History Of The Parish School At St. Mary, Star Of The Sea, Far Rockaway

The first Catholic Mass in Far Rockaway was offered in 1847 in  William Caffrey’s Hotel, by the Rev. Michael Curran, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Astoria, who ministered to the widely scattered Catholic population of Queens county.  By 1850, Far Rockaway had become enough of a summer watering place that the Rev. Edward Mc Ginniss, pastor of St. Monica’s in Jamaica, had to offer Mass in a tent erected for the large summer hordes. In 1852, the cornerstone of  the first of  the three parish churches of St. Mary, Star of the Sea was laid, just off Broadway, now B. 19 St, at the site of the future St. Joseph’s Hospital. Thus, the history of Catholic life in Far Rockaway is older than the Diocese of Brooklyn itself, which was established only in 1853.  In 1857, the church was completed, and in 1868 the first resident pastor, the Dutch-born Rev. Joseph Brunnemann, O. S. F., came to St. Mary’s. In 1874  he was succeeded by the Rev. Michael J. Murphy, and the story of the parish school began in earnest. St. Mary’s is unique in having been served by not one, but two Catholic schools: the parochial school and the Academy.

Both schools at first shared the same building: the original 1857 church, which was converted into the first school when  a new church building (1877-1974) was erected at the corner of what is now B. 20 St. and New Haven Avenue. 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. 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 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.  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 Father Herbert Farrell became pastor. Alfred Bellot gives us an informative and colorful contemporary summary in his 1917 History of the Rockaways: “Fr. Farrell had been a member of the Public School Board of Education art 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...There are now about four hundred children in attendance.”

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 brothers teaching in the school in 1940 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 365 (K -8), features music and computer education, and boasts an alumni association of over 1400 members with their own website. 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.

Sources:

1.       Parish Centennial History Journal (1968)
2.       Sisters Of St. Joseph The Flowering Staff (1954)
3.       Josephite Archival summary from Sister Edna Mc Keever, C. S. J. (1995)
4.       Alfred Bellot’s History of the Rockaways (1917)
5.       George Nammack’s Alumni Reunion School History Notes (1996)