The closing of St. Thomas the Apostle parish in 2003 set off one of the bitterest controversies (along with those surrounding Our Lady of Vilna and St. Ann’s) of Cardinal Egan’s campaign of parish reductions. For this Harlem parish, in addition to its historical significance, had one of the most magnificent churches of Manhattan, an incredible 1907 confection of eclectic gothic architecture and magnificent decoration – especially its stained glass. St Thomas the Apostle possessed one of the most complete decorative programs of Munich stained glass – of Mayer & Co. – in the New York area.

The architect of St Thomas the Apostle, Thomas Henry Poole (1860-1919), architect and author, was a key figure during the Golden Age of Catholic architecture in New York. An early church design for Manhattan, Holy Name of Jesus,( 1891-1900) is impressive but relatively restrained. From here he moved to the wild creativity of St. Cecilia, Brooklyn (1893) Our Lady of Good Counsel, Manhattan (1890-92; Poole’s own parish) and St. Thomas the Apostle, Harlem (1907). These “total art works” (Gesamtkunstwerke) deployed Gothic and non-Gothic forms in totally original ways, with lavish use of paintings, sculpture and stained glass in the interior. Our Lady of Good Counsel (which I described in the Wedding Palace Church) still gives today an idea of Poole’s accomplishments. 1)

As in most such struggles, despite the dedicated efforts of parishioners and conservationists, the Archdiocese had its way and the parish was closed in 2003. But the Archdiocese proved unable to demolish the buildings or develop the property. The church, stripped of its decorations, eventually (2014) was repurposed as a “community arts center” and venue for “events” – an admittedly ignoble end. Yet the new owner (“Harlem Parish”) restored the exterior and interior, preserving the architectural shell of St. Thomas church. We can be thankful for that! 2)

But what of the greatest glory of St. Thomas – its Munich stained glass? That too was preserved – at least in large part. But to view it, one has to travel far up the Hudson to Lagrangeville, in Dutchess county. In 2008, when the new parish church of Kateri Tekakwitha was built there, the pastor was able to acquire much of the stained glass of St Thomas the Apostle – and spoils of other closed New York churches.

For a more detailed reflection on the style of the church of St. Kateri Tekakwitha itself I refer to my prior post on the church St. Joseph of Somers, New York, a recent church in northern Westchester county which also incorporates old stained glass (from St. Ann in New York) and for which St. Kateri in many respects served as an architectural precedent. In regard to St. Kateri, we note the somewhat overwrought facade with its piling up of gables, doorways and towers. The bright interior also uneasily juxtaposes a centralizing plan with a minimalist “chancel” or sanctuary. Yet it’s clear that the parish and Archdiocese were striving here for something more than the brick or concrete modernistic boxes of the 1960’s and 70’s. 3)

But in St. Kateri the Mayer & Co glass – executed in its most characteristic, exuberant, neo-Rennaissance style – is on full display. As a general theme, the windows depict the miracles of Christ. The figures are more substantial than the doll-like images sometimes found in of the windows of other churches (including Poole’s own Our Lady of Good Counsel). And in the St. Thomas windows the glass makers take endless delight in narrative details and in the expressions of the saints (and sometimes sinners) they depict. As always in Munich stained glass, the colors are glorious. The dedications are missing.

The set of St. Thomas windows at St. Kateri is not complete. The pastor of St Kateri told me of a photograph of an Annunciation window which he has seen. St. Thomas also featured a grand facade window centered on an image of the Assumption or Immaculate Conception. Few or none of the panels of this window seem to have reached St. Kateri.

As is usual in such huge projects, the windows of St. Thomas seem to be a mix of images very commonly encountered in Catholic churches of the day (such as Christ welcoming the little children) and those that are more unusual and seem to be a specific commission. Such as Christ discoursing with the Samaritan woman at the well (above). Or the Visitation window (below) in which the Virgin holds a walking staff – I at least haven’t seen that elsewhere.

The artists of Mayer reused images over the years – given the sheer scale of this company’s output through the 1930’s, how could it be otherwise? Compare the visit of the Magi as depicted in a window from St. Thomas (above) with the same scene in a window (below) – of an earlier date, I believe – at Holy Innocents church in New York.

