The Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen is a

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parish church in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the count ...

, located at 149 East 28th Street between

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and Lexington Avenues in the

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neighborhood of

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, New York City. It was established in the 1980s when the parish of the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel was merged into the parish of the Church of St. Stephen the Martyr. In January 2007, it was announced by the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

that the Church of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus, located at 307 East 33rd Street, was to be merged into Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen, then, in November 2014, the Archdiocese announced that the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen was one of 31 neighborhood parishes which would be merged into other parishes. Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen was to be merged into the Church of Our Saviour at 59 Park Avenue.

St. Stephen the Martyr

The parish of St. Stephen the Martyr was formed in 1848 and was originally located on

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

. A temporary church was erected and dedicated by then Bishop

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on December 23, 1849. In 1853 the property was purchased by the

New York and Harlem Railroad The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...

and a new church was built on 28th Street and opened March 5, 1854. The first pastor was Rev. Jeremiah W. Cummings. One of the parishioners around that time was

Orestes Brownson Orestes Augustus Brownson (September 16, 1803 – April 17, 1876) was an American intellectual, activist, preacher, labor organizer, and writer. Brownson was also a noted Catholic convert. Brownson was a publicist, a career which spanned his affi ...

. In an article on "Vocations to the Priesthood" that the plain spoken Cummings contributed to "Brownson's Review" of October 1860, he severely criticized the management and mode of instruction in Catholic colleges and seminaries which he styled "cheap priest-factories". This aroused a bitter controversy, and brought out one of the noted essays by Archbishop Hughes, his "Reflections on the Catholic Press". "Under the administration of Dr. Cummings St. Stephen's, which he had completed in March, 1854, became the most fashionable and most frequented church in New York, its sermons and music making it a local attraction." During the 1860s St. Stephen's was one of the largest and most influential Catholic congregations in New York.St. Stephen's Church", Landmarks Preservation Commission, October 8, 2008
/ref> Cummings died in January 1866 after a long illness that incapacitated him for active service. He was succeeded by assistant pastor Rev. Edward McGlynn. Future Bishop of Buffalo, Charles H. Colton's first assignment after his ordination in 1876 was as a curate at Stephen's. He remained there for ten years, his duties including the chaplaincy at

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. In 1879, Charles Edward McDonnell, (later Bishop of Brooklyn) was also curate at St. Stephen's. No less plain spoken than his predecessor, Rev. McGlynn was reprimanded by Archbishop

John McCloskey John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as the first American-born Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his ...

, who required McGlynn to refrain from defending in public the views of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

, which some considered bordering on socialism. McGlynn subsequently ran afoul of Archbishop

Michael Corrigan Michael Augustine Corrigan (August 13, 1839May 5, 1902) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902. Early life Michael Augustine Corrigan was born August 13, 1839, in N ...

for McGlynn's open endorsement of George's mayoral campaign. In January 1877, Corrigan removed McGlynn from the pastorate of St. Stephen's for insubordination. Father Colton became pastor in February 1877 and founded the parish school. On June 10, 1903, Colton was appointed the fourth Bishop of Buffalo. He was succeeded by Thomas Francis Cusack, auxiliary bishop of New York, who served as pastor of St. Stephen's Church from 1904 to July 5, 1915, when he was named Bishop of Albany. At that time, the parish maintained the Presentation Day Nursery on East 32nd St., which allowed mothers to work; and St. Stephen's Inn at East 31st St., an affordable residence for young working women. Fr. Francis Cummings became pastor in 1919; he installed electric lighting in the church. The Carmelites took over administration of the parish in 1988. In 1990, the parish of Our Lady of the Scapular merged with the parish of St. Stephen the Martyr.

Church of St. Stephen the Martyr

The parish's current church, the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style, was designed by noted architect

James Renwick Jr. James Renwick Jr. (November 11, 1818 – June 23, 1895) was an American architect known for designing churches and museums. He designed the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patric ...

,, p.168 who also designed St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grace Church. The façade has rounded arches for the entrance and windows. The building was extended north to 142 East 29th Street in 1865 by architect Patrick Charles Keely., p.214 The church includes forty-three interior murals by the artist Constantine Brumidi, who also provided murals in the U.S. Capitol, as well as a painting of the Crucifixion above the high altar, also by Brumidi. The stained glass windows are by Meyer of Munich. Epiphany RC school 121 E28 jeh

On March 2, 1916, Spanish poets

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

(

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1956) and Zenobia Camprubí got married in this church. Their six-month stay in the United States is in the origin of Jiménez's book ''Diario de un poeta recién casado'' (1917), which was an inflection point for his poetry and for Spanish contemporary poetry. The 29th Street facade is fully developed. The church underwent restoration in 1949. The connected school building on 28th Street was built c.1902, designed by Elliot Lynch, and a rectory was built on the 29th Street side in 1956, designed by the firm of Knappe & Johnson."Manhattan NB Database 1900–1986"
on the Office for Metropolitan History website. (Accessed December 25, 2010). This church is not operational since its merging in 2014.

St. Stephen Parish School

The St. Stephen Parish School on 28th Street was built from 1897 to around 1902 to the designs of Elliot Lynch. 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 alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

staffed the school until 1967. It is now the St. Stephen's campus of the Epiphany School, one of their two facilities, the other being on East 20th Street near the Epiphany Church.Epiphany School website
/ref>

Our Lady of the Scapular

The parish of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel was founded in 1889 by the Irish Carmelites.

In popular culture

The church briefly appears in the 1989 television movie ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

: Fatal Flaw''.

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady of the Scapular-St. Stephen, Church of 1848 establishments in New York (state) 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Christian organizations established in 1990 James Renwick Jr. church buildings New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Patrick Keely buildings Roman Catholic churches completed in 1854 Roman Catholic churches in Manhattan Romanesque Revival church buildings in New York City Rose Hill, Manhattan