Catholic Directory, 1855

At random frequency, a Google search comes up with a scanned copy of a book of fascinating interest. Please go to page 189 of this Metropolitan Catholic Almanac and Laity's Directory 1855 for a description of  Catholic Long Island in that year.
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The diocese of Brooklyn was only two years old under Bishop John Loughlin. From Brooklyn through Suffolk County there were twenty-four churches, eleven stations, and thirty clergymen. The Brothers of the Christian Schools were already teaching on Jay Street, together with the Sisters of Charity and the Order of St. Dominic at other schools.
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The directory makes a few geographic errors, listing some Suffolk towns as Queens. Nassau County was cut from Queens in 1898. Parishes listed in 1855 within present Nassau County include St. Boniface, Forster's Meadow (Elmont), Hicksville (St. Ignatius Loyola, with many missions), Manhasset (St. Mary's, attended monthly from St. Michael's, Flushing), and St. Brigid, Westbury, attended occasionally from Jamaica. Glen Cove seems to be missing as an attended mission, but in 1866 Bishop Loughlin erected St. Patrick's parish there.
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This 1855 directory is free to download.

Our Lady of Mercy parish school to close

Our Lady of Mercy parish school in Hicksville, across Oyster Bay Road from Plainview, closed in June, 2020.  This school must not be confused with Our Lady of Mercy Academy on Convent Road in Syosset.

Nassau K-8 enrollments in 2015

The 2016 edition of the Official Catholic Directory probably reports information from 2015 or earlier.  This new edition lists twenty-two parish or regional Catholic elementary schools in Nassau County.  The top ten in reported enrollment are:
St. Agnes Cathedral, 728.
St. Anne, Garden City, 540.
St. William the Abbot, Seaford, 538.
St. Aidan, Williston Park, 487.
St. Martin de Porres, Uniondale, 460.
Long Beach Catholic, 440.
St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa Park, 404.
Maria Regina, Seaford, 400.
Holy Family, Hicksville, 397.
Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park, 389.
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Eighteen schools have more than 300 enrolled.
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Only one school, All Saints Regional, Glen Cove, has fewer than 200.
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The total K-8 enrollment in Catholic schools is about 8,544.

Five new pastors in Nassau County

The Long Island Catholic has listed five new pastors of parishes in Nassau County (link HERE). These appointments by Bishop Murphy are effective June 29, 2016.  The parishes with new pastors are Corpus Christi (Mineola), Cure of Ars (Merrick), St. Martha (Uniondale), and St. Gertrude (Bayville). In what seems to be a change of titles, one priest will serve three parishes: pastor of St. Joseph (Hewlett) and Our Lady of Good Counsel (Inwood), and administrator of St. Joachim (Cedarhurst).
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The list continues with the appointment of Associate Pastors at St. James (Seaford), St. Rose (Massapequa), St. Dominic (Oyster Bay), St. Ignatius Loyola (Hicksville), St. Barnabas (Bellmore), Notre Dame (New Hyde Park), Holy Family (Hicksville), and Sacred Heart (North Merrick).

Holy Family, Hicksville

Above is the parish sign facing NY Highway 106, Newbridge Road, about a mile southwest of the Hicksville railroad station.  The intersection with Fordham Avenue has a traffic signal.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  Photo from early 2012.

The address is 17 Fordham Avenue, Hicksville, NY 11801, telephone 516-938-3846. The parish website is linked here.  

This view looks west along Fordham Avenue towards Newbridge Road.  One entrance of the church, at the tower, leads to both naves, with the altar where they meet.  At the right of the above photo, the white door leads to the new foyer created during the 2013 renovations. The smaller nave (in the distance) had pews for about 130 but now has chairs.  The window honors the St. Ann, as shown below.  (In editing, I just realized the appropriateness of this window, as Ann is Grandma to Jesus, in the Holy Family.)
  

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The altar now faces the longer nave, as shown below.  The shorter nave is to the left of the altar.

Each photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  Note the representation of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) to the right of the altar. Also, please note at the right the wise installation of a ramp for those who find the altar steps difficult. The baptismal font is at the left in this photo.

Clear glass provides light for the church and offers a beautiful view of trees.  Before the construction of the school in 1960, this long nave had rooms for religious ed classes during the week.  On Sunday, partitions were folded back and chairs arranged for the overflow of Sunday congregants.
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The parish was established in 1951, and a cornerstone of the smaller nave has the date 1953.  As the families grew simultaneously in the Levitt homes there was a surge in population.  The homes of parishioners have Hicksville, Westbury, East Meadow, and Levittown addresses.  Recall that William Levitt's first houses were built near Center Lane near Hempstead Turnpike.  As the years progressed, he continued to build on farmland in each direction.  At some point, he was limited by the older homes in Hicksville or places where other builders had purchased land.  Tax records show a 1952 construction date for homes near the church.

Holy Family parish school is at 25 Fordham Avenue, Hicksville NY 11801, telephone 516-938-3846. Its website is linked here.  The church is to my left.  

That's my school bag.

St. Ignatius Loyola, Hicksville

St. Ignatius Loyola parish is located at 129 Broadway, Hicksville, NY 11801, telephone 516-931-0056.  The Mass schedule is linked HERE.  The parish Facebook page is linked HERE, 

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

A former school building faces East Nicolai Street.

Another former school building is at 30 East Cherry Street.  The bishop of Rockville Centre closed the school in 2012.  Holy Family parish school is a mile south.

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The parish buildings are located on a rectangular block, with the church and rectory facing southwest on Broadway (NY 107), one former school on the northwest side (East Nicholai Street), and other parish buildings on the southeast side (East Cherry Street).  The northwest side borders the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road's main line, constructed here in 1841, three decades before the parish was canonically established.  According to the history on the parish website, the rectangle of property was begun piecemeal with a donation of two lots by 1859.

Our Lady of Mercy, Hicksville

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Our Lady of Mercy parish is located at 500 South Oyster Bay Road, Hicksville NY 11801, telephone 516-931-4351.  The parish website is linked here.  The location is in northeast Hicksville,  about a mile south of Exit 36 of the Northern State Parkway. The parish buildings are on the west side of South Oyster Bay Road, and across the street is Plainview.

The upper church, which is bright, seems to be locked on weekdays, except for funerals.

The parish website reports that the first pastor learned of his assignment on September 23, the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, and thereby chose the name.

Looking north, the above photo shows the elementary school and church.  This is not a business district, and the parish is surrounded by single-family homes.
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The mailing address of the school is 520 South Oyster Bay Road, Hicksville NY 11801, telephone 516-433-7040.  The school's website is linked here.

Hicksville deanery

The Diocese of Rockville Centre has seven deaneries in Nassau County.  The Hicksville deanery includes the following parishes, in order of foundation: 
1850 -- St. Brigid, Westbury
1859 -- St. Ignatius Loyola, Hicksville
1896 -- St. Kilian, Farmingdale
1923 -- St. Martin of Tours, Bethpage
1941 -- St. Raphael, East Meadow
1948 -- St. Bernard, Levittown
1951 -- St. James, Seaford
1951 -- Holy Family, Hicksville
1953 -- Our Lady of Mercy, Hicksville
1987 -- Our Lady of Hope, Carle Place
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The regional Catholic elementary school St. John Baptist de la Salle, located at St. Kilian's parish, is supported by St. Martin, St. James, St. Kilian and St. Pius X parishes.  The regional Catholic elementary school St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope, Westbury, is supported by those two parishes.  In Hicksville, there are three parish elementary schools: St. Ignatius Loyola, Holy Family, and Our Lady of Mercy.
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