INDEX St. Mary’s is the
fifth-oldest parish in Queens and one of the oldest in the Greater
Metropolitan area, going back to the days of the first beach resorts in the
New York City area. The Marine Pavilion was the first grand bathing hotel
established in Far Rockaway, at approximately Plainview Avenue between B. 19
and 20 Sts. in 1833. According to Sharp’s History of the Diocese of
Brooklyn, the Rev. Michael Curran celebrated the first Catholic Mass in
1847 in a hotel owned by William Caffrey. By 1850 summer Masses were
celebrated by the Rev. Edward John Maginnis (or McGinnis), pastor of St.
Monica’s in Jamaica, in a tent for the burgeoning summer crowd. Thus, the
history of Catholic life in Far Rockaway is older than the Diocese of
Brooklyn itself, which was established only in 1853. In January 1851 a plot of land was donated by Andrew Brady as a site for a new Catholic church, to be built by local men who contributed their labor and money. The cornerstone of the first church of St. Mary, Star of the Sea was laid on August 15, 1852. This building was located at approximately the site of the old Marine Pavilion, which in turn later became the location of St. Joseph’s (now St. John’s Episcopal) Hospital. The first Mass in the new church was in 1857 by the then-pastor of St. Monica’s, the Rev. Anthony Farley. This first church was located on ground adjoining St. Joseph’s convent on Central Avenue, and was reached from Broadway. It lay back from the road and worshippers climbed over a “stile” to get there. There are references to a parish schoolhouse adjacent to it as early as 1872, which may have been used for Sunday school and parish meetings. It may also have served as the original parish school building when the Sisters of St. Joseph came in 1877.
The Missionary Pastors
of St. Mary’s: The priests who succeeded
Father Curran at St. Monica’s church in Jamaica took care of Far Rockaway’s
Catholics between 1848 and 1868. In 1848 the Reverend Edward Maginnis, born
in Ireland and ordained in 1837 at Mount St. Mary’s, took over the mission
at Far Rockaway, and in 1850 began holding services under a tent for the
large summer congregation. He was a doughty Long Island missionary who had
built the first church of St. Patrick’s in Huntington, Long Island, in 1849
and celebrated the first Mass in Glen Cove. It was to him Andrew Brady
donated the land at today’s Plainview Ave. and B. 19 St. for the erection of
a church in Far Rockaway. In a small irony, Father Maginnis was named the
first resident pastor of St. Mary, Star of the Sea on Court St. in Brooklyn
in 1855. He became a professor of the seminary faculty at Niagara University
in 1858 where he died in 1861. St. Mary’s cornerstone-laying
took place on August 15, 1852. Archbishop Hughes of New York was unable to
preach at the occasion because he had sailed to Halifax the previous week in
search of priests and religious for his growing diocese. So he sent in his
stead the Rev. John Murray Forbes, a notable minor figure in nineteenth
century theological controversies. Father Farley succeeded Father Maginnis as resident pastor of St. Monica’s in 1855 and continued the service to Far Rockaway. Father Farley was also born in Ireland in 1814 and ordained in 1843 at Rome’s Lateran Seminary. During his tenure the first St. Mary’s church was completed in 1857. One of the earliest newspaper references to a service in Far Rockaway discovered so far was one conducted by Father Farley, the marriage of John Gedney to Maria Fleming, reported in the Hempstead Inquirer on August 15, 1857. He is numbered among those Brooklyn priests who during this “brick and mortar” missionary period were also noted as clerical authors and translators. Father Farley died in 1890. (Return to the Top)
AN INTERESTING
SIDELIGHT: Forbes was moving in a
similar direction, and on October 9, 1849 he resigned as pastor of St.
Luke’s. On November 21, 1849 he was received into the Catholic Church,
causing a furor in the American Episcopal Church. On November 16, 1850 was
ordained a Catholic priest (his wife having died) by Bishop Mc Closkey of
Albany. He served 13 months at Nativity parish in Manhattan. On June 1,
1852: Archbishop Hughes dedicated St. Anne’s, a former Presbyterian church,
and named Forbes its pastor, where he lived with his sons. Forbes worked
well there with 9 different assistant priests over the course of 7 years.
