Lord

The heart of the Christian community is our Triune Lord: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Geography, history, and numbers are not the heart, but probably I will type mostly on these topics. As the internet already provides many encouraging spiritual guides and discouraging contentious forums, I intend to offer neither.
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To find a parish, enter a keyword in the search box at the top left, or look through the labels and links down the right-hand column. The posts themselves follow the Blogger format of newest items on top.
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Friday, May 27, 2011

St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa



St. Rose of Lima church, on the southeast corner of Merrick Road and Bayview Avenue, has the mailing address 2 Bayview Avenue, Massapequa NY 11758, telephone 516-798-4992.  The parish website is linked here.
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The mailing address of the parish elementary school is 4704 Merrick Road, Massapequa NY 11758, telephone 516-541-1546.  The school website is linked here.


Looking east from the church, one sees the school auditorium and classrooms.


The church is capacious.



St. Rose of Lima lived in Peru from 1586 to 1617.  At age 20, she joined the third order of the followers of St. Dominic, known as Dominicans.  This parish was founded under her patronage in 1952, and when the large church you see here was built in the 1960's, it included ten stained-glass windows depicting her life. However, the window shown above must be a metaphor of her spirituality rather than an actual event. 
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According to a parish history, Rose was the name of the mother of the first priest assigned as pastor in 1952, Rev. John Fagan. However, he became ill before he could start his assignment.


In Nassau County, St. Dominic (1170-1221) and his followers are patron saints of five parishes: St. Dominic (Oyster Bay), St. Hyacinth (Glen Head), St. Rose of Lima (Massapequa), St. Catherine of Siena (Franklin Square), and St. Raymond (East Rockaway).  It seems that no Dominican priests work in Nassau County, but for more than a century Sisters of St. Dominic (that is, Dominican Sisters) have immensely helped the Catholic church in this county by staffing schools, orphanages, and other responsible works.
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In the 18 miles of Merrick Road across Nassau County, a traveler passes the front door of three Catholic churches: Our Lady of Peace, Lynbrook, St. Christopher's, Baldwin, and St. Rose of Lima.  


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

St. Edward Confessor, Syosset




St. Edward Confessor stands in front of his new church at 205 Jackson Avenue, Syosset NY 11791.  The parish telephone number is 516-921-8030.  The school entrance is around the corner at 2 Teibrook Avenue, telephone 516-921-7767.  The buildings are about a half-mile south of the Syosset train station, via Jackson Avenue.
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Edward, who became King of England, lived from 1003 to 1066.  The title "Confessor" means that he confessed the Faith, not that he heard confessions.  He was not a priest.  It seems that there are two other parishes in Nassau County named for saintly monarchs: St. Hedwig and St. Ladislaus.


The church, seen here from Jackson Avenue, is many-sided.  The main entrance and foyer are at the left of this photo.  The church faces a large parking lot surrounded by the parish buildings and a green ballfield. 






An excellent article in the Long Island Catholic is linked here.


The school website is linked here.  The parish website, out of service as I type, is listed in the bulletin as www.st-edwards.org  On 5.28.2013, Newsday reported that the school enrollment is 218.


The quotation seems to be from a 1937 encyclical, "Divini Redemptoris."



Holy Spirit, New Hyde Park


Holy Spirit Church is located on the south side of Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) in New Hyde Park.  The rectory address is 11 South Sixth Street, New Hyde Park NY 11040, telephone 516-354-0359.  
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Bishop Charles McDonnell of Brooklyn established this parish in 1897 as Holy Ghost parish.  Five years later, he established the parish of St. Hedwig, a half-mile west.


A note in the parish bulletin states that the 5 p.m. Sunday Mass is not offered during the summer.



Looking north on South Sixth Street, one can view Precious Spirit Child Care Center in the former elementary school.  Also visible are the tall windows of the church with classrooms above it.  At the far end is Jericho Turnpike.  The rectory is to the right of the car.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

St. Hedwig, Floral Park



St. Hedwig's church stands on the south side of Jericho Turnpike (NY 25) in Floral Park at the corner of Depan Avenue.  The rectory address is 1 Depan Avenue, Floral Park NY 11001, telephone 516-354-0042.  The well-designed, informative parish website is linked here.
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In 1902, the bishop of Brooklyn established the parish for Polish Catholics, and this church was built the next year.



The above schedule was photographed in August, 2012.



The parish patron is presumably Sw. Jadwiga, monarch of Poland, who lived 1373-1399, revered as a saint for centuries before her official canonization by Pope John Paul II.


An inscription in the vestibule lists the renowned and productive George Streeton as architect.



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Sunday, May 22, 2011

St. James, Seaford



Note the scallop shells referring to the Apostle's shrine at Compostela, Galicia.


