Baptismal Statistics

 I must praise the Catholic World Report for its extensive article on 2024 baptismal statistics. The author has mined the data from the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae. I suspect that the data are mostly reliable, but a few years back I encountered an incredible statistic submitted by a Suffolk County parish school, declaring that for three years in a row the school's enrollment was 300. The school soon closed.

R-1 visas and priests

The link below concerns the situation with foreign priests employed in the diocese of Little Rock. Although the link goes to the reliable website CruxNow, it originates from the likewise reliable official Catholic News Service.

Link Thirteen Priests in Arkansas face uncertainty over their immigration status.

The article is an excellent summary of the immigration status of many overseas priests who help in our parishes. I value the spiritual work of these priests, and I do not devalue them as mere externs or curates. However, because the topic is seldom explained by parish or Rockville Centre, I found this article illuminating. 

There are other angles, such as incardination and excardination. I suspect that, in practice, incardination (belonging to a diocese) hereabouts requires U. S. citizenship, so the "extern" remains subject to the bishop in his home diocese. 

Comparison of Catholics per priest in sending dioceses vs. the Rockville Centre ratio (1 priest for 3,387 Catholics) can be researched at catholic-hierarchy.org  The sending diocese may have a surplus of priests (as I found one in India, and one in Poland) or may need the priest more than RVC needs him.

The history page at drvc.org/history is about three years stale, but it states that the diocese had 392 priests in active ministry, 223 diocesan, 107 externs and 62 religious.

Details disappear 6.9.2020

I can understand corrections, but this one is interesting. About June 9, 2020, the diocesan office of communications issued a press release giving twenty or so details about reopening the churches, details such as "The celebrant will not wear a mask," "Two of every three pews may be closed off," "There will be no offertory procession," "Families that travel in the same car may sit  together," "There will be no Holy Communion," and Homilists must use exemplary grammar.  Shortly thereafter, this press release disappeared and was replaced with a general puff piece including "Directives will be sent to the parishes." The individual parishes meet varied situations (architecture, age of congregation, etc.) and it appears that parishioners will be unable to check off how closely the individual pastors are following the specifics of the directives. Fair enough, to avoid arguments. The press release without directives, now with a June 6 date, is HERE.

Coronavirus resources

The diocesan website has assembled a variety of statements, regulations, and resources on a single list. Please find the list HERE. Note especially the announcement of March 24, 2020.

St. William the Abbot, Seaford

The parish of St. William the Abbot is located at 2000 Jackson Avenue, Seaford, NY 11783, one block south of Sunrise Highway (NY 27) and the Seaford railroad station. The parish telephone number is 516-785-1266, and its website is linked here.  The parish was established in 1928. Twice, the church has been enlarged.

Above, the church interior early Pentecost morning, 2012, before Mass.

In the former baptistry on the north side of the foyer, there are shrines of three saints, St. Joseph in the center, St. William the Abbot to the left, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to the right. St. William wears the wrong habit, however, for a Benedictine of the 11th century.  The habit on the statue is Franciscan.  
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On Monday, May 20, 2024, Bishop Andrezj Zglejszewski confirmed 143 youths. 

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On Monday, May 22 2023, Bishop Luis M. Romero Fernandez, M. Id., confirmed 145 youths.

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On Monday, May 23, 2022, Bishop John Oliver Barres confirmed about 134 youths in three ceremonies. The two photos below are from the late afternoon confirmation.

On November 21, 2019, Bishop Andrzej  Zglejszewski confirmed 201 youths, mostly eighth graders.  The cathedral website gives the pronunciation of his name On-jay Sklay-shef-ski.   He pronounces his name at the beginning of this interview.

Most photos may be enlarged by clicking on them.