Hughes seemed to trust Forbes, despite his general mistrust of converts, and
at times called upon his as a substitute for speaking engagements. Thus it
was that Forbes was sent to speak at the cornerstone laying of the church of
St. Mary, Star of the Sea in Far Rockaway on August 15, 1852. In 1852 he
served as advisor to Bishop Reynolds of Charleston at the Baltimore Council
of Bishops. In 1855: was awarded a doctorate by Pope Pius IX. In 1857 he
visited Rome and played a minor role in the foundation of the American
College. Dr. Forbes was consulted by John Henry Newman on various matters,
and was regarded by many as a potential future bishop. In 1859, to the shock and sadness of Archbishop Hughes, Forbes reverted to the Episcopal Church, re-married and was re-admitted to its ministry. From 1870 to1872 he served a contentious term as Dean of General Theological Seminary in Manhattan. In 1885 he died in Elizabeth, N.J. (Return to the Top)
EARLY NOTABLE LAITY OF
ST. MARY’S: Father Curran celebrated Far Rockaway’s first Mass in William Caffrey’s Hotel in 1847. Caffrey’s name survives locally as "Caffrey Avenue" (B. 17 St.). Another notable layman was Andrew Brady who in 1851 donated the plot of land on which the first church of St. Mary was to be built, very near the current location of St. John’s Hospital. The next generation raised up another prominent immigrant son of St. Mary’s. William Trist Bailey was a prominent real estate developed who came from England and was the developer of Bayswater (1871), which he named after his native town. He also personally paid for the laying out and paving of Central Avenue (then Catherine St.) south of Mott Avenue. Bailey is reported to have built the first brick home in the Rockaways in the early 1880’s. Other members of St. Mary’s whose names live on in some streets around here are: Healy (the Justice of the Peace in the 1880’s), Mc Bride, Meehan, Heyson, Muhlbach, and Roche. Other familiar names of those days included Mimnaugh, Brandenberg, Coleman, Prendergast and Wynn. The second pastor of St. Mary’s was the Rev. Michael J. Murphy, born in 1842 and ordained at Our Lady of the Angels Seminary, Niagara, in 1870. He was first assigned to St. Peter’s in Brooklyn, but seems to have assisted Father Brunemann in Far Rockaway at times. He became pastor here upon the death of Father Brunemann in 1874. During his tenure he oversaw the establishment in 1877 of both St. Mary’s Academy and St. Mary’s parish school by the Sisters of St. Joseph. He built the first parish rectory, later remodeled into the first convent for the Josephite Sisters. He seems to have secured additional property for the parish. During his pastorate the 40 Hours Devotion seems to have been an important annual event, and the choir was quite active. He also delivered a widely reported lecture at the Woodsburgh (Woodmere) Lyceum regarding Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s Liberator, reflecting to some degree the interests of his parishioners, but also a topic in which the local non-Catholics of the day were apparently interested. Father Murphy led special services here upon the death of Pope Pius IX in 1878. His sister Julia married William A. Wynn of a prominent parish family. In 1878 parishioner William Trist Bailey developed the community of Bayswater. In 1879 Father Murphy was transferred to the pastorate of St. Anthony’s church in Greenpoint. He died in 1889. (Return to the Top) History of the Parish School
St. Mary’s is unique in
having been served by not one, but two Catholic schools: the parochial
school and the Academy. The school was at first
located in the old rectory of St. Mary’s, next to the old, first church at
the site of the hospital today. On Sept. 5, 1877, Star of the Sea Academy
opened with twenty day-pupils and several boarders. The first principal was
Sister Mary Ignatius Mahoney, and the teachers included Sister Eusebius
Scanlon. At times over the years the academy was referred to as “St.