The unusual subject of the raising from the dead of the daughter of Jairus, as depicted in a window from St. Thomas (above). Below is the same scene in the Cathedral of Covington, Kentucky – executed at approximately the same time. If these windows were not indeed made by the same artist, then the same pattern books or drawings served as models.

The marriage feast at Cana: in a St. Thomas window (above) and at St. James cathedral, Brooklyn (below). In Brooklyn, the same basic composition is confined to one large pane. The execution of the latter is also more sophisticated and uniform in quality – the window from St. Thomas shows evidence of several different hands, and the left two panels are considerably cruder than that depicting Christ. But the pop-eyed expression in that window of the boy pouring water which is turning into wine is priceless. And then there is the pineapple ( a fruit from the New World!) on the table in the Brooklyn window.

Any one of these windows from St. Thomas merits close study. Only then can we appreciate the fine details such as, in this window of Candlemas, the rendering of the fabrics or the expression of the priest Simeon and the prophetess Anna. And then, stepping back, we can admire the harmonious overall composition.

The washing of the feet of Christ by St. Mary Magdalen. The circle of host and guests taking umbrage at her action forms a kind of unholy “Last Supper” – note their expressions.

(Above and below) Two of a series of angels now installed at St. Brigid church on Tompkins Square. These also are described as spoils from St. Thomas the Apostle – which gives an idea of the magnitude of the decoration that once was there. We should be grateful that much of the stained glass of the Harlem church has survived. But the loss of the original artistic unity of architecture and the decoration that was found at St. Thomas remains an incomparable tragedy.

1. On Poole see the Wikipedia article: Thomas Henry Poole.
2. For further photos of the current state of the former parish church, see Newyorkitecture.com; many more photos at Harlem Parish.
3. St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish

Manny Albino shares this image of the interior of his old parish, Mary Help of Christians. We reported on its demolition in 2013 – also here. The site is now occupied by luxury apartments.

CANCELLED

UPDATE: We are informed that the Archdiocese has cancelled this hearing.

We had previously covered in The Churches of New York the saga of the Jesuit church of St. Francis Xavier on West 16th Street – its origins, its glorious past and where it stands today. Now “William Po” (a pseudonym) in an article on OnePeterFive has updated the story, giving some insights into the current life of the parish – apparently, through the end of the pastorate (as administrator) of Fr. Daniel Corrou SJ ( in 2019).

Jesuit Craters, Jesuits Cratering, and Margaret Sanger on Venus

And some things never end. If we take a casual look, for example, at the most recent parish bulletin of March 28, 2021, we read the following Holy Week message from the associate pastor:

This week our nation was again gripped in horror at two mass shootings. The first, in Atlanta, targeted women of Asian descent, killing six women of Asian descent as well as two others. This attack came after a year of increasing numbers of hate crimes targeting Asians.

…

If our nation is ever to break its addiction to racism and gun violence, we must have a national conversion to acceptance and love for one another.

As we enter into Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum, we are reminded of our call to work with all people of goodwill for peace, inclusion, reconciliation and justice.

…

Throughout Lent, many have been involved in the Lenten Racial Justice Examen; others have examined the environmental impact of their lives; and still others have taken more personalized journeys.

…

On Holy Thursday, we recall the institution of the Eucharist, when Christ took bread, blessed it broke it, and gave it to his disciples. We who receive the Eucharist are made into one community standing in solidarity with all who suffer. As a diverse people gathered as one, we affirm that all people share the same dignity regardless of country of origin, gender identity, economic status or sexual orientation.

On Good Friday, we recall Jesus’ suffering and death for the sake of sin and injustice. By his crucifixion, Christ suffered the reality of violence and humiliation by the powers that be. Yet violence and humiliation did not have the last word. Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday followed Good Friday. May the coming celebration of the Resurrection give us hope in our day-to-day struggle against bigotry, violence and injustice and in the building of a just community for all.