In December 2013, the parish purchased a new outdoor manger scene and placed a memorial list in the church lobby.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Across Jackson Avenue is the parish elementary school at 2001 Jackson Avenue.  The school telephone number is 516-785-6784, and its website is linked here.  At first, Dominican Sisters from Amityville provided religious education.  Later, when the school was opened Ursuline Sisters from Blue Point staffed the school for several decades.  Of the parish elementary schools on Long Island, St. William's is the third or fourth highest in enrollment. In June, 2016, fifty-eight students graduated from eighth grade. In this era, that is a healthy number.

In the autumn of 2017 Barbara and Anthony Fuima created this outdoor prayer space with a statue of Saint Padre Pio.

Deacon John Lynch asks the help of children in blessing the water for baptisms one Sunday afternoon in 2018.
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Edit of September 24, 2021: I realize that this post omits names of importance, such as Catherine and William Morgan, the couple who got Father Theodore J. King from Bellmore to offer Mass in a store on the south side of Merrick Road in 1913. William Garnett Payne lived in the house on Washington Avenue adjacent to and south of the school playground. In the late 1920's the church owned only west of Jackson Avenue, and Mr. Payne at some point transferred the property east of Jackson Avenue to the parish. It may have been a gift or close to a gift. For more about this extraordinary man, please see this link to Find A Grave.

CCD Religious Ed enrollments OCD 2019

The Official Catholic Directory for 2019 lists sixty-two parishes in Nassau County and their enrollment statistics for religious ed or Confraternity of  Christian Doctrine programs. Please note that these students are in addition to the students who receive religious instruction in parish schools. Demographics, the nature and history of the parish are all reflected in these numbers, especially the places with lower enrollments. For example, Point Lookout is a community of retirees or seasonal second homes. St. Hedwig is a national parish. In several instances from long ago, a connected pastor would not suffer his parish to be dismembered, or would tolerate only a small portion to be formed as a separate parish. In several instances, people from non-Catholic parts of the world are moving into the neighborhood, as in Great Neck or Elmont. There is often a story behind extraordinary religious ed numbers.
The parish religious education statistics below are sometimes unreliable because they are round numbers or the same report as in previous years.
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14 Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Point Lookout
58 St. Hedwig (Sw. Jadwiga), Floral Park
75 Holy Name, Woodbury
85 St. Vincent de Paul, Elmont
106 St. Hyacinth (Sw. Jacek), Glen Head
120 Our Lady of Fatima, Port Washington
150 St. Edward, Syosset
167 Our Lady of Good Counsel, Inwood
180 Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Roosevelt
211 Sacred Heart, Island Park
255 St. Pius X, Woodbury
256 St. Aloysius, Great Neck
263 Blessed Sacrament, Valley Stream
276 St. Mary, Roslyn
279 St. Mary of the Isle, Long Beach
320 St. Joseph, Hewlett
340 Our Lady of Loreto, Hempstead
349 Corpus Christi, Mineola
350 Holy Spirit, New Hyde Park
350 Our Lady of Lourdes, Malverne
352 St. Rocco, Glen Cove
360 St. Martha, Uniondale
367 St. Ignatius Loyola, Hicksville
420 St. Gertrude, Bayville
436 Our Lady of Peace, Lynbrook
445 St. Patrick, Glen Cove
458 Our Lady of Lourdes, Massapequa Park
475 St. Boniface, Elmont
480 Our Lady of Hope, Carle Place
490 Our Redeemer, Freport
500 Holy Family, Hicksville
525 St. Christopher, Baldwin
536 St. Boniface, Sea Cliff
549 St. Thomas, West Hempstead
550 St. Raymond, East Rockaway
576 Our Lady of Mercy, Hicksville
576 Holy Name of Mary, Valley Stream
598 St. Ignatius Martyr, Long Beach
657 Sacred Heart, North Merrick
714 St. Dominic, Oyster Bay
735 St. Peter of Alcantara, Port Washington
772 Cure of Ars, Merrick
900 St. Anne, Garden City
950 St. Brigid, Westbury
980 St. Bernard, Levittown
984 Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park
1,000 St. Aidan, Williston
1,065 St. Mary, Manhasset
1,151 St. Martin, Bethpage
1,183 St. Catherine of Sienna, Franklin Square
1,301 St. Kilian, Farmingdale
1,362 St. William, Seaford
1,382 St. Raphael, East Meadow
1,400 St. Joseph, Garden city
1,450 St. Barnabas, Bellmore
1,466 Maria Regina, Seaford
1,500 St. James, Seaford
1,501 St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Wantagh
1,550 St. Agnes, Rockville Centre
2,439 St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa

Total in CCD, Nassau County: 40,527
Plus any at Notre Dame, New Hyde Park.
In 2011, I tallied 46,620 in CCD.