Joseph’s Academy”. The convent for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of both the
academy and the parochial school was on Central Ave., now B. 20 St. The Josephite Sisters, under
the forward -looking direction of Mother Mary Louis, decided to turn the
academy building into a hospital in May 1905. The Academy then moved to an
old hotel across the street on Broadway, and eventually to the former
Patrick Donohue property at New Haven and Central Avenues, where the Academy
continued to prosper until 1934 when it closed. The old academy building was
reactivated for school purposes from 1949 until the mid-fifties when it
served as a kindergarten of the parish school. The parochial school also
began operation in 1877, starting out with 60 pupils. Sister Mary
Bonaventure Phelan was the first principal, a position she held until 1909.
The parish school moved into the old church itself in 1885 when the second
church was erected at the corner of Clark and Catherine Streets (New Haven
Avenue and B. 20th St.). As the parish population grew, the
pressures on the old building were intense. The parish school was at a
critical stage in its development. Such was the situation in
1904 when the Rev. Herbert Farrell became pastor. Alfred Bellot gives us an
informative contemporary summary in his 1917 History of the Rockaways: Father Farrell had
been a member of the Public School Board of Education at Westbury, and later
on its president, the first Roman Catholic priest ever to occupy such a
position in the State of New York. This experience strengthened his
conviction that an up-to-date parochial school is the most important feature
in a successful parish. His first efforts were to raise funds to realize
this need. Sensing considerable prejudice against the scheme, he began the
publication of a Parish Monthly to create a sentiment favoring Catholic
education. The little periodical, aided by pulpit talks, quietly but
effectively did its work, and in the fall of 1908 work was begun on the new
school, an acre of land having been secured. The building, which is of Tudor
Gothic design, is of brick and terra cotta, and is known as the Lyceum…The
entire cost, including land and equipment, was one hundred and forty
thousand dollars. The architects of the
building are reported to have been “Lehman and O’Kane of Far Rockaway” and
the contractors P.J. Brennan and Son of Manhattan. The new building opened
with about 200 students, which had increased to four hundred by 1917. The new building brought a
new principal, Sister Leo Gonzaga Mc Arthur, who was in turn followed by a
succession of memorable women religious (with the year each began her term):
1919-Sister Mary Damien Tierney; 1924-Sister Mary Redempta Dykeman;
1930-Sister Saint Philomene Salveson; 1931-Sister Francis Loretto Dunn;
1939-Sister Anna Joseph Hartigan; 1940-Sister Marie Noel Were; 1946-Sister
Alphonse Liguori Lynch; 1950-Sister Louis Gonzaga Leahy; 1956-Sister Mary
Alexandrine Daly; 1958-Sister Devota Maria Bligh; 1964-Sister Stella Francis
Starr; 1967-Sister Helen Theresa Neenan; 1969-Sister Mary Judith
Summerville; 1972-Sister Marie Perpetua Butler; 1978-Sister Winifred Mc
Kevitt. In 1981 Sister Regina Delaney, O. S. U., became the first non-Josephite
principal of St. Mary’s. The Sisters of St. Joseph withdrew from the school
entirely and the convent was closed in June 1983. Another 1909 innovation in
the new building was the arrival of the brothers of the Sacred Heart to
teach the upper boys’ grades. The first three were Brothers Felix, Adelard,
and a younger Brother. Brother Adelard succeeded Brother Felix as boys’
principal, and in 1912 Brother Matthias became director, administering and
teaching until 1918. Brother Timothy was in charge from 1919 to 1925,
followed by Brother Matthias again, by Brother Leopold in 1931 and by
Brother Valerian in 1937. The last boys’ division principal in 1940 was
Brother Valerian, and the last brothers teaching in the school were Brothers
Leo, Kenneth and Warren Laudumiey. Female lay teachers taught
the lower boys’ grades for many years, as well as girls in later years.