The parish of St. James is the most northern of the three parishes with a Seaford address.  At 80 Hicksville Road, Seaford NY 11783, its phone number is 516-731-3710.  The informative website is linked here
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Hicksville Road (NY 107) runs on the east side of the parish grounds, and Seamans Neck Road on the west side.  The grounds are mostly or completely within the Town of Oyster Bay (and the Plainedge School District), with the Town of Hempstead (and Island Trees School District) adjacent to the west. 
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The parish patron is the apostle James (called The Greater), brother of St. John.  In Nassau County, there are two other Catholic churches named in honor of one of the twelve apostles: St. Andrew (Westbury) and St. Thomas (West Hempstead).
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The former parish elementary school on Seamans Neck Road provides parish offices and religious education classrooms.  
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The 8.10.2011 edition of The Long Island Catholic carried an interesting story of the first building used by St. James parish in 1951.  It was a transformed chicken coop, which is now part of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul in Manorville.



Friday, May 20, 2011

St. Hyacinth, Glen Head





To read the Mass schedule, please note that any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  The church of St. Hyacinth is located at 319 Cedar Swamp Road, Glen Head, NY 11445, telephone 516-676-0361.  This is on the northbound side of NY 107 as it moves from Old Brookville to the city of Glen Cove.



The design of this 1985 church, both exterior and interior, is remarkable.  The Stations of the Cross are helped not only by fourteen inspirational sculptures but also by several small stained glass windows.  Higher up on each of the two side walls are windows of Jesus, Mary, and various other holy people: Pope John Paul II, two St. Stanislaus, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Hedwig, St. Casimir, and others.  I did not notice a reference to St. Hyacinth (Sw. Jacek, a Polish Dominican friar, 1185-1257).
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The A.I.A. Architectural Guide to Nassau and Suffolk Counties (Dover Publ., Mineola, 1992) on page 17 states this: "Designed by Bentel and Bentel, and winner of a 1988 Archi Award, this church was built in 1986.  A substantial effort was made by the designers to include subtle features from Middle European/Polish churches.  The brick detailing, the heavy plank front door and oval windows with wrought-iron grillwork are a few of the elements that are used to give St. Hyacinth's its distinctive quality.  .... The masonry work is intended to enhance the qualities of scale and texture so important to the ambience of this religious space. ..."



There is a chapel to the left of the main entrance.
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Saturday, May 7, 2011

St. Barnabas the Apostle, Bellmore





The church of St. Barnabas Apostle is located at 2320 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore NY 11710, telephone 516-785-0054.  The church is two blocks south of Sunrise Highway (NY 27) and the Bellmore train station.  The parish website is linked here. (I find the text on the website quite faint.)  The parish was established in 1912, and the present church was built in 1958.
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St. Barnabas church as seen from the Long Island Rail Road station.





To the right of the Our Lady's shrine may be seen the Holy Oils, the Baptismal Font, and the Ambo draped in Lenten purple.


Along the left aisle is this shrine, St. Maximilian Kolbe in the center, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to the left, and a Sacred Heart to the right. Sisters of Charity of Halifax staffed the parish school since 1931.


Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.





In 1992, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional School replaced four parish schools.  This elementary school is sponsored by the parishes of St. Raphael, St. Jane Frances de Chantal, CurĂ© of Ars, and St. Barnabas. The mailing address is 2341 Washington Avenue, Bellmore NY 11010, telephone 516-785-5709, website linked here.
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The above photos show the school, which is adjacent to the church.  These views look west from Bedford Avenue, and the lobby runs through to Washington Avenue.  
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In January, 2012, the school had one section in each grade from 1 to 8.  Enrollment in grade 7 was about 27.






Friday, May 6, 2011

St. Andrew the Apostle, Westbury

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.
St. Andrew the Apostle Byzantine Catholic church is located at 275 Ellison Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590, on the northwest corner with Whitney Street. Its website is linked here.

This is an Eastern Rite Catholic parish, not under the jurisdiction of the Latin Rite bishop of Rockville Centre, but rather under the Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey. It is Ruthenian in heritage. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in English.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Our Lady of Loretto, Hempstead





The first Catholic parish established in Hempstead was Our Lady of Loretto in 1871. At 104 Greenwich Street, Hempstead NY 11550, its telephone number is 516-489-3675.  This location is about a half-mile south of the center of the village, with Main Street becoming Greenwich Street.
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The parish website is linked here.  The parish priests in late 2018 are two Idente Missionaries.  

St. Vladimir, Hempstead


St. Vladimir's parish is located at 718 Front Street, Hempstead NY 11550, telephone 516-481-7717.  The church stands on the southwest corner of Front Street and Holly Avenue, about a mile east of Main Street.
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Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.



St. Vladimir's parish in Hempstead is a Catholic parish of an Eastern Rite.  The parish is not under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Rockville Centre, but rather the eparch (bishop) of the Ukrainian Eparchy (diocese) of Stamford.  Please scroll down on this link to find the details for St. Vladimir's parish.
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St. Vladimir lived from about 958 to 1015.  His conversion to Christianity in 988 led to the spread of the Gospel in what is now Ukraine.  This is about a hundred years after the work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.