I don’t think William Po’s experiences should be surprising to anyone having even the remotest familiarity with the Jesuit order or St. Francis Xavier parish. And is it news that the Archdiocese is taking a hands-off attitude to this parish and the growing number of others like it? I am surprised why, given his own principles, Willam Po is or was attending St. Francis Xavier in the first place. The parish is, after all, extremely open about its guiding principles. Yes, Margaret Sanger crater is on Venus – but what about the National Historic Landmark of the site of Margaret Sanger clinic across the street from St. Francis Xavier church?

A call to artists – for new art at St. Francis Xavier parish (Jesuit) in New York. Whether, however, the potential commissions will have anything to do with Christianity is another question entirely. You see the problem is that in the present church the images are overwhelmingly those of white men (as perhaps befits a church founded by the Jesuit order – at least as it understood itself previous to the Vatican Council). The exceptions (the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine of Siena) are also white. And the whole church had been restored at great expense in the not-too-distant past. But, as the project’s “Statement of Purpose” explains:

The Church of St. Francis Xavier is committed to pursuing racial and social justice in our community. Among many other initiatives, we would like to commission new art work for the church that more reflects the diversity of our community and the values we profess.

Our ideas for the project include and are not limited to:

• Art that depicts Jesus as a Black, Indigenous, Person of Color, so as to represent groups historically excluded, marginalized or exploited in the United States including but not limited to African Americans, Native Americans and migrants from Latin America.
• Art that features individual saints of various races/culture/nationalities. For example, and not limited to: Josephine Bakhita, Charles Lwanga, Oscar Romero, Kateri Tekakwitha, Andrew Kim Taegon, Lorenzo Ruiz, and The Martyr Saints of China. Also, Blesseds Augustus Tolton, Pierre Toussaint, Sr. Thea Bowman and Julia Greeley.
• Art that depicts and honors heroes in the arena of racial and social injustice. For example, and not limited to: Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, John Lewis, Julia Greeley, Bayard Rustin and Fannie Lou Hamer. This could also include some local heroes who volunteer at the Xavier Mission Welcome Table, Shelter, etc.
• Possible themes depicting social/racial justice might be the parallel of Jesus on the cross with lynched African Americans hung from a tree or images of African American mothers grieving their children near the Pieta statue.

In other words, the proposed new art is political, not religious. Or put another way, the content is entirely political but may employ religious forms. As the parish’s instructions for interested artists explicitly state:

PLEASE SPECIFY HOW THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES OUR MISSION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE ICONOGRAPHY WITHIN ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

There follow, however, contradictory suggestions regarding “figurative art”:

The current artwork in the Church is almost exclusively figurative. It is important that the artist applicants consider whether additional figurative artwork best accomplishes the stated goals of this commission, or whether a non-figurative approach would better reflect our goals in a powerful and impactful way. Said another way, the presentation of historically accurate representations and abstract, non-objective, and conceptual artwork are encouraged.

The Conciliar/Jesuit goal of aligning with the 20th Century reign of the abstract, non-objective, and conceptual obviously clashes with the political objectives previously outlined. A perennial problem for the left that the political art of the Soviet Union and the world communist movement had to deal with as early as the 1920’s.

Submissions are due by March 1. All the details can be found on the St. Francis Xavier parish website:

SOLICITATION OF INTEREST IN
THE INSTALLATION OF NEW ART IN OUR CHURCH

As this calamitous year approaches its end, we would like to recall briefly several of those who died in the last 12 months. Their lives illustrate the amazing possibilities of Traditional Christian life in the radically secular city that is New York. One of these people was Archdeacon John DeMeis.

One fine day in the early 1980’s, when I was attending NYU law school, I had wandered over to the northern reaches of Mulberry Street.  In those years that neighborhood was semi-deserted even in the middle of the day and featured mainly garages and “social clubs.” I passed by an open door on the ground floor of a small building next to old St. Patrick’s church and peered in. Someone inside noticed me and invited me inside – it turned out to be a Byzantine church: St. Michaels’ Russian Catholic chapel! And the man extending the invitation was John DeMeis. From that day on,  for many years, I regularly attended St. Michael’s. But for John’s welcome, I never would have thought of entering there. I owed to him my main experiences of the Eastern liturgy – at that time, in the pre-indult days, the only fully satisfactory alternative for those seeking Traditional Christian worship. Wasn’t  John’s welcoming gesture a real, if modest, example of that  “evangelizing” that is so endlessly discussed nowadays ?