Elementary school enrollments, OCD 2019

The 2019 edition of the Official Catholic Directory includes enrollment figures for 24 parishes (or regional schools) of Nassau County.  Some numbers are unreliable because the school strangely reported the exact same enrollment the previous year. I presume that the OCD numbers are from 2018. Also, there is no indication whether each school's enrollment includes pre-Kindergarten.
In increasing order:
223 Our Lady of Mercy, Hicksville
261 St. Dominic elementary, Oyster Bay
262 Our Lady of Lourdes, Malverne
275 St. Peter of Alcantara, Port Washington
280 Holy Name of Mary, Valley Stream 
283 Our Lady of Peace, Lynbrook
286 St. Edward, Syosset
292 St. Thomas, West Hempstead
295 St. Christopher, Baldwin
300? St. Raymond, East Rockaway
303 Holy Family, Hicksville
306 St. Mary, Manhasset
325 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional, Bellmore
339 St. Brigid, Westbury
356 St. Joseph, Garden City
365 St. Rose of Lima, Massapequa
368 Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park
377 St. Martin de Porres, Uniondale
400? Maria Regina, Seaford
440 Long Beach Catholic, at St. Ignatius Martyr
454 St . William the Abbot, Seaford
459 St. Aidan, Williston
530 St. Anne, Garden City
627 St. Agnes, Rockville Centre

Total 8,406, plus Notre Dame, New Hyde Park 
In 2010, I tallied 10,038 enrolled in Nassau County parish or regional schools.

Appointment of associate pastors, many effective 6.26.2019

Please see the list on the diocesan website, under Press Releases. The site drvc.org has been reformatted, but the list of appointed associate pastors is still on the previous format.

The top nine are priests apparently already working in the diocese, maybe still incardinated overseas.

The next group of eight newly appointed associated pastors seem not to have worked recently in the diocese of Rockville Centre. They may be categorized as Externs, still incardinated somewhere else.

The third group, numbering five, are to take their positions in September. 

Surnames from Ghana predominate.

A few months ago, I was surprised to learn that a priest cannot be incardinated unless he has been canonically excardinated (or released) by his previous bishop. It seems that, over the centuries, our church has had problems with wandering or vagabond priests. In the UK recently, a new Celebret document was created, almost like a driver's license with attempts to prevent forgery.

Catholic HS entrance exam October 29, 2016

Regarding entrance to a Catholic high school in Nassau or Suffolk County, New York, the deadlines are fast approaching.  Please see the website linked HERE for a list of deadlines and other information about taking the test.  The website includes applications for the exam with or without a request for exceptional treatment "with accommodation."
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There are seven Catholic high schools in Nassau County and three in Suffolk County. One entrance exam counts for all. An eighth-grader may apply to three schools.  

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I wonder about the ratio between the number of test-takers and seats available in the ten high schools. 
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The 2016 edition of the Official Catholic Directory gives these enrollment figures:

Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Syosset, 464 girls, 51 teachers.
St. Dominic High School, Oyster Bay, 472 students, 34 teachers.
Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, Riverhead, 481 students, 46 teachers.
St. Mary High School, Manhasset, 589 students, 41 teachers.
Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, 825 girls (same as 2015), 93 teachers.
Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville, 1,022 students, 62 teachers.
Chaminade High School, Mineola, 1,700 boys (same as 2015), 74 teachers.
St. John the Baptist High School, West Islip, 1,700 students, 113 teachers.
St. Anthony High School, South Huntington, 2,400 students, 133 teachers.
Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, 2,689 students, 131 teachers. (These numbers may include grades 6-8, the Latin School.)
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Round numbers and repeated numbers may not be accurate. Details of enrollment per grade level would help. 

