St. Vincent de Paul, Elmont

Please see The Long Island Catholic for this January, 2016, news about the use of St. Vincent de Paul parish church as a Catholic cathedral.  Also, please see this lengthy, informative article about the Divine Liturgy celebrated at St. Vincent de Paul on February 14, 2016, and on subsequent Sundays.
---
For the first time, the Vatican has created a Syro-Malankara eparchy (Eastern term, similar to diocese) in the United States.  The cathedral or see of its first bishop will be at the church of St. Vincent de Paul in Elmont, which is administered from the parish of Saint Catherine of Sienna, Franklin Square.  The 2015 Official Catholic Directory provides this legal name, "St. Vincent de Paul Malankara Catholic Cathedral Parish" at 1500 De Paul Street.
---
Please note the address at the bottom of the website of the new eparchy.  Also, please note this news article about a new bishop of the Syro-Malankara Eparchy. In the sixth paragraph, it refers to Elmont.
---
One must distinguish this eparchy from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago.  Both groups represent St. Thomas Christians of India, which has apostolic roots and long predates the arrival of Western Catholicism (Latin Rite) from Portugal.
---
The above announcement is dated January 4, 2016.  From what I saw today (March 3, 2016), the parish of St. Vincent de Paul has not abandoned its location.  Nor is there any outdoor sign indicating the presence of a cathedral.  The parish website is up-to-date and informative. 

Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.  The photos with snow are from 2011.

Since June, 2011, the parish of St. Vincent de Paul, Elmont, has been administered by the pastor of St. Catherine of Sienna parish, Franklin Square.  Please see the diocesan press release linked here dated May 10, 2011.  This is not a merger of parishes, but rather an administrative consolidation. 

The church of St. Vincent de Paul is located north of Hempstead Turnpike, east of the new Elmont Library.  The entrance is via West Gate and north on Robert Avenue.  The intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and West Gate has a traffic signal, and a sign for the church is there.
----
The rectory address is 1500 De Paul Street, Elmont, NY 11003, telephone 516-352-2127.  
----
The parish was established in 1951.  The parish elementary school opened in 1961, but is now closed.

Above, Robert Avenue ends at De Paul Street.

The above 2011 photo looks west along Hempstead Turnpike towards the new Elmont Library and the principal crossroads of Elmont.  At the right is West Gate, leading via Roberts Avenue to the church.
-----
For me to write that Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was an admirable person is an understatement.  One summary of his life is linked here and another here.

St. Catherine of Sienna, Franklin Square

The church and rectory of St. Catherine of Sienna are located at 33 New Hyde Park Road, Franklin Square NY 11040, a short block north of Hempstead Turnpike, telephone 516-352-0146. I have linked the parish website here. The parish office is in the former school at 990 Holzheimer Street, seen to the left, behind the church in this photo from 2011.  

-----
Early in the twentieth century, four men of German ancestry asked that a parish be established in Franklin Square, and they offered to collect funds for it.  Each of the four wives was named Katharina.  The parish patron is St. Catherine of Sienna. For the work of the parishioners who helped found the parishes of St. Boniface and St. Catherine of Sienna, I recommend the excellent books by the historian Paul D. van Wie, "The German Settlements of Nineteenth Century Long Island" and "A History of Franklin Square and its Environs," both available at the Franklin Square Library.  In particular, the latter book has nine pages, beginning on page 102, narrating the history of St. Catherine's parish.  The author explains the events depicted in the stained glass windows.  In late 2011, Dr. Van Wie also collaborated in the publication of "Franklin Square" in the Arcadia Publishing Images of America series.  Beginning on page 82, there are photos and a history of the parish school.  Beginning on page 98, there are photos and a history of the church. Of note, the chapel or first church was sold to the American Legion and moved to nearby Pacific Street.  It then was purchased and expanded by the Franklin Square Jewish Center.
----

Along the north side of the church property is Lutz Street, named after the first resident pastor, Conrad Lutz, who served from 1913 to 1953.

This entrance with a ramp is seen from Lutz Street. The door leads to the church (on the left) and to the Sienna Center and its chapel (on the right).

The parish school, above, in January, 2011.  It closed in 2012.

Above, in April, 2013, the former school and the Sienna Center on Holzheimer Street, named after Fr. Anthony Holzheimer, second pastor.

Above, the parish office on Holzheimer Street, with the word "school" removed.  Clicking on a photo will enlarge it.

Three Sunday Masses are offered in this building, which also provides access to the church.  When one is in the church, the door to the right of the Sacred Heart statue leads to the Sienna Center, which has an outdoor ramp on the north side of the building and, on the south side, an elevator to this doorway to Holzeimer Street.  Another three Sunday Masses are offered in the church, which has beautiful stained glass windows depicting the life of St. Catherine of Sienna. Padre Pio is honored outside.

Above is the cornerstone of the church.

I note the lack of year on this banner.  Is it 2012 or 2013?

Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park

In the village of Floral Park, Long Island, the church of Our Lady of Victory faces a small park at the intersection of Tulip Avenue, Plainfield Avenue, and Floral Parkway. The rectory address is 2 Floral Parkway, Floral Park NY 11001, telephone 516-354-0482. The parish website is linked here.

The church was renovated in 2012 at a cost between four and five million dollars.  The photograph with the red truck was taken at that time.  The other photos were taken in March of 2013.
Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
----
The parish school is adjacent, with the address of 2 Bellmore Street, Floral Park NY 11001, telephone 516-352-4466.  The school's website is linked here.


----

Holy Name of Mary, Valley Stream

Holy Name of Mary Church is located at 55 East Jamaica Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11580, telephone 516-825-1450.  Its informative website is linked here.

----

The top photo is taken from the intersection of East Jamaica Avenue and South Grove Street, which happens to be a block east of Valley Stream's business district on Rockaway Avenue.  The church has two naves, joined at the altar.  The second photo shows the principal nave.  Doors to East Jamaica Avenue are behind the photographer.  To the left of the altar is another nave, with doors to South Grove Street. 

Across from the church is the parish elementary school at 90 South Grove Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580, telephone 516-825-4009.  The school's website is linked here. An excellent, upbeat news article in the Long Island Herald on 4.27.2012 states that the K-8 enrollment is 274.

Sister Elizabeth Marie was principal of the school from 1997 to 2005.

Blessed Sacrament, Valley Stream

As seen in the above photo, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament faces McKeon Place, named after Fr. Andrew McKeon, who founded the parish in 1950.  The mailing address 201 North Central Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11580, telephone 516-568-1027.  Its website is linked here.
---
The rectory, to the left of the church, does not include the parish offices, which face North Central Avenue.  A non-profit day care center has rented part of what was formerly the parish elementary school on Rose Avenue.  The Huntington Learning Center corporation also uses some of the building.
---
Brentwood Josephites taught in the school from its foundation in 1957 until its recent closure.  The cornerstone to the right of the church entrance reads 1963.

St. Anne, Garden City

The church of St. Anne is located at New Hyde Park Road and Dartmouth Street in western Garden City, almost into Stewart Manor.  Established in 1929, the parish address is 35 Dartmouth Street, Garden City, NY 11530, telephone 516-352-5904.  The parish website is linked here.

In 1950 the parish built St. Anne's School at 25 Dartmouth Street, Garden City NY 11530, telephone 516-352-1205.  The school website is linked here. According to the Official Catholic Directory of 2011, the school has a healthy enrollment of more than five hundred students.
----
Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  Beneath the pedestal of the statue, one can see the words "Good St. Anne," maybe inspired by the habitual French expression, La bonne Ste.-Anne.

St. Boniface, Elmont

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The mailing address of St. Boniface Parish is 631 Elmont Road, Elmont NY 11003, telephone 516-354-0715. The parish website is linked HERE, and it is current as of March, 2019.
---
The church, rectory, and graveyard are on the northeast corner of Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway. When the parish was established in the 1850's, this location was known as Foster's Meadow, in the Town of Hempstead, within Queens County, as Nassau County came into existence in 1899. The Catholics were mostly farmers, mostly of German heritage. St. Boniface himself was born in England and became an apostle to the Germans. He lived from about 672 to 754. A bas-relief of Boniface stands to the right of the main door of the church, built in 1963.

-----
An article printed 6.23.2011 in the Franklin Square/Elmont Herald says that the church was first named the Nativity of Our Lord. "In 1857, the building was rededicated and called St. Boniface." The diocesan website gives 1858 as the date of the establishment of the parish.

-----
Please do not confuse this parish with St. Boniface Martyr, Sea Cliff. That parish is younger, and the patron is a different Boniface.

Stained glass windows surround the pews. Quite a few present extraordinary topics. Above is the martyrdom of St. Boniface in Frisia, now the Friesland, Netherlands. The year was 754.

St. James the Less does not have a Catholic parish on Long Island, so here he is in Elmont, writing a letter. The Bible has a epistle with his name.

I find it difficult to take good photos of stained glass windows; exposure fools me. This window depicts Pope John XXIII welcoming Bishop Walter Kellenberg to the Second Vatican Council. The council opened in October, 1962. John died the next June. The cornerstone of St. Boniface church is dated 1963. In 1976, Bishop Kellenberg retired.

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.
----

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.

I

Our Lady of Lourdes, Malverne

Our Lady of Lourdes parish is located at 65 Wright Avenue, Malverne NY 11565, telephone 516-599-1269. The parish website is linked here.

Hempstead Avenue and Malverne's business district is two blocks west (to the left).  Wright Avenue runs from Hempstead Avenue east to Ocean Avenue, and at each end a black-and-white sign points to the parish.
 

 Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The mailing address of Our Lady of Lourdes School is 76 Park Boulevard, Malverne, NY 11565, telephone 516-599-7328.  The school's website is linked here.  Church, school, and rectory share a square block.  In this photo, the houses are along Park Boulevard. 

In the above view at Wright Avenue and Sheehy Place we see the rectory and the school.  Sheehy Place is closed to traffic during school hours.