Their names are dear to many alumni: Angela Dwyer, Elizabeth Stippell,
Lillian Tocci, Lillian Roche, Mary Carlucci, Mary Jones, Catherine Barden
and Edna Murphy, to name but a few. Under current principal Angela Brucia, St. Mary’s achieved the prestigious Middle States accreditation in 1994, flourishes with an enrollment of over 360 and growing (K -8), features music and computer education, and boasts an alumni association of over 1400 members. A long-term building reconstruction plan is underway that will enable St. Mary’s to grow and serve Far Rockaway Catholics in the Third Millennium. (Return to the Top) THE BROTHERS OF THE SACRED HEART
The story of how the Brothers of the Sacred Heart
came to teach in St. Mary’s School illustrates the importance of both
apostolic zeal and personal contacts. The person who was the link between
Far Rockaway and the Brothers was James J. Kirwin, a Brooklyn salesman of
Catholic publications, religious medals and awards. In his travels he came
into contact with the Brothers in Charleston, South Carolina, and they came
to be his regular hosts in his travels, as he provided them with residence
when they came to New York.
Father Farrell mentioned to his friend, James
Kirwin, who owned a villa on Long Island, that looking for teaching brothers
to teach the boys in his parish school. Kirwin praised the Sacred Heart
Brothers so greatly that Father Farrell wrote their Provincial, who visited
St. Mary’s and agreed to send the Brothers.
When the new school building opened in September
1909, the Sacred Heart Brothers also began their ministry in Far Rockaway.
Three Brothers were sent to open the school: Brothers Felix, Director,
Adelard, and a young brother. They taught the higher grammar grades, while
lady teachers taught the lower. The Sisters of St. Joseph had charge of the
girls in the same building. Brother Felix, who was getting on in years and
had barely recovered from a recent illness, was a man guided by the old
Southern traditions and methods. His difficulty adapting to northern ways,
particularly the heterogeneity of the population, caused him to return South
at the end of the session. Brother Adelard served as director until January
1912, when Brother Matthias, noted for his painstaking teaching and genial
disposition, succeeded him.
Brother Timothy became director in 1919. Upon
his death years later, Dean Robinson, then St. Mary’s pastor, said of him:
The best altar boys
I have met were trained by Brother Timothy. My own happiest recollection of
those six years are the little five-minute chats on Monday after the Altar
boys’ meetings. How proud he was to see the boy-chairman call the meeting to
order and conduct it in the orderly fashion he himself inspired. How he
would enjoy the speech every member had to make at his initiation. Every boy
he taught is a living tribute to him. In 1925, Brother Matthias
succeeded Brother Timothy, being succeeded by Brother Leonard in 1931. The Brothers lived in a small
and inconvenient house until Dean Robinson was able to execute Father
Farrell’s plans for a new rectory. The old rectory, situated approximately
where the statue of St. Therese now stands, became the Brothers’ house Under Brother Leopold’s administration the school continued to grow in numbers and esteem. Religious vocations were cultivated and several boys from the parish entered the Brothers own novitiate. Brother Valerian became director in 1937. He proved to be the final Brother-director of the parish school. Under the pressure of economic hard times, the parish terminated the Brothers’ service at St. Mary’s in June 1940. The Sacred Heart Brothers continue their ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn today at their school in East Elmhurst, Monsignor Mc Clancy Memorial High School. (Return to the Top) THE CORNELL CEMETERY: ROCKAWAY’S ONLY LANDMARK Many of us in Far Rockaway
are utterly unfamiliar with this peninsula’s only officially designated
landmark, the Cornell Family Cemetery, one of the oldest in New York. It is
located on the west side of Caffrey Avenue north of New Haven Avenue,
roughly opposite the New Haven Manor Adult Residence, and adjacent to 1457
Gateway Boulevard. We can presume with some assurance that there would have
been no Catholics or parishioners of St. Mary’s buried here. Yet since it
lies within the parish boundaries and is of interest in itself, we will take
a brief look at its story. Richard Cornell (1625-1693)
was the second non-indigenous owner of property on the Rockaway peninsula.