John DeMeis, a retired transit cop,  had deep connections with both the Eastern rite and one of the most obscure and unusual Catholic parishes of Manhattan. Our Lady of Grace chapel, a storefront church on Stanton Street,  was the spiritual home in New York City of the Italo-Albanians.  This people had migrated to southern Italy and Sicily in the 15^th century, fleeing Turkish oppression. In their new home they preserved the Byzantine rite, celebrated in Greek, but stayed in communion with Rome. Quite a few of them after 1870 joined the mass emigration from Southern Italy to the New World. 

Our Lady of Grace chapel was founded in 1906 by Fr. Ciro Pinnola, an Italo-Albanian priest from near Palermo (another source says the foundation was in 1904). He was married, a practice that was beeing repressed in in the other Catholic Byzantine communities in the U.S. In 1909, the chapel’s congregation numbered 400.

Regrettably, when Fr. Pinnola died in 1946, the parish ended as well. But John DeMeis and others labored to keep its memory alive. Even today, the Our Lady of Grace Italo-Greek Catholic Mission and Society preserves the memory of this community.  John DeMeis was devoted to this society – he later became its archivist and historian. The society (“OLOGS”!)  publishes a newsletter for the Italo-Albanian community several times a year and sponsors events as well. 

After 1990 I moved out of New York and returned to St Michael’s only now and then, on special occasions. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw John DeMeis ever again in person after that year. Tragically,  St. Michael’s Russian Catholic chapel, once a significant initiative of the Archdiocese of New York,  was evicted in 2019 from the home they had occupied since 1936. The space is currently occupied by a souvenir shop. The community, however, has continued – for the last two years they have been hosted by the parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St.  Catherine of Siena(at St. Catherine’s).

I had the impression that John had moved on as well – deepening more and more his commitment to Eastern or Greek Catholicism. He was ordained deacon in 1990 and archdeacon in 1997. For many years he served as a chaplain to the police department.

John DeMeis died on August 19^th of this year at the age of 90. He is survived by his beloved wife Rita and their children and grandchildren. May Archdeacon John’s memory be eternal!

(Photo courtesy of Kristina DeMeis)

Our Lady of Grace Society Facebook page.

Roman Catholic Sacred Architecture in New York County: Manifestations of Faith, Glory, Change and Decline in the Early 21st Century

By Paul R. Peters

2020

As our readers probably know,  we have long been following the history of the Catholic churches of New York City. Recently I was fortunate to receive and read the work of another researcher in the same area. Paul R. Peters has written and self-published Roman Catholic Sacred Architecture in New York County: Manifestations of Faith, Glory, Change and Decline in the Early 21st Century (2020). In it,  he covers the great majority of the Catholic parish churches of Manhattan island. (Non-New Yorkers need to know that New York County is synonymous with Manhattan plus Marble Hill in the Bronx.)

Peter’s book is one of select few on this subject. Thomas J. Shelley’s Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York of course also covers all the parishes of Manhattan.  Then,  there is Rene S. James’ The Roman Catholic Churches of Manhattan (2007, also self-published). Finally, the grandfather of all such studies – and still the best –  is John Gilmary Shea’s 1878 book on New York City Catholic churches. In Sacred Architecture Peters gives us several photographs and a brief description of each of the churches in New York. Many of the photographs are his own, taken from 2003 onwards, but he has supplemented these with well-chosen examples from local archives or from other sources. See, for example, this book’s  beautiful cover photograph of the interior of the now-closed All Saints parish in Harlem, taken when that church was relatively new. Another example is the striking image of the interior of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Our author has put together this book with a specific purpose in mind. Peters documents through photographs the status, before and after the Council,  of each of these churches.  This focuses, in particular, on the chancel or sanctuary of each church and a melancholy review of the damage that was done after the Council. In most cases this involved moving the altar forward, eliminating or reducing the communion rail, and placing a new altar at the center of the church on a platform projecting into the nave (what Peters calls a “build-out.”)  It also usually was accompanied by the gross simplification or outright destruction of the former decorative program of the church which so often had featured gothic altars, stencils, paintings and statuary.  Peters is rightfully indignant at this desecration, carried out supposedly to “break down barriers” between the celebration of the Mass and the people. They of course largely departed, which is why parish after parish after parish is closing. This book is a visual chronicle  of the devastation.

