St. Raymond's Church is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

under the authority of the

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 Castle Hill Avenue at Tremont Avenue,

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

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 established in 1842. It was dedicated on the feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus, on August 31, 1845, thus getting its name. There is a stained glass window, on the right side if you are looking at the sanctuary, of St. Raymond Nonnatus and the men who took him hostage.

Parish

The parish of St. Raymond's predates the creation of

, when the area was still part of southern

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

. Bishop

John Dubois John Dubois (french: Jean Dubois) served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York from 1826 until his death in 1842. He was the first Bishop of New York who was not Irish-born and, as of 2021, remains the only Bishop or Archb ...

of New York had a deed executed on 2 December 1835 at a cost of $160 for the 125 foot by 26 foot plot of land situated about two miles north of

Fort Schuyler, New York Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices of the State University of ...

. A church and/or school were intended to be constructed that year on the plot of land, however, nothing was erected. In 1842, Bishop John Hughes purchased the acre that the current St. Raymond's Church is located on, and converted an old wooden barn into a temporary church. In 1847 an adjoining acre was purchased. The land purchased coincided with the 1840 founding of St. John's College in the village of Fordham, the future

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

. In 1842 Fr. Felix Vilanis, Superior at St. John's, was appointed to attend to the people of Westchester and the villages along the Sound. He built the first church and had it dedicated 31 August 1845. After the Mass, Bishop Hughes blessed the cemetery which had been laid out adjoining the church. By 1850, St. Raymond's was responsible for had nine mission churches in the Bronx. Due to a shortage of priests and poor roads it was not possible to say Mass at each mission chapel every week, so the priests rode circuit visiting each in turn. In 1865 the Catholic Protectory, an orphanage organized for the protection of destitute Catholic children purchased 114 acres of nearby farmland with several barns. A school and dormitories were built. Under the direction of the Brothers of Christian Schools and the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The ...

, the children were given an education and taught a trade. The boys learned shoemaking, baking, carpentry, blacksmithing, wheelwrighting, farming, and gardening. The girls learned to embroider, cook and make gloves. The institution was an integral part of the parish until it was sold in 1938. Among the notable pastors were the Rev. William O'Reilly, pastor in the late 1840s, who was the brother of the second Bishop of Hartford, and later rector of Our Lady of the Isle in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

and Vicar General of the Diocese of Hartford. The Rev. I. A. Kensella (pastor from 1857 to 1875) left around $18,000 in his will for the erection of a new church. The forward-thinking Rev. Michael B. McEvoy (pastor from 1875 to 1885), bought the Underhill Farm on Throgg's Neck and had it consecrated for burial purpose as St. Raymond's Cemetery, one of the borough's notable cemeteries.

Buildings

The original Church became too small and many parishioners had to stand at Mass because it was over capacity. On August 4, 1897, ground was broken for the new Church, designed in the Byzantine Revival-style. The architect of St. Raymond Church was George H. Streeton of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

who also designed the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in

, as well as St. Raphael's Church in Manhattan (1900–1902). The building was dedicated 23 October 1898. In 1932, the old main altar of wood was replaced with one of marble. In 1908, Cardinal Logue laid the cornerstone of the new school, which opened September 1909. The current elementary school was opened in 1951. The parish also administers

St. Raymond Academy St. Raymond Academy for Girls is an American private, Roman Catholic high school for girls, located in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. It was established in 1960 by the Sisters of Charity and is located in the Roman Cath ...

, a high school for girls founded in 1960 and St. Raymond High School for Boys established in 1962.St. Raymond High School for Boys
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Pastors

#Rev. Felix Vilanis (1842) #Rev. Higgins (returned to Ireland when his health failed) #Rev, William O'Reilly, brother of the second Bishop of Hartford, and afterward rector of Our Lady of the Isle (Newport, Rhode Island) and Vicar General of the Diocese of Hartford. #Rev. Eugene McGuire (left 1853) #Rev. Richard Kien (1853 until his death on 9 January 1854) #Rev. Michael O'Reilly (4 February 1854 – 1857) #Rev. I. A. Kensella (14 July 1857 - 6 January 1875, who in his will left $1000 for every year he was pastor of this church for the erection of a new church) #Rev. Michael B. McEvoy (appointed February 1875 to 1885, who bought the Underhill Farm on

Throggs Neck Throggs Neck (also known as Throgs Neck) is a neighborhood and peninsula in the south-eastern portion of the borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the East River and Long Island Sound to the south and ea ...

, now known as St. Raymond's Cemetery and had it consecrated for burial purposes) #Rev. Charles F. O'Keeffe (1885-1888) #Msgr. Edward McKenna, P.R. (b. 18 July 1843 in the parish of Truagh,

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...

, Ireland, pastor of St. Raymond's from 1888)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Raymonds church, Bronx, New York Roman Catholic churches completed in 1845 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Roman Catholic churches completed in 1898 Religious organizations established in 1842 Roman Catholic churches in the Bronx 1842 establishments in New York (state)