St. Ladislaus, Hempstead

The mailing address of the parish of St. Ladislaus is 18 Richardson Place, Hempstead NY 11550, telephone 516-489-0368.  The church faces the busy intersection of Front Street, Peninsula Boulevard, and Richardson Place, about a quarter-mile east of Main Street.  The parish website is linked here.
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About forty years after the establishment of the parish of Our Lady of Loretto in Hempstead, a mission to Polish Catholics was begun, first in Uniondale (where St. Martha's now is) and later in Hempstead.  This led to the formation of the parish of St. Ladislaus, which welcomes Catholics of all backgrounds.

The above photo was taken on 1.16.2015.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  The parish website and other sources show also a Mass in Latin at 9 a.m. on Sundays.

Looking west along Front Street on a Sunday morning, one sees the white steeple of the United Methodist Church (1822), and beyond it the cupola of St. George's Episcopal Church (chartered by George II in 1735).  The Presbyterian congregation a few blocks north dates from the 1720's. Previously, the church organization was apparently Congregational.  Robert Fordham, one of the 1643 founders of Hempstead, seems to have been a Quaker minister.  Although these older churches are "downtown," the Catholic churches are in easy walking distance: Our Lady of Loretto to the south (with a wise purchase of larger grounds), and the St. Ladislaus and St. Vladimir to the east, maybe in the direction of the parishioners' farms.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The Internet Polish Genealogical Source includes a lengthy history of the parish.  The architect of this 1926 church was Gustave Steinback.

St. Christopher, Baldwin

The Mass schedule on the sign is for July and August, 2014. Please check the parish website linked here for changes in the Mass schedule. The convent chapel is on the west side of Pershing Blvd.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The postal address of St. Christopher parish, Baldwin, is 11 Gale Avenue, Baldwin NY 11510, telephone 516-223-0723. 

The postal address of St. Christopher School is 15 Pershing Blvd, Baldwin NY 11510, telephone 516-223-4404.  The school's website is linked here.
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The photos above show the school and the church next to each other on the north side of Merrick Road in Baldwin.  Pershing Boulevard is west of the school, and Gale Place is east of the church. In front of the church, the N4 bus provides frequent service between Jamaica and Freeport.
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The bishop of Brooklyn established St. Christopher's parish in 1915, after the foundation of St. Agnes, Rockville Centre, and Holy Redeemer, Freeport.  The south portion of the school has a cornerstone dated 1924.  The present church was built in 1959.  A few years later, twelve more classrooms were added to the school.

Recall that Merrick Road was the principal route along the south shore before the construction of Sunrise Highway in the 1920's.  A history page on the school website (linked here) recounts that Bishop Charles McDonnell was already an avid motorist in 1912-1915 and therefore selected the name the Shrine Church of St. Christopher. Because of the famous legend, St. Christopher was already the Patron of Travelers.  

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Roosevelt

In 1919, the bishop of Brooklyn established the parish of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary.  The parish mailing address is 196 West Centennial Avenue, Roosevelt NY 11575, telephone 516-378-1315.  Its website is linked here.
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The parish is less than a mile south of Exit 21 of the Southern State Parkway. 

The church seats 1,100.  On weekdays for 8 a.m. Mass and rosary, the congregation worships in a chapel near the foyer.  The west door, facing the rectory, provides entrance.

The former parish school, built in 1953, seems to provide several uses, including the parish social ministry.  A charter school, Roosevelt Children's Academy, uses the parish grounds for five sections of kindergarten and four first grade sections, with portable classrooms in the parking lot and, perhaps, part of the main school building.

St. Joseph, Garden City

St. Joseph church, Garden City, is located on the southwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Fifth Street.  The parish office is at 130 Fifth Street, Garden City, NY 11530, telephone 516-747-3535.  The parish website is linked here.

The parish was established in 1905.  This cornerstone of this church carries the date 1953.  To the left and right of the altar are paintings of Joseph at Nazareth.

Over the main entrance is this bas-relief, presumably showing Joseph as patron of the universal church.  The motto reads, "Go to Joseph."

The title reads, "Head of the nurturing family."  

The title reads, "Get up and take the boy," presumably in flight to Egypt.

St. Therese of Lisieux stands in the church garden.

The address of St. Joseph parish school is 450 Franklin Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, telephone 516-747-2730.  The school website is linked here.  Franklin Avenue is to the east (left).  To the west is a newer classroom building, connected to this building by a second-floor bridge.

