Church of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

Last updated
Church of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Church of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Location406-412 West 40th Street, New York, New York
CountryUnited States
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Statusclosed
Founded1909
Founder(s)The Rev. J. Letanche
Dedication St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Architecture
Architect(s) Fred Schwartz
Style Gothic Revival
Years built1910
Closedc.1970
Specifications
Capacity750
Number of floors4

The Church of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer was a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York which was located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1909, the parish was closed in the late 1960s. Since 1984, the church building has been occupied by Metro Baptist Church. [1]

History

In 1909, in an effort to meet the spiritual needs of the newly arrived Polish inhabitants of the west side of Manhattan, Cardinal John Farley, the Archbishop of New York, authorized the founding of a new parish to serve them. He authorized the Rev. J. Letanche, a native of Austrian Poland, to undertake this challenge. [2]

The decision was made to place the new parish under the spiritual patronage of a newly canonized saint with strong ties to Poland, Clement Mary Hofbauer, C.Ss.R., who had been canonized earlier that same year.

The first mass was held in a candy store on November 14, 1909. Subsequent services were held in a rented Lutheran church, until Letrenche was able to purchase four adjacent lots on West 40th Street, at the corner of Tenth Avenue. Ground was broken and a four-story parish building was constructed, designed by Fred Schwartz, an architect based in Paterson, New Jersey. [2]

The church, which could seat 750, was located on the first floor of the building, over which was the parish school, which was staffed by the Sisters of the Resurrection, a religious congregation which was founded to serve the Polish people, whose convent was over the school. In its early years, the congregation numbered about 3,000 people. [2]

With the gradual change of neighborhood demographics to a more affluent population in the mid-20th century, the congregation dwindled to the point where the parish was closed by the archdiocese by 1970.

Related Research Articles

Clement Mary Hofbauer Austrian Redemptorist and saint

Clement Mary Hofbauer was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established the presence of his congregation, founded in Italy, north of the Alps, for which he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was greatly known for his lifelong dedication to the care of the poor during a tumultuous period of Europe's history, which left thousands in destitution. He worked to care for the Polish people, until he was expelled from there and moved to Austria.

St. Florian Church (Hamtramck, Michigan) United States historic place

St. Florian Church is a Roman Catholic Church at 2626 Poland Street in Hamtramck, Michigan. The church was designed by Ralph Adams Cram of the firm Cram and Ferguson.

St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church (Chicago) Church in Chicago, United States

St. Joseph's is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois at 4821 South Hermitage Avenue. Founded in 1887 with the current church building dating to 1914, Saint Joseph's is a prime example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. John of God and Holy Cross, it is one of three monumental religious edifices that dominates the skyline of the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The parish survived archdiocesan budget cuts in 1990, and, in 2021, was merged with several local churches into a single parish. Today, St. Joseph serves a multicultural community.

St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church (Chicago) Church in Chicago, United States

St. Josaphat is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located at 2311 North Southport Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.

A parochial mission or parish mission is a special pastoral effort in the Catholic Church aimed at preaching to and instructing Catholic followers. These are "home missions" geared toward Catholics, distinguished from apostolic missions to make conversions among non-believers. Such missions may consist of systematic preaching and instruction, extending over a stated number of days, performed by authorized missionaries.

St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church United States historic place

The St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church is a church located at 5818 Dubois Street in Detroit, Michigan. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

St. Lucy Church (Manhattan) Church in NY , United States

St. Lucy's Church is a former parish church of the Parish of St. Lucy, which operated under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York in the East Harlem section of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. The parish address was 344 East 104th Street; the parochial school occupied 336 East 104th Street. The parish merged with St. Ann's Church in 2015, and Masses and other sacraments are no longer offered regularly at this church.

St. Ann Church (Manhattan) Former church in Manhattan, New York

St. Ann’s Church was the name of a former Roman Catholic parish church at 110-120 East 12th Street between Fourth and Third Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel (New York City)

The Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz was a Roman Catholic chapel in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 378 Broome Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The chapel was established in 2005. The building was originally constructed for the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix in 1925–26, and was designed by Robert J. Reiley.

St. Francis of Assisi Church (Manhattan)

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is a parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and is located at 135–139 West 31st Street, Manhattan, New York City. The parish is staffed by the Order of Friars Minor.

The Church of St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 211 West 30th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Fur District of the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. To the church's rear is the Capuchin Monastery of St. John the Baptist, located at 210 West 31st Street across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden.

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 the Nativity (Manhattan) Church in Manhattan, New York

The Church of the Nativity was a Catholic parish church in the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 44 Second Avenue between Second and 3rd Streets in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1842 and permanently closed in 2015.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel 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.

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. John Chrysostom's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, in the Morrisania section of the New York City borough 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.

Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocesan Cathedral Church in New York, United States

Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocesan Cathedral is the cathedral church and headquarters of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Diocese of the United States, Canada, and Australia. The church is located at 552 West 50th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, Hell's Kitchen / Clinton, Manhattan, New York City.

St. Clement's Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Saratoga Springs, New York in the United States under the authority of the Diocese of Albany. Founded under the patronage of Clemens Mary Hofbauer and has been staffed by clergy of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer since its founding in 1917.

References

  1. "Metro Baptist Church | History and Building".
  2. 1 2 3 Lafort, Remigius, S.T.D., Censor (1914). The Catholic Church in the United States of America. Vol. 3. New York City: The Catholic Editing Company. p. 323.

Coordinates: 40°45′26″N73°59′39″W / 40.7572°N 73.9942°W / 40.7572; -73.9942