In 1685 an Englishman named John Palmer bought the land of Far Rockaway from
the Indian chief Tackapousha for 31 English pounds. Palmer sold most of it
to Cornell on August 20, 1687, and he settled there with his wife and five
sons in 1690 in a large house near what is now B. 19th St.
between Plainview Ave. and Seagirt Blvd. This property became the location
of first hotel on the peninsula in 1833, the Marine Pavilion, which is now
the location of the Learning Center of St. John’s Hospital and several
private homes. A Quaker, he is considered the first European settler on the
Rockaway peninsula. The Cornell graveyard contains the remains of many Cornell family members and friends extending over several centuries. Those resting there include Thomas Cornell (1703-1764) who was for 24 years a representative in the N.Y. State colonial legislature. Although it has been recently fenced in and is periodically cleaned up, unfortunately it needs a great deal of attention. (Return to the Top)
ST. MARY’S THIRD PASTOR: The Rev. Henry J. Zimmer was born in Brooklyn in 1847. He studied at the North American College in Rome and was ordained in 1872. He served as pastor here from 1879 until 1896 when he resigned for health reasons. He died in 1920 as the chaplain at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica. In 1883 Father Zimmer secured the property for the second church building, the “old church” that burned in 1974. He also erected a new rectory adjacent to the church, where the statue of St. Therese now stands. Some of the parish benefactors of the time included John Kelly (who donated the large oil painting of “Star of the Sea” which hung over the altar), Edward Roche (who donated the church bell) and James Caffrey. The schools of the parish continued to flourish during this time, usually presenting a fall and spring entertainment to the public. He was occasionally host to visiting bishops and clergymen who came to the seaside for refreshment. An annual lecture on a religious topic by a prominent clergyman also became standard practice at this era of formal speeches as entertainment. Father Zimmer left the parish to his successor completely free of debt. (Return to the Top) ST. MARY’S SECOND CHURCH: In 1883 Father Zimmer purchased the land at the corner of Clark and Catherine Streets (now New Haven Avenue and Beach 20th St.) for a new church. It was completed in 1885 at a cost of $28,000, built in a Romanesque style and designed to seat 600. The architect of the new church was Thomas F. Houghton of Brooklyn, the contractor Patrick Byrne of Jersey City, and the mason Thomas Mc Goff. The major donors included J.J. Campbell, James Donohue, T. Dollard, Patrick Donohue, William Caffrey, Mrs. Nathaniel P. Jarvis and Mrs. D. Mc Cabe. The first Mass in the church was celebrated June 14, 1885; and the first child baptized there was David Foster Cronin, son of Charles and Helen on July 5, 1885. Bishop Loughlin officially dedicated it on Sunday, August 16, 1884; the preacher for the occasion was the bishop of London, Ontario, Dr. Walsh. This church was enhanced and renovated from time to time over the years, the latest being under Father Mc Kenna in 1973. The church burned to the ground in an electrical fire in February 1974. Its 1897 church bell is enshrined in the new church above the Blessed Sacrament chapel. (Return to the Top)
THE “BELL” OF ST. MARY’S:
A notable remaining artifact of this era is our church bell. It is
practically the only surviving artifact from the old St. Mary’s church,
which burned to the ground in February 1974. It now hangs above the Blessed
Sacrament chapel and is visible through the skylight. The inscription on the
bell reads as follows:
Given by Edward
Roche Edward Roche grew up in Far Rockaway. His father David was a native of County Cork and the owner of resort properties in Far Rockaway, including Roche’s Beach (now B. 17th St.). They are not to be confused with another Edward Roche, a builder who constructed the rectories of St. Mary’s, St. Gertrude’s and renovated that of Our Lady of Good Counsel. When you pray before the Blessed Sacrament, look up at the bell and say a prayer for all the benefactors and past parishioners of our parish over the years. St. Mary's fourth pastor,
the Rev Michael G. Flannery was born in 1861 in Brooklyn and ordained in
1884 after studies at Le Grand Seminaire in Montreal, Canada. He
pastored St. Mary’s from 1896 until 1904. During this period the Maris
Stella Council of the Knights of Columbus was founded (1898), making it one
of the oldest councils in New York State. Father Flannery was on occasion a
lecturer at the Catholic Summer Institute at Cliff Haven, New York, which
was a kind of “Catholic Chatauqua”, or intellectual and cultural camp
meeting. He published his own religious poetry in Catholic magazines of the
time. He subsequently served at the parishes of St. Paul and Queen of All
Saints in Brooklyn. He died in 1930. The Brooklyn Eagle of October 23, 1898 carried a feature about the work of the priests in the “rural districts” of Queens and Long Island which gives us some insight into Father Flannery. Bishop McDonnell, who succeeded Bishop Loughlin in 1892, adopted the strategy of sending priests, after a few initial years in Brooklyn under a seasoned pastor, for their first pastorate in “the country” where parishes and priests had been few and far between. In addition to the resulting growth in the number and buildings of Catholic parishes in Long Island, there was the concomitant problem of isolation and lack of support for the thinly spread out priests who were more accustomed to the closer quarters of city parish life. The Eagle reported their pastoral strategy: “To guard against isolation and lonesomeness the country rectors have organized themselves into the Roman Catholic Clerical Country Club, north side and south side. They hold conferences, discuss the problems of the day, consider different phases and schools of architecture. They exchange pulpits and give retreats and in many ways help one another to bear the burden of the ministry. They are about to engage in an explanation of the decrees of the Vatican council and the compilation of a new catechism. The following sketches of some of the bright members will be interesting: “The Reverend
