Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the borough ...
, located at 143 East 43rd Street,
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
The parish was intended to serve Italian laborers of
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
and Depot.Official Church Website (Accessed March 26, 2011) Rev. Harry Cummings Macdowell, nephew of Father Jeremiah Cummings of St. Stephen's, was the first pastor, assisted by Rev. A. Catoggio. The parish was organized on July 13, 1873. Macdowell had rented a hall over Croton Market on 42nd Street as a temporary chapel and passed out handbills to announce the fact to the local Catholic residents."The Church of St. Agnes" ''The Catholic Churches of New York City'', (John Gilmary Shea,ed.), Lawrence G. Goulding & Co., New York, 1878, p.106.
A Sunday school was begun on 43rd Street. The parish school, located at 152 East 44th Street, was organized in 1893.
The church hosted Archbishop
Fulton J. Sheen
Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in ...
's radio and television broadcasts on behalf of the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...
for over half a century. The broadcasts, including the famous "Death of Stalin," were some of the most important influences in reshaping mainstream twentieth-century American attitudes on Catholicism. Other notable clergy have included Bishop John J. O'Hara, Monsignor
John P. Chidwick
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, Monsignor Eugene V. Clark, and Father George W. Rutler. As an important venue for media, and with its proximity to the center of New York City, the church often played host to rallies, such as the starting point for
John Cardinal O'Connor
John Joseph O'Connor (January 15, 1920 – May 3, 2000) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of New York from 1984 until his death in 2000, and was made a cardinal in 1985. He previously served as a U.S ...
's anti-abortion march from this church.
Buildings
The church was built 1873–1877 to the designs of
Lawrence J. O'Connor
Lawrence J. O'Connor, FAIA (d. 1900) was an American architect who designed a number of churches, schools, convents and rectories in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. He was a named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 18 ...
. Builders were Moran and Armstrong and Michael J. Newman. The basement was completed and used as a chapel which was dedicated by
John Cardinal McCloskey
John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of ...
on January 11, 1874. A Celtic cross crowned the gable. The sanctuary contained a chancel window depicting St. Agnes. The completed church was dedicated by Cardinal McCloskey on May 6, 1877.
The parish constructed a four-story brick and stone rectory and sacristy in 1904 to designs by Jeremiah O'Rourke & Sons of 756 Broad Street,
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Office for Metropolitan History , "Manhattan NB Database 1900–1986" (Accessed December 25, 2010).
The church has suffered two fires. The first, which badly damaged it but left the towers standing, occurred on December 24, 1898. The following February, plans were filed to rebuild it and add a semi-octagonal chancel to the rear, at the expected total cost of $40,000. The second fire, in 1992, left only the outside walls and the towers standing. The church was rebuilt to designs by the firm Acheson, Thorton, Doyle, and opened in 1998. The new church was modeled after the
Church of the Gesù
, image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg
, imagesize =
, caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque
, mapframe = yes
, mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a fulls ...
in Rome, but had the original church's towers from O'Connor's church flanking the new building.
The altar
triptych
A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...
in the rebuilt church was painted by
Sean Delonas
Sean Delonas is an American political cartoonist and author whose work was for 23 years published by the ''New York Post'' as part of their Page Six content. His cartoons are currently syndicated worldwide by Cagle Cartoons.
Life and career
Del ...