out of funding. The Franciscans then took over the parish and completed the church building in 1904. ^[1]

Located just north of Five Points, it was in a rough neighborhood. In July 1898 Father Buonaventura Piscopo's efforts to combat immoral behavior in the area prompted death threats.

List of Pastors ^[2]

Name	Years
Rev. Father Julius Arcese	1892-1897
Rev. Father Athanasius Butelli	1897-1900
Rev. Father Ubaldus Maravalla	1900-1902
Rev. Father Bernadino Polizzo	1902-1909
Rev. Father Romano Simoni	1909-1917
Rev. Father Pacifus Savastano	1917-1925
Rev. Father Augustine Cioffi	1925-1927
Rev. Father Gregory Liucci	1927-1929
Rev. Father Albert Matteucci	1929-1934
Rev. Father Felix Mancini	1934-1940
Rev. Father Edward Salerno	1940-1946
Rev. Father Cyprian Lauletta	1946-1949
Rev. Father Martin Battipaglia	1949-1950
Rev. Father Anthony Cioe	1950-1952
Rev. Father Lucian Sciaraffa	1952-1955
Rev. Father Joseph Montgna	1955-1958
Rev. Father Victor Cesario	1958 -

San Gennaro Festival

During the Feast of San Gennaro, which is held yearly in September, a celebratory Mass is held at the church on the September 19th the feast day of San Gennaro. After the Mass, a statue of San Gennaro is taken from its home within the church on a procession through the streets of Little Italy. ^[3]

Most Precious Blood is home to several vibrant religious societies in addition to the Figli di San Gennaro, including: the Community of Sant Egidio, and the San Angelo Society. ^[1] Besides the strong Italian tradition, the Vietnamese congregation has also grown in recent years. The Church is home to the Vietnamese Arts and Learning Cultural Center.

The Saint Rocco of Potenza Society was originally founded in 1889 at the now demolished St. Joachim's Church on Roosevelt Street. It then moved to St. Joseph Church on Monroe Street, but with the merger in 2015 of St. Joseph's with the Church of the Transfiguration on Mott Street, the Society is now based at the Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood. ^[4]

Due to manpower shortages, in March 2014, the Franciscans withdrew from Most Precious Blood and it came under diocesan administration. ^[5] In 2015, the church became part of the parish of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. Mass is celebrated at Most Precious Blood on Wednesdays and Sundays. In 2018, the parish rectory on Mulberry Street was listed for sale. ^[6]

During the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, from December 8, 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King, was one of the sites of the Holy doors. ^[1]

Architecture

The church was designed by William Schickel & Company, who provided an Italian Franciscan style structure. The marble main and side altars are by Borgia Marble Works of New York. The interior is decorated in Neapolitan Baroque style. Donatus Buongiorno created thirty oil painting murals for the walls and ceiling. The building was renovated in 1995 by the Gargiulo Brothers Construction Company of Mount Vernon, to repair damage suffered from water leakage and general disrepair. The Church was re-consecrated by Archbishop John Cardinal O'Connor on February 7, 1997. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. "Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood". The Basilica of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral.
2. Brown, Mary Elizabeth; Carapellucci, Janice (2024). The Art of Immigration: Italian Art in an American Church Most Precious Blood Church in New York's Little Italy (1st ed.). p. 184. ISBN   978-1733776127.
3. Canta, Angelo Jesus (October 5, 2017). "Can the Feast of San Gennaro hold on to its Catholic and Italian roots?". America.
4. "Saint Rocco Society of Potenza".
5. Sandoval, Edgar (March 3, 2014). "Franciscan priest celebrates last Mass at Little Italy's Most Precious Blood Church". Daily News. New York.
6. "Little Italy Church Rectory Hits the Market as $14M Development Site". Bowery Boogie. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018.
7. "History of the Church & Community". The Basilica of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral. Archived from the original on 2018-11-25. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
8. "Church of the Most Precious Blood". NYC Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

External links

• Official website