M. G. Flannery was born in 1861 and educated in St. Patrick’s Academy, St.
Francis College and in Grand Seminary, Montreal, where he was ordained by
the late Archbishop Fabre in June 1884. He was assigned to St. Ambrose
parish, this city, and after eight years was appointed rector of Our Lady of
Sorrows, Corona, and a few years later was transferred to Our Lady, Star of
the Sea, Far Rockaway. Father Flannery is of a decidedly literary and
artistic taste and is an authority on church liturgy and art, is familiar
with all the schools of medical thought and archaeological lore, and is
called the Rossi of America. For five years he served as director of studies
to the Fenelon Reading Circle, the exclusive Catholic literary set of this
borough, and brought it up to its present high standard.” A little later in the
article comes a profile of another “rural” rector who would succeed Father
Flannery as pastor of St. Mary’s in 1904:
“The Rev. Herbert F. Farrell, rector of Westbury,
was born in 1865 in St. Paul’s parish, and was educated in St. Francis
College and St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore. He was ordained by Bishop
Loughlin, February 8, 1888, and was assistant to the Rev. D. J. Hickey at
St. Francis Xavier Church, Sixth Avenue and Carroll Street, for eight year.
He founded and guided the successful Xavier Club attached to the parish and
the Reading Circle. He is a man of high literary attainments and a
connoisseur on artistic subjects, a delightful singer, a forcible public
orator and church builder, and a veritable apostle, having founded a church
at Mineola recently and cleared it of debt.”
LIFE IN FAR ROCKAWAY IN
THE LATE 1800’S Local politics generated much
heat, and the weekly newspaper reports on the court proceedings showed a
startling array of crimes: assaults, burglary, drunkenness, domestic
disputes and occasionally murder—as much from the nearby hamlets as from the
village. Marriages, funerals, scandals, fishing reports and marine
misadventures paraded in turn through the local papers. Publication of the
names of those who rented or visited for the summer was a staple of public
comment. Any notable or almost-notable public figure was breathlessly
regarded as a sign of better times to come. New York Tribune writer
Whitelaw Reid, the friends of Oscar Wilde, and other contemporary stars
whose names are now unfamiliar to us, each in turn generated their share of
journalistic anticipation. The preponderant amount of newsprint was devoted
to real estate deals, new construction and renovation, business openings and
closings and entrepreneurial news. The social fabric of the
community was largely European. Most press attention was devoted to the
white Protestant establishment, particularly in the hamlets, while Far
Rockaway increasingly reflected an Irish and Catholic nomenclature after the
Civil War. By the mid-1890’s, services in the Italian language at St. Mary’s
were offered by visiting preachers. Italian names started to surface in news
from Westville (Inwood) and there was an occasional news item referring to
African-Americans. Some of these references reflect the popular stereotypes
of the times. The names of Jewish residents and merchants began to emerge in
the 1880’s. There was a noticeable toleration toward all religions. The
newspapers reported the Christmas and Easter services of all the major
churches, as well the social calendars of the Protestant clergy. On several occasions
different pastors of St. Mary’s are reported to have delivered a stinging
sermon on the evils of alcohol, perhaps reflecting a particular problem of
the flock. One gets a little flavor of the local color from this item in the
Hempstead Inquirer of April 26, 1878. [Far] Rockaway has 3
churches, 6 butchers, 3 bakers, 3 groceries, 3 barbers, 3 doctors, did have
3 druggists, 3 candy stores, 3 stationery stores, and last, though not