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.

Nassau CCD numbers from 2016 directory

Parish religious education programs for youngsters not attending Catholic schools are often called "Religious Ed" or "CCD" classes.  The establishment of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in each Catholic parish dates back more than four centuries, and these programs have strong numbers in many parishes of Nassau County.
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The recent publication of the 2016 Official Catholic Directory has allowed me to look at the reported enrollments in religious education programs in the approximately 66 parishes of Nassau County. The numbers are slipping, just as enrollment in public or non-public schools, but nothing at all like the steep drop in marriages.
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Parish life ought not be judged by numbers, as small numbers or low revenue may may be found in parishes with a loving worship community. With that caution, I present sample enrollment numbers in CCD classes in the parishes of Nassau County.
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The ten largest are:
St. Rose of Lima: 2,557. (Two years later, 2,439.)
St. Agnes Cathedral: 1,896. (Two years later, 1751.)
St. Martin of Tours, Bethpage: 1,519. (Two years later, 1151.)
St. Frances de Chantal: 1,501. (Two years later, the same number, therefore suspect.)
St. William the Abbot: 1,486. (Two years later, 1,362.)
Maria Regina, Seaford: 1,466. (Two year later, the same number, therefore suspect.)
St. Barnabas, Bellmore: 1,450. (Two years later, the same number, therefore suspect.)
St. Kilian: 1,400.
St. Joseph, Garden City: 1,400. (Two years later, the same number, therefore suspect.)
St. Catherine of Sienna: 1,388.
St. Lawrence, Sayville, in 2018 1,188.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Massapequa Park, in 2018, 458.
St. Raphael, East Meadow, in 2018, 1,382.
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Six of the above ten have a parish schools, which adds maybe 300 to 650 students receiving religious education. Some round numbers above are suspect because they were the same figure last year.
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The median number of religious ed students is at Our Holy Redeemer, Freeport: 493.
Eight parishes reported an enrollment under 200. Several reported no students or failed to submit data.
The total number of CCD students in Nassau County is more than 42,268.

DRVC numbers from 2016 directory

The 2016 Official Catholic Directory, published recently, includes statistics probably collected in 2015 or earlier. Below are some sample statistics for the diocese of Rockville Centre. For my earlier reports on this topic, click HERE.
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Sisters in the diocese: 980.
Brothers in the diocese: 67.
Permanent deacons in the diocese: 292.
Diocesan priests, active: 208. (Was 226 in 2010.)
Diocesan priests, retired, ill, or absent: 103.
Religious priests in diocese: 54.
Extern priests in diocese: 89. (Was 128 in 2010.)
Total priests in diocese: 365.
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Students in elementary religious education programs: 99,644.
Students in high school religious education programs: 2,709.
Elementary schools, diocesan, parish, and private: 47.
Elementary school students, diocesan, parish and private: 16,047.
High Schools, diocesan and parish: 5
Students in these: 4,013.
High Schools, private: 5.
Students in these: 7,405.
Lay teachers in diocese: 1,741. (Was 1,851 in 2010.)
Sisters teachers in diocese: 20 (Was 57 in 2010.)
Brothers teachers in diocese: 30.
Priests teachers in diocese: 9.
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Infant baptisms: 14,287.
Minor baptisms: 738.
Adult baptisms: 932.
Received into full communion: 512.
First Communion: 15,312.
Confirmations: 15,195.
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Catholic marriages: 2,710.
Interfaith marriages: 537.
Total marriages: 3,247. (Was 3,956 in 2010.)
Total Catholic population (two counties): 1,455,644.
Total population (two counties): 2,908,917.
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Comparing the above marriage numbers for the Diocese of Rockville Centre with numbers for the Diocese of Brooklyn:
Catholic marriages: 1,849.
Interfaith marriages: 357.
Total marriages: 2,206.
Total Catholic population in the diocese of Brooklyn: 1,506,000.
Both dioceses have two counties.  The diocese of Brooklyn has 50,000 more Catholics and 1,000 fewer weddings. Does DRVC have more people of marriageable age?

