The End of the Churches: The Fate of the Downtown Shrines

A. The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Our Lady of the Rosary Church).

The shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (she was not yet a saint when it was built) sits in solitary splendor amid its monstrous neighbors at the very southernmost tip of Manhattan. It was also the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 2015 that parish was “merged back” into the parish of St. Peter (the oldest Catholic parish in New York City). It had separated from St. Peter’s in 1886. In 2023 the parish of St. Peter’s/ Our Lady of the Rosary merged with Our Lady of VIctory/St. Andrew’s. The decree stipulated:

3. The church of Our Lady of the Rosary will maintain a regular schedule of Masses and the celebration of other sacraments.

In 2023, the Sisters of Life, having been “evicted” from the parish of St. Andrew (see below), were made “custodians” of the shrine complex. The website of the parish of St. Peter does not list the Seton Shrine as a “worship site” or mention any religious services that take place here. On a recent visit I found it closed. I would be grateful if a reader can provide more information about the shrine’s current status. 1)

(Above) The (former) parish church. The real reason these buildings (and the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary) exist was the “Irish Mission” for immigrant girls founded at the initiative of Charlotte Grace O’Brien – who was at the time not even Catholic! It is one of many examples refuting the accusations made, e.g., in the recent film Cabrini, that in 19th century New York women were oppressed, Catholics did nothing for immigrants….

The coats of arms of Paul VI (above) and that of Cardinal Spellman (below). These can also be seen set in the floor of Holy Family Church, built at the same time as the Seton Shrine but in a radically different style.

B. St. Andrew’s.

St. Andrew’s was not really a “shrine” but was dedicated to the memory of Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes, archbishop of New York 1919-1938. He had been born in this very neighborhood, near the site of this church. In 1938 Hayes initiated the building of the present church in the newly emerging “Georgian” or “Catholic Meeting House” style we also encounter at the near contemporary Corpus Christi Parish near Columbia, or, later, at the Elizabeth Seton shrine (see above). Stained glass windows inside continue the patriotic theme. They commemorate “American” Catholics like Kateri Tekawitha, Mother Cabrini and Mother Seton (none of whom were saints at the time of the church’s construction).

After a long period of dwindling activity St Andrew’s was merged into the parish of Our Lady of Victory in 2017. On 5/10/2023 Cardinal Dolan decreed that Our Lady of Victory/ St. Andrew’s was in turn to be merged into the parish of St. Peter’s. Regarding St. Andrew’s, that decree specified that:

5. The church of Saint Andrew remains open for public and private worship. Mass will be celebrated on the anniversary of the dedication of the church and of its patronal feast. Further Masses and other sacraments will be celebrated as provided by the pastor of the newly merged parish.

Yet the website of the parish of St Peter’s states that:

St. Andrew’s was merged with Our Lady of Victory in 2017 and is currently closed.

This church obviously is closed. Indeed, The Sisters of Life, who in 2018 had moved here when their previous residence on East 71st Street was closed (and sold), in 2023 had to move out again, this time to the Seton Shrine (see above).

(Above) St Andrew’s today is oppressed by a dismal concentration of government buildings (courts, the police headquarters, etc.) and desolate streets (some blocked off). At the time of its rebuilding in 1939 it was already well on the way to being a “commuter church.”

(Above) The entrance (and the steps leading up to it) are now blocked off. Even the benches in front of the church have been disassembled.

(Above) St. Andrew’s was one of the oldest parishes of New York, but the present church was built in 1938/39.

(Above) How long will the bust of Cardinal Hayes continue to preside over the church that he started to build for his old parish? (Archbishop Spellman finished the construction.) (Below) A still-charming if untended Marian garden next to the church forms an extreme contrast with the surrounding desolation.

C. St. James.

To visit the (former) parish of St. James is to take a trip back in time. These few atmospheric short blocks (James and Oliver Streets) miraculously have come come down to us unchanged from the middle of the 19th century. The same is true of the brooding brownstone facade of St. James Church. Few places in Manhattan are so redolent of the past – although we must imagine this neighborhood being much more crowded, dirty and lively in the days of Governor Alfred Smith’s youth! For here, not just the church, but the entire neighborhood is a shrine, commemorating not a saint but a native New Yorker – Alfred E. Smith, governor of New York and who famously ran for president in 1928. St. James was his parish and he received (all) his education at its parochial school. His name has recently been in the news again, because of the Al Smith dinner, a ritual since 1946 commemorating this Catholic hero of yore.

(Above and below) The streets are named after St. James parish. Later, the name of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was added. This Irish society was was founded at this parish in 1836, and was instrumental in saving the church 40 years ago. (In the background is the Mariners’ Temple)

(Above) The old parochial school of St. James, which is still used as a catholic school by Transfiguration parish.

(Above and below). The entrance to the school (with the church of St. James visible on the left). The plaques call to our attention that Governor Alfred Smith his entire formal education here.

In the 1980’s the archdiocese threatened to close St. James. The Ancient Order of Hibernians led the resistence which blocked the closure (as is commemorated by the lower plaque above). But afterwards this church, despite valiant efforts to save her, was permitted to fall into disrepair again and was closed. Finally on 5/10/2023, Cardinal Dolan decided in effect to sell the church. 3) What was the reasoning?

Whereas Father Roger Kwan, Administrator of the Parish of Transfiguration – Saint James – Saint Joseph, South Manhattan, New York, has requested by letter of February 1, 2023 to relegate the church of Saint James, South Manhattan, to profane but not sordid use, because of the immense financial burden on the parish, the required financial resources needed to maintain ten (10) buildings, and the fact that this church was severely damaged by a fire in January of 2011, further adding to the financial burden;

That reasoning seems a little odd to me since St. James had been closed (and seems to have been gutted) years ago. And only Transfiguration parish is involved in the decision regarding one of the oldest amd most historically significant Catholic churches in New York? The next paragraph (quoting the Pope) appears even stranger:

Whereas we should always go first, not so much to our friends and wealthy neighbors, “but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked “those who cannot repay you’ (Lk14:14). There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message.

Or is it just a gratuitous occasion to quote Pope Francis? Of course the notion that the Archdiocese could use such a historic parish for evangelization is not even considered.

Now the voices that were still raised in the 1980’s against such historical and artistic vandalism have fallen silent. The Ancient Order of Hibernians lost control of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade a long time ago and I don’t know what their current level of activity is. Battles like those that erupted 20 years ago over churches like St Ann’s or Our Lady of Vilna – and more recently over Holy Innocents and St. Thomas More – are things of the past. The archdiocese does not even pretend that this and the other closures and sales are all part of some master plan. So this monument of New York Catholic history and art may soon – much more literally – belong to the past.

All photos are from September 2024. These are earlier my write-ups on these churches (and associated buildings):

Our Lady of the Rosary/Elizabeth Seton Shrine

St. Andrew’s

St. James (With pictures of the interior and Al Smith’s pew!)

1. The Church of St Peter and Our Lady of Victory; Decree on the Merger of the Territorial Parishes of Saint Peter-Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Victory-Saint Andrew, South Manhattan, New York (5/10/2023)
2. Id. (The same website and decree also deal with St. Andrew’s)
3. Decree on the Relegation of the Church of Saint James, South Manhattan, New York (5/10/2023)