Those churches were indeed fortunate where the post-Conciliar updating was limited to placing a table between the grand high altar and the communion rail, leaving all else intact. New York, however, has the good luck to have more than handful of these, in which the Conciliar wave of destruction of art was halted by the parish’s poverty or the resistance of the donors’ families.

Peters’ book obviously has great appeal for the connoisseur of New York churches. He has here pictures of the interiors of churches with which I was familiar but never got around to photographing before their destruction –  such as St. Ann’s or the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I should especially emphasize his discussion of the once glorious Church of Saint Thomas in Harlem – an equally colorful and wildly decorated counterpart to Our Lady of Good Counsel.   It was shut down and destroyed by Cardinal Egan. Our author also has located intriguing photographs of the original 19^th century churches of the parishes like St. Andrew and Immaculate Conception which later acquired grand new buildings. 

To describe some 100 churches and their constantly changing appearance is a formidable task – I appreciate  the magnitude of the effort and don’t want to seem critical. For a second edition,  however, I would suggest more systematically providing, where possible,  dates for the photographs and for the narrative. For as the author himself tells us, it is not so simple as “before the Council” and “after the Council.” In some parishes, ( e.g. St. Stephen’s, St. Agnes) major changes  – and in some cases major damage – was done prior to the Council. In other cases, post-Conciliar ravages have been partially repaired (Our Lady of Pompeii, Our Lady of Sorrows). 

Despite the vast terrain Peters covers,  I have only been able to identify a very few instances where he is outright wrong – such as his description of the combination of the parishes of St. Emeric and St. Bridget (Brigid). But even there we are grateful to him for pointing out the dedication (in fact at St. Emeric, not St. Brigid) of a chapel to Cardinal Egan (while he was still alive)! This book’s list of churches may be comprehensive but it is not exhaustive –  one prominent church missing is the shrine of St. Frances Cabrini in Washington Heights. I would also dissent from the author’s aesthetic judgment in certain cases (like the renovation of St. Francis Xavier church). 

All in all this is a great book for enthusiasts of ecclesiastical architecture or New York City history. And also a sobering work for those Traditionalists who want to experience the bitter feeling of seeing the details of so much that has been senselessly destroyed. Highly recommended!

On October 8, I read this in Catholic New York:

Sister Mary John Burke, S.R.C.M., who was the last surviving member of the Sisters of Reparation of the Congregation of Mary, died Sept. 14. She was 90. Sister Mary John spent many of her early years serving in the convent at St. Zita’s Home for Friendless Women on 14th Street in Manhattan, where she assisted poor and homeless women. 

Up till about ten years ago, you could make out the faded words: “St Zita’s Convent” above the entrance to a nondescript, dilapidated structure on West 14th Street. The sisters had long abandoned the convent – the building had been sold to the Mormons in 2002. Yet, this had once been the home to one of New York’s rare home-grown religious congregations. Ellen O’Keefe founded St. Zita’s Home for Friendless Women in 1890. Later she founded the Sisters of Reparation of the Congregation of Mary to administer it.

Miss O’Keefe had always treasured the thought of forming a regular community for the perpetuation of her work and to make reparation to Our Savior in the Blessed Sacrament. Archbishop (Cardinal) Farley approved her institute in September 1903, under the title of the “Sisters of Reparation of the Congregation of Mary”. Miss O’Keefe was named superioress of the congregation under the title of Mother Zita, Katherine Dunne (Sister Mary Magdalen) taking the habit on her deathbed.