Three new monsignori and fuschia sashes

The Most Reverend William Francis Murphy has announced that three priests of the diocese of Rockville Centre have been named Monsignori, with the rank of Chaplain to His Holiness.  Please see the Long Island Catholic article linked HERE.
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Wikipedia has a worthwhile article about the title of Monsignor.
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The three new monsignori are Msgr. Robert Hayden, pastor of the parish of St. William the Abbot, Seaford, Msgr. William Gomes, pastor of the parish of St. Boniface, Elmont, and Msgr. Peter Dooley, pastor of the parish of St. Philip Neri, Northport.
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Congratulations!

Nassau numbers from 2015 Directory

The 2015 Official Catholic Directory, recently available, includes statistics probably collected in 2014 or earlier.  My computations could be wrong, but it would seem that the 27 Catholic elementary schools in Nassau County had a total enrollment about 9,797, plus whatever the enrollment at Notre Dame, New Hyde Park, is.  Whether some schools included pre-kindergarten students in the count is unclear.    St. Agnes, Rockville Centre, reported the highest enrollment, 753 students.  St. William the Abbot, Seaford, reported 569, but that was the same number reported last year.  St. Anne 530, St. Aidan 518.
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The median group of the 27 Nassau County Catholic schools would seem to be Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park, 365, St. Elisabeth Ann Seton, Bellmore,  356, and St. Joseph, Garden City, 356.  With lower enrollments are Our Lady of Lourdes, Malverne, 263, and All Saints Regional, Glen Cove, 195.
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The site elementaryschools.org lists grade-by-grade enrollment without giving a date of the statistics.  However, an analysis of that site shows how Pre-Kindergarten enrollment at some parishes can skew the total.  
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The approximately 66 parishes in Nassau County have religious education programs which instructed about 43,208 youngsters, plus whatever the enrollments at Notre Dame and St. Anthony (Oceanside) are.  The highest enrollments seems to have been at St. Rose of Lima, 2,695 students, Maria Regina 1,800, and St. Frances de Chantal 1,633. The median group would seem to hover around the 570's, St. Ignatius Martyr, Long Beach, Our Lady of Mercy, Hicksville, and St. Boniface Martyr, Sea Cliff.

DRVC numbers from 2014

The 2015 Official Catholic Directory, published recently, includes statistics probably collected in 2014 or earlier.  Below are some sample statistics for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.  In some cases, the numbers may be rather stale. particularly where the number is exactly the same annually.  I have omitted some numbers that seem wildly inaccurate. 
Sisters in the diocese: 980, down 46 from last year.
Brothers in the diocese: 67.
Permanent deacons in diocese: 292 up from 275 in 2013.
Diocesan priests: 207 active in the diocese, 11 outside the diocese. Number retired, sick, or absent: 92.
Extern priests 89. In 2002 was 51; (2014) 89.
Parishes in the diocese: 134.
Catholic elementary schools in the diocese: 47.
Students in Catholic elementary schools: 17,202.  Was 20,042 in 2011.
Infant Baptisms: 14,210.  Was 15,211 in 2013.
Adult Baptisms: 798.
Received into full communion: 799.
First Communions: 15,451.  Was 16,722 in 2013.  
Marriages: 3,188. Was 3,203 in 2013.  Catholic marriages: 2,639.  Interfaith marriages: 549.
Deaths: 9,981.  Was 10,370 in 2013.
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For earlier years, please see this report.

Catholic HS entrance exam Oct. 31, 2015.