St. Martha, Uniondale

St. Martha's church is located at 546 Greengrove Avenue, Uniondale NY 11553, telephone 516-481-2550.  This is a half-block north of busy east-west Jerusalem Avenue, and there is a traffic signal at the intersection.  The parish website is linked HERE, as of March, 2019.

Fifty years ago, when a religious congregation staffed a parish school, the pastor signed a contract with the congregation, which then appointed a principal and assigned the staff there as a "mission."  The pastor remained in control of the school, and he was responsible for its finances.
Referring to the above two photos, what was St. Martha's parish school is now used in part for the parish's religious education program (left or south end in the photo) and in part for St. Martin de Porres Marianist School.  The religious congregation founded in 1817 by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade runs the school, hires the teachers, and sets tuition and rules.  The school's address is 530 Hempstead Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11553, telephone 516-481-3303.  Its website is linked here.

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St. Martha's church is to the left of the photographer of the above two pictures, which look west. Hempstead Boulevard is a residential street to the right.  Busy Jerusalem Avenue is to the left.  On the west side of the school is Bedford Avenue.
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From the website, it appears that four Marianists administer the school and that none are full-time classroom teachers.

Our Lady of Peace, Lynbrook

Our Lady of Peace church faces the busy intersection of Merrick Road and Peninsula Boulevard in Lynbrook.  Its mailing address is 25 Fowler Avenue, Lynbrook NY 11563, telephone 516-599-6414.  The parish website is linked here.

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These photos were taken in August, 2011. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

During 9 a.m. Mass on March 12, 2011, a gunman killed a faithful parishioner and the beloved pastor, honored by this plaque and by memorial trees on the west side of the church. Many articles about this tragedy are available on the New York Times website archives and through Proquest at public libraries.  I knew Fr. Larry from his years at St. Frances de Chantal, Wantagh.

The school address is 21 Fowler Avenue, Lynbrook NY 11563, telephone 516-593-9861.  The school's website is linked here. It would appear that the Sisters of Mercy and lay teachers staff the school.

The west end of the school faces Merrick Road.

Rockville Centre deanery

The diocese of Rockville Centre has grouped the parishes of Nassau County into seven deaneries.  The deanery of Rockville Centre includes the following nine parishes, listed in order of foundation:
1870 -- Our Lady of Loretto, Hempstead
1894 -- St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre
1901 -- St. Joseph, Garden City
1903 -- Holy Redeemer, Freeport
1915 -- St. Christopher, Baldwin
1915 -- St. Ladislaus, Hempstead
1919 -- Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Roosevelt
1931 -- St. Thomas the Apostle, West Hempstead
1949 -- St. Martha, Uniondale
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Four of these parishes provide elementary schools: St. Agnes Cathedral School (with 800+ students, the largest elementary school in the diocese), St. Joseph (Garden City), St. Christopher School (Baldwin), and St. Thomas the Apostle School (West Hempstead).  At St. Martha's parish, the Marianist Brothers administer St. Martin de Porres School.  At Holy Redeemer parish, the De La Salle Christian Brothers administer De La Salle School (Freeport).

St. Thomas the Apostle, West Hempstead

On Westminister Road, West Hempstead, just north of Hempstead Turnpike are the buildings of the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle: a large school, an auditorium, the rectory, and a church built in 1963. The parish address is 24 Westminster Road, West Hempstead, NY 11552, telephone 516-489-8585.  The parish website is linked here.   The parish was founded in 1931 and is currently (2011) in the Rockville Centre deanery. 
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The 2.9.2011 edition of The Long Island Catholic includes a well-written and informative article about the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle, West Hempstead.  The article is linked here.  I have no idea how long TLIC maintains articles in available web archives, so please read it now. The article says that the parish has 2,900 registered families.
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I wonder which building is depicted in the scene behind St. Therese.  It does not resemble the basilica at Lisieux.

The parish school is at 12 Westminster Road, telephone 516-481-9310, website here. 

The sign advertises the pre-school program.

An auditorium is to the left (north) of the school.

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A second church, known as the parish chapel, is located about two miles south, at 875 Hempstead Avenue, West Hempstead, at the intersection of Hempstead Avenue and Nassau Boulevard.  This is three blocks north of Exit 17 of the Southern State Parkway.
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St. Thomas Chapel has weekday Mass Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 a.m.  Please see the parish websitefor more schedules.  The St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, which has 29 parishes in the United States, lists this chapel as a place of worship.  Generally, Syro-Malabar Catholics are from India.