least, about 35 liquor stores. In December of 1885, the South Side Observer reported that the Catholic (Father Zimmer), Episcopal and Presbyterian pastors in the town held a meeting with the 42 saloon and hotel owners and a citizen committee from each church. Their goal was to arrange a mutual agreement that the saloons would stay closed on Sunday until at least 1 P.M., after the end of church services. This must be one of the earliest examples of ecumenism in action in Long Island’s history! (Return to the Top)
PARISH
LIFE IN THE LATE 1800’S Parish societies began to increase in number under Fathers Murphy and Zimmer. For example, by 1885, there existed the Sacred Heart Society and the Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin, the Holy Angels, and the Infant Jesus. The Holy Name Society started in 1905, with a Junior Holy Name within a few years. A parish choir has an active calendar by the 1890’s, and even a parish school band performs after 1904. In 1898 the Maris Stella Council of the Knights of Columbus was founded, and by 1906 the state Knights of Columbus convention was held at one of the Far Rockaway hotels. (Return to the Top)
THE
INTERESTING PRIESTLY LIFE OF A PARISHIONER OF ST. MARY’S The pastor of St.
Joseph’s was a truly remarkable character, loved by his priests and revered
by his people. He was a companion of the great and a true friend of the
lowly. Fair and square in all his dealings, he played no favorites. He was a
man of rigid honesty whose word was his bond. He was a tender, fatherly
pastor to his flock and a forceful, energetic and withal prudent leader in
civic affairs. He was a princely host and a clever toastmaster, renowned for
his wit and humor. He was a very able preacher and a highly competent
executive. He was a kind and generous patron of the poor.
ST. MARY’S FIFTH PASTOR
ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL
During this time St. Mary’s became the mother church to two neighboring missions, which eventually became parishes in their own right: Our Lady of Good Counsel (1910) in Inwood and St. Gertrude (1911) in Edgemere, which became an independent parish in 1923. Under Father Farrell plans were drawn up for a new rectory, but these would await the coming of the next pastor before being realized. (Return to the Top) ST. GERTRUDE’S IN EDGEMERE: In 1911, Edgemere was a fashionable summer resort. The immense Edgemere Club Hotel with its hundreds of rooms attracted guests from all over the world, as well as other hotels and many cottages. St. Gertrude’s was established as a mission church of St. Mary’s at first open only in the summer as a convenience for the burgeoning vacation population. Originally located on Edgemere Avenue and B. 35 St., it was built on stilts as a measure against the heavy flooding that was common in those days when drainage and bulkheading were primitive. In 1926 the church was moved to its present location on B. 38 St and Beach Channel Drive which was cut through that same year to provide a second east-west artery through the peninsula. Through all of Edgemere’s drastic economic and social changes, St. Gertrude’s has remained a bastion in the community serving its social and religious needs. (Return to the Top) MISSIONS AT INWOOD AND HEWLETT: In 1908 Father Farrell established a mission at Inwood. As Our Lady of Good Counsel, it became an independent parish in 1910 with the Rev. John J. Mahon as its first pastor. Work on the current church was concluded four years later. It served two groups of immigrants: the Irish who worked as chauffeurs and maids in the great homes of Lawrence, and the Italian-speaking who worked in the Jamaica Bay fisheries. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters opened the parochial school in 1941. Parish programs provide religious education in the years since since the school has closed. St. Mary’s and Our Lady of Good Counsel continue to collaborate on many pastoral activities. (For information about Our Lady of Good Counsel, visit its website by clicking here.) (Return to the Top) Father Murphy of St. Mary’s also served St. Joseph’s Parish in Hewlett as a mission between 1875 and 1882. |
|