Parish of St. Christopher and St. Sylvia (Red Hook, New York)

Church of St. Christopher
41°59′32.6″N 73°52′43.6″W / 41.992389°N 73.878778°W / 41.992389; -73.878778Coordinates: 41°59′32.6″N 73°52′43.6″W / 41.992389°N 73.878778°W / 41.992389; -73.878778
Location 7411 South Broadway,
Red Hook, New York
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website St. Christopher's Church
History
Founded 1975
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of New York

The Parish of St. Christopher and St. Sylvia is a parish under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York. In November 2014, the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Sylvia's Church in Tivoli, New York would merge with St. Christopher's. Although remaining a church which may be used on special occasions, Masses and the sacraments will no longer be celebrated on a regular weekly basis at St. Sylvia's as of August 2015.[1]

St. Christopher, Red Hook

St. Christopher's Church was founded as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Barrytown in 1910, and elevated to parish status in 1975. Sacred Heart parish was established in 1875 in Barrytown to serve immigrants settling in the area. As the area developed and the population grew, the little church could not hold all the Catholics who wanted to come to Mass. Hazardous travel conditions again played a role: Improved transportation had led to settlement farther inland, and the trip to Barrytown was difficult and even dangerous in winter. For a while the parish used a local theater for Sunday Mass. In 1925 it purchased property and laid the cornerstone for St. Christopher's Church, which was dedicated in 1926. When plans were under way to build St. Christopher's Church in Red Hook 75 years ago, parishioners hauled stones from their own yards and fields for its exterior walls.

The parish school, staffed by Sparkill Dominican Sisters, opened in 1962, but low enrollment caused it to close in 1985; the school building, now the parish center, houses the religious education program. Holy Spirit Chapel is in the parish center. Its stained-glass windows depict the evangelists, St. John Bosco, St. Maria Goretti, and four Americans: SS. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Elizabeth Ann Seton and John Neumann and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Special Masses, confirmation retreats and other events take place there.

Pastors

Pastors who served St. Christopher's in Red Hook and the parish from which it developed, Sacred Heart in Barrytown, are:

  • Father James Fitzsimmons, 1875-1885
  • Father William J. McClure, 1886-1893
  • Father Daniel J. Cronin, 1893-1899
  • Father Hugh P. Cullum, 1899-1901
  • Father Matthew J.F. Scanlon, 1901-1919
  • Father Joseph B. Cherry, 1919-1922
  • Father P. McAleer, 1922-1923
  • Father Cornelius Fitzsimmons, 1924-1932
  • Father John Kenny, 1932-1937
  • Father Louis A. Jaudas, 1937-1940
  • Father John A. Walsh, 1941
  • Msgr. John R. Carroll, 1941-1969
  • Father Hugh Devers, 1969-1974
  • Father Theodore J. Schulz, 1974-1980
  • Father Louis J. Mazza, 1980-1986
  • Monsignor Charles P. Coen (1986- Pastor Emeritus
  • Father Patrick F. Buckley (present)

Monsignor Coen, who was born in County Galway, Ireland, is a three-time All Ireland concertina champion and performs regularly with traditional Irish musicians.[2]

Merger

In November 2014, the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Sylvia's Church in Tivoli, New York would merge with St. Christopher's. Although remaining a church which may be used on special occasions, Masses and the sacraments will no longer be celebrated on a regular weekly basis at St. Sylvia's as of August 2015.[1][3]

St. Sylvia, Tivoli

Church of St. Sylvia
The church as it appeared in 1914
Location Tivoli, New York
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 1895
Dedication St. Sylvia
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of New York

The Church of St. Sylvia is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Tivoli, Dutchess County, New York, USA. It was established in 1895.

History

Tivoli's first Catholics were Irish and German, and arrived in 1852. Mass was said in their homes by Rev. Michael C. Powers of Saugerties, until the first church, a small wooden building, was constructed. After Father Powers, Fathers Michael Scully and Fitzsimmons of Rhinebeck tended the mission. In 1886, Tivoli became a mission of Barrytown, and in 1890 was made a parish.[4] Since February 2009, St. Sylvia's has celebrated Mass in both authorized forms of the Roman Rite, the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Pastors

  • Rev. James Fenton, 1890
  • Rev. Michael Reinhardt
  • Rev. P.F. Maughan
  • Rev. Lenes
  • Rev. J.H. Dooley
  • Rev. Charles Joseph Parks
  • Rev. Geissler
  • Rev. Alfred Croke

The old church was replaced by a new memorial church and rectory in 1902 as a gift from Countess Carola de Laugier-Villars and her sister, Mrs. Geraldyn Redmond, in memory of their mother. The new stone church was consecrated on June 28, 1903 by Cardinal Farley.

The parish school, also a memorial gift, was established in 1888. At one time St. Sylvia's sponsored a cottage lace industry.[5]

In 2015, the parish of St. Sylvia in Tivoli merged with St. Christopher's Church in Red Hook.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Parish mergers, Archdiocese of New York
  2. ↑ McDonnell, Claudia, Nobody Says No, Catholic New York, November 2, 2000
  3. ↑ Schutzman, Nina. "Dutchess, Ulster churches among those merging in N.Y.", Poughkeepsie Journal, November 2, 2014
  4. ↑ Hasbrouck, Frank, ed. The History of Dutchess County New York, p646, S.A. Mathieu, Poughkeepsie, NY 1909
  5. ↑ Lafort, Remigius. The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.436 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ↑ "Decree on the Merger of the Parish of Saint Christopher, Red Hook and the Parish of Saint Sylvia, Red Hook", Archdiocese of New York
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