A sister always sleeps near the door, since it is a rule of the community that no one is to be refused admission at any hour, day or night; the observance of this rule frequently renders it necessary for the sisters to give up their own beds to their humble guests. The women are kept as long as they desire to stay; if able-bodied they must help in the laundry or at sewing, the sole support of the home; if ill, they are cared for or sent to the hospital. Catholic inmates are required to attend Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation, but this is the sole distinction between the inmates of the different religions. The sisters also visit the poor in the hospitals and supply free meals to men out of employment. The number of women accommodated each night is from 100 to 125; the meals supplied to men out of work averages daily 65. (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV at 762 (The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., New York 1912)

In other words, these sisters were already doing things undertaken decades later by the Catholic Worker people – without the latter’s flair for publicity and political agitation. By the time the sisters set up shop on West 14th Street in 1903, this corner of Manhattan was fast becoming a dingy, decidedly low-rent part of town.

Yet, as in the case of so many other religious congregations, vocations to the Sisters of Reparation must have dried up in the post-Vatican II world. After selling the 14th Street convent ( “St. Zita’s Home for Friendless Women” had been closed several years earlier), the sisters moved to their last apostolate, appropriately enough, a retirement home for ladies, in Monsey, New York . There, Sister Maureen Francis O’Shea, the last mother superior and director of the adult care facility, died on March 18. She was 85. ( Brum, Robert, Monsey:Future of St. Zita’s Villa appears unertain following director’s death, Rockland Westchester Journal News, lohud, 7/17/2020.See also Pollak, Michael, F.Y.I.: A Place for the Friendless, The New York Times 9/4/2005)

And now, no sisters of this order are left at all. The death of the last sisters calls into question the future of the Monsey facility – today, its real estate value might well be considerable. But let’s reflect on the sisters of this small defunct order and the decades of unselfish work they gave. We are sure that they have their reward!

.

Now the kick-off site for the very commercial tour of the “catacombs” of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral by Candlelight

For more on the commercial exploitation of St. Patrick’s old cathedral and its surroundings, see this NYT article of 4/18/2019:

The Secrets of a Sacred Underground

“In addition to the tours, the cathedral is bringing the catacombs into the 21st century (and raising extra income) by selling cremation niches for those looking for a final resting place. To date, 352 niches have been filled, but hundreds more are being built and sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Niches in the underground catacombs sell for $10,000 to $15,000.” Ibid.

(Pictures of the catacombs tour office courtesy of Anthony Tramontano)

It is just one more chapter in a long, sad story. Untapped New York reports on the 26 Catholic schools of the New York Archdiocese and of  the Brooklyn diocese that are closing this year. 1) Others closed in 2019 – and many more before that! No restructurings, refinancings or other new programs seem able to stop the hemorrhaging,

But what caught my eye is that two of the schools highlighted in the Untapped New York report  – the former parochial schools of St. Anselm and of Our Lady of Angels – are in my home town of long ago, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  St. Anselm’s was my own school up to the third grade. My mother had attended it too.  Many other relatives of mine on my mother’s side had attended nearby Our Lady of Angels. Like many other parishes in the New York area, St. Anselm’s had built its school – in the 1920’s –  some thirty years before its church. That’s how important the Catholic school was to the diocese and the parents at that time. Later, St. Anselm’s added a more modern kindergarten in the back. 

It seems now like a fond memory of a distant vanished age. My teachers were mostly School Sisters of Notre Dame who at that time still wore their original beautiful habits.  Like myself, most of the children walked to school.  I remember so well the rehearsals for our planned grand entrance into the church on the occasion of our first communion. Unfortunately it rained heavily that day – so we substituted a much more interesting (for me) trek through the linked cellars of the school and the church. I so enjoyed the few years I spent there – and was unhappy to have to leave the school when my family moved out of Bay Ridge. 

What will be done with the buildings after the Catholic schools have closed? Nicholas Loud notes that a number are the work of Gustave Steinback, (1878-1959) prolific architect of Catholic churches and institutional buildings. He was the architect of Blessed Sacrament church on the Upper West Side, perhaps the finest Catholic church building in Manhattan neither a cathedral nor the establishment of a religious order.  Speaking of Blessed Sacrament parish, Blessed Sacrament school,  apparently successful and apparently still affiliated with its parish, took over in 2019 the building of the  former parochial school of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish on West 52^nd street to create an “upper school.”2)