Regarding entrance to a Catholic high school in Nassau or Suffolk County, New York, the dates are fast approaching.  Please see the website linked here for a list of deadlines and other information about taking the test.  The website includes applications for the exam with or without a request for exceptional treatment "with accommodation."
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There are seven Catholic high schools in Nassau County and three in Suffolk County. One entrance exam counts for all. An eighth-grader may apply to three schools.  

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I wonder about the ratio between the number of test-takers and the number of seats available in the seven high schools. 
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The 2015 edition of the Official Catholic Directory gives these enrollment figures:
St. Domnic High School, Oyster Bay, 465 students.
Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Syosset, 486 girls.
St. Mary High School, Manhasset, 620 students.
Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead, 825 girls.
Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville, 1,145 students.
Chaminade High School, Mineola, 1,700 boys.
Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale, 2,600 students.

St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre

This view of St. Agnes Cathedral greets a person who arrives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, by train. To the left of the church is the rectory and the bishop's residence.

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The parish address is 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, NY 11570, telephone 516-766-0205. The parish website is here.  Please check the parish website for photos of the renovation of the interior of the church.  

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Would anyone comment on the saints depicted here on the new baldachin?  On the left, I can identify Thomas More and John Vianney.  On the right, the pope seems to be Pope Pius X. Sister Faustina Kowalska appears low on the right rear column.

At the left is St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, in the center Mother Seton.  Who's on the right? In dim light I could not read the pedestal.

The above photo was taken in 2012 or earlier.  

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The A.I.A. Architectural Guide to Nassau and Suffolk Counties (Dover Publ., Mineola, 1992) describes the cathedral as of Norman-Gothic style, of limestone-trimmed buff brick with a single cross-crowned tower.  In 1887, the first Mass was offered in Rockville Centre in a blacksmith's shop on Centre Avenue.  An anvil from that shop is said to be in the cathedral, but I have not found it.

Above is the bishop's residence. 

Within the same block, the elementary school is at 70 Clinton Avenue, Rockville Centre NY 11570, telephone 516-678-5550. Its website is linked here.  With about 845 students, it is the largest elementary school in the diocese.

This large hall between the church and school has similar porticoes, east and west. The cornerstone reads 2004.  One of its purposes is to provide space for catered events, for example, a reception after a Mass celebrating the jubilees of religious, which we attended here in 2012.

The diocesan office building is a few blocks away, at 50 North Park Avenue, between Sunrise Highway (NY 27) and the railroad station.  The above view of  its west side shows how it began with an older building (maybe a former bank), where the flag is, at the corner of Sunrise Highway and North Park Avenue.  The addition, with a tall cross facing the railroad, is sheathed in a green similar to that of The Long Island Catholic website.  This page might explain some of the diocesan offices.  I was about to use the word Chancery to describe the above building, but it appears that the Chancery is only part of the organizational structure.

Appointments, effective June 24, 2015

The diocesan website has published a four-page list of the appointment of new pastors, administrators, and associate pastors, effective June 24, 2015.  The link is HERE.
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In Nassau County, I note new pastors for St. Boniface (Sea Cliff), St. Barnabas (Bellmore), Our Lady of Mercy (Hicksville), St. Mary (Manhasset), and St. Aloysius (Great Neck). About eighteen associate pastors moved to a different parish.
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On a separate page is a list of fourteen associate pastors that have been reappointed.

Sacred Heart, Island Park

There are two parishes in Nassau County named Sacred Heart.  This one, in Island Park, is the older one, being established in 1938.  Its address is 282 Long Beach Road, Island Park NY 11558, telephone 516-432-0655.  Its website is linked here.
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Regarding the Mass schedule: The same schedule was seen here in May, 2015.

The tent may signal preparation for the annual feast of San Gennaro.

Across Long Beach Road is the parish center.

The N15 bus provides frequent service on this street, connecting Roosevelt Field, Mineola, and Hempstead with Long Beach.  The above three photos were taken in 2011.
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In May, 2015, I visited the church after the Tuesday morning Mass. This was still the Easter season.  I wonder whether the celebration of the Resurrection is there all year long, as its reality endures.

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.