St. James
32 St. James Place
The visitor truly enters a time warp as he approaches St. James after feeling his way through a faceless landscape of government buildings and housing projects. He discovers to his joy that the two or three streets immediately surrounding St. James are perfectly preserved if decaying holdovers from the 19th century. The brownstone Greek temple that is St. James is appropriately situated among other curious monuments – like the similarly styled “mariner’s church”, the former St. James parochial school and the city’s oldest Jewish cemetery. The facade is studded with commemorative plaques , for there is no parish in New York more historic than St. James. The original parish had been founded in 1827 by the great Father Felix Valela, a native of Cuba and the founder of several venerable New York parishes. The current church was dedicated in 1836 – allegedly designed by the noted neoclassical architect Minard Lefever. Like most early New York parishes St. James was predominantly Irish. Indeed, it was at St. James that the “Ancient Order of Hibernians” was founded in 1836. Later, the priests of the parish struggled and died caring for the waves of immigrant fleeing the great famine in Ireland in the 1840’s. As time went on and Catholic immigration to New York drastically increased, this parish grew huge. It was in these streets and at this parish that Alfred E. Smith (1873-1944), the future governor of New York and Democratic presidential candidate in 1928, grew up. Smith’s name is everywhere – on his house, on the parochial school building where he received all his formal education, on the church where he served as an altar boy and where the pew his family owned is proudly displayed.
The house of Al Smith is on the left, then the rectory and finally the former convent.
His Family’s Pew.
“St. James was not only Al Smith’s school and parish, it was also the most important institution in the community… . St. James was a typical urban church, small and overcrowded by the time Al Smith became a congregant. The original altar was made of stone brought over from Caen, France and covered a large area, at least fifty feet….By 1878 the congregation had reached twenty-five thousand, far too many for a building this small, and this figure did not include the floating population of three thousand Catholic sailors. Masses must have been frequent and crowded…….”
“Father John Kean became pastor in 1879 and was a dominant influence in Al Smith’s life….Father Kean appeared omniscient, constantly looking in on the classrooms, observing the children at play on the street, inserting his presence into every aspect of parish life….Fr. Kean was also instrumental in creating the organizational life of the parish, the myriad services and organizations that St. James provided for its community. By 1878, for example, there was a Society of the Sacred Heart…a Society of the Living Rosary; a Holy Name Society (with three hundred members by 1886) a St. Vincent de Paul Society; the St. James Rifle Corps (“which took part in all public celebrations”, Al (Smith) later explained) the Longshoreman’s Protective Society; plus a Young Men’s and a Young Women’s Sodality….Above all the church provided services for the children of the parish. By 1878 there were approximately 1,450 young people attending classes at St. James (650 boys taught by the Christian Brothers and another 800 girls taught by the Sisters of Charity). This institution had a fine reputation. One historical critic of Al Smith still referred to it as “one of the best grammar schools in the city.” In addition to the school, in 1882 Father Kean built an orphanage …and an industrial school… 2)
From this account we see that what distinguished the Archdiocese of those years of growth from its present day successor is not primarily the number of Catholics or their economic status but an entirely different and broader understanding of the Church’s role. It is a Church imbued with a sense of mission, that reaches out into society and takes a leadership role in all aspects of life: education, labor relations, the arts, public morality, politics and even entertainment. It was an age when every Catholic felt an intense loyalty to his territorial parish -feelings that persisted in New York City right up to the Second Vatican Council. Al Smith is reported to have described St. James in the 1880’s as “the leading Catholic parish in New York, not excepting the cathedral itself.” 3) We may not totally agree with that – but it does show the pride of Catholics of that day in their local church.
St. James is not only a historical monument but is artistically impressive as well. It is clear that there must have been significant resources at hand in 1836 to construct such an elegant Christian temple. The facade, faced with brownstone, boasts plaques with Protestant-style scriptural quotations. It is surprising to reflect that this is the second oldest Catholic church building in New York – so completely has its style lost any association with Catholicism! Once upon a time the exterior featured a long-vanished tower above the classical pediment. 3) The interior is a simple rectangle with a sanctuary inserted and set off by a communion rail. The remarkably light and festive space is adorned with elaborate decorations in a “Greek” manner. The magnificent sanctuary (including the above-mentioned huge altar) dominates through greater density of detail, its paintings and the whiteness of the marble. Doubtless Pugin (a contemporary) would have been horrified at the utilization for Catholic church of pagan decoration and a design more likely to be found in Protestant churches. But yet it works – splendidly!
The organ, too, is historic although not all of it can be played. Concerts have been held seeking to advance its restoration. 3)
After the days of glory of the 19th century, St. James parish gradually sank into obscurity. Judging by the dedications in the church, the dwindling parish had become largely Italian by the middle of the 20th century. In more recent years a “Hispanic” population of various nationalities has predominated. The church itself grew more dilapidated as the financial resources of the parish declined. in the 1980’s the city almost mandated closure because of the deterioration of the structure. The Order of Hibernians, however, rose to the defense of St. James and saved the parish. The order also funded a restoration of the building at that time.
Nevertheless the path of decline resumed despite heroic efforts of the parish community. Lately this church attracted the attention of the archdiocesan planners. St. James is small, poor and located very close to three other Catholic parishes – the tower of Transfiguration church can even be seen to the northwest. In 2006 St. James was reduced to a mission of nearby St. Joseph’s church. In early 2010, after more than 150 years of existence, Al Smith’s school was closed (fortunately the building is now being used by the school of Transfiguration parish). Finally, a fire broke out on January 10 of this year in the attic of the church. It is reported that the damage was not that great and Archbishop Dolan has expressed his support. Costs of repair, however, have been used in the past by the Archdiocese as an excuse to close churches. Especially when a massive Archdiocesan downsizing is underway.
It is really a shame. With a thorough-going restoration and imaginative leadership such a beautiful, historic space could become a magnet for downtown and the entire city. Given the reviving residential character of the general area, it would be a wise investment for the future – viewing the matter in merely material terms. We certainly pray that St. James continues as a reminder to New York Catholics of their glorious history – and re-assumes its rightful place as a citywide spiritual center.
1) See the parish history at http://church.stjamesnyc.org/histo
2)Robert A. Slayton, Empire Statesman: the Rise and Redemption of Al Smith (The Free Press, New York 2001) at 26-28
3) http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/StJamesRC.html
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