Why is this happening? Officially blame is being placed on the coronavirus.  It seems to me, however, that clearly lack of faith (or as Nicholas Loud puts it, a “declining of religious participation”) is the root cause. For the Catholic parochial school system was created to pass on the faith in an indifferent or even hostile American society. Regardless of what a “Priest In-Residence and Post-Doctoral Fellow at Notre Dame University,” quoted in Nicholas Loud’s article, implies, the parochial school was emphatically not intended primarily as a kind of poor relief for immigrant families  – although it of course it did and does give them educational opportunities.  Bay Ridge in the 1950’s was not a poor neighborhood by any stretch of the imagination,  yet the parochial schools were flourishing. But when the level of “religious participation” has fallen to 15-20% of the nominal Catholic population the side effects on Catholic education will be immense.

That precipitous drop in the practice of the faith came, of course,  in the wake of the Second Vatican council. That’s when the sisters first modified their habits and then discarded them entirely.  And a short time after that they themselves disappeared from the classrooms. The growing reliance on lay teachers caused costs to skyrocket. An increasingly religiously  indifferent Catholic community no longer perceived a need for this education  – certainly not at this now substantial price. Those who indeed were poor found Catholic eduction increasingly difficult to afford. And many of the minority who did remain committed in principle to Catholic education were increasingly dissatisfied with the evolution of the religious and secular content, thus giving rise, for example, to the Catholic home schooling movement.

As I mentioned above, the New York City Catholic school began to be perceived as a secular welfare program. In many cases much or even most of the student body became non-Catholic – inevitably leading to conflicts and compromises. This had the effect of further restricting the potential pool of students.

Over the years all kinds of new structures have been devised to try to stem the tide – yet the decline of the school system goes on. It is in some ways amazing – in these decades in which the even more catastrophic decline of the public schools should have opened up opportunities,   the Catholic school system instead seems gripped by an irresistible process of decay.

The story of my own former school is instructive. St. Anselm’s and Our Lady of Angels’ parochial schools had previously been converted into “charter schools”: St. Anselm Catholic Academy and Holy Angels Catholic Academy  In 2019 it was suddenly announced that St. Anselm Catholic Academy and Holy Angels Catholic Academy would join together to become Bay Ridge Catholic, an academy operating out of St. Anselm’s building.  Its leadership offered this not totally coherent explanation:

“Over a 10-year period enrollment has declined, but there has been some recent student growth at St. Anselm and there is positive energy,” St. Anselm Board of Directors Chairperson John Quaglione told the Eagle. Still, there are troubling signs, Quaglione said. “We saw projections that enrollment would continue to decline. The student population will continue to go down. The pool as a whole is shrinking,” he said.

By combining the two schools into one entity, leaders at both schools said they believe they can help save Catholic education in their section of Bay Ridge. 3)

Bay Ridge, for those unfamiliar with Brooklyn,  remains,  as it has always been, a decidedly middle class – even upper middle class –  place. (To be fair, a third Catholic academy in Bay Ridge (or Fort Hamilton), the St. Patrick Catholic Academy, stated in 2019 it was doing well.)

And what is the curriculum of the new combined Bay Ridge Catholic Academy? The school’s website claims it will be centered around faith, arts and engineering.(!) But it is the latter that receives all the emphasis:

The curriculum will be focused on engineering and inspired by the arts.

• The model builds on STEM, STEAM, and STREAM, with a focus on the engineering thinking skills needed for the 21st century world.
• The engineering thought process requires higher level thinking skills to plan, test, try again and analyze results, even in kindergarten. 4)

It seems so very different from the St Anselm’s I knew in the early 1960’s!  Please excuse my pessimism, but I foresee only continued decline of the once grand Catholic school system.

1. Loud, Nicholas, Decline of a NYC Institution: 26 Catholic Schools Closed During Pandemic (Untapped New York 8/12/2020)
2. “SBS/SHJS Merger 2019
3. Katinas, Paula, Two Bay Ridge Catholic Schools to Merge (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 11/1/2019); Katinas, Paula, ‘We were blindsided,’ St. Anselm parent says of school merger (Brooklyn Reporter, 11/18/2019)
4. Bayridgecatholic.org/academics/