St. Mary's (1797)

I have returned to my blog with the grande dame of the Diocese of Albany. Nestled in the Capitol Hill section of Albany, between the court house and Pearl Street is the 2nd oldest parish in New York: St. Mary's.

BRIEF HISTORY: 

Information taken from: http://www.hist-stmarys.org/History.htm


Incorporated in 1796 as the "Catholic Church in the City of Albany" and under the patronage of the title of Assumption (not to be confused with another Assumption church in Albany that would come later), St. Mary's is really an historical entity all of it's own. St. John Neumann, later Bishop of Philadelphia, celebrated mass here while passing though the area. The Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution celebrated mass here with his men, and St. Mary's has had the luxury of being a part of three different diocese's in it's life: Baltimore, New York, and finally Albany.

In 1847 when the diocese was created, St. Mary's was selected as the cathedral of the Rt. Rev. John McCloskey, Bishop of Albany, and was installed on September 19th by Bishop John Hughes of New York. St. Mary's remained the cathedral until Immaculate Conception was completed in 1852. Since then, St. Mary's has been a parish church, serving the City of Albany.

The current church is the third such building to carry the name of St. Mary's. The first building was dedicated in 1797 on the corner of Pine and Chapel streets after the Catholic faithful successfully petitioned the Vatican to do so. In 1820, a new church was built by famous architect Phillip Hooker in the Federal design with such famous benefactors as Stephen Van Rensselaer and President Martin Van Buren. The current building is the third church built in 1867 by Charles Nichols in the Romanesque Revival design. It was dedicated by the Second Bishop of Albany, Rt. Rev John Conroy. The building has been renovated many times since 1867, the most recent being in the late 1990's to celebrate the parishes bicentennial in 1997.


STRUCTURE:

Main Sanctuary

As stated earlier, the current St. Mary's was built in the Romanesque Revival style and is pretty linear. Unlike most Gothic Revival churches (like Cathedral), St. Mary's is not built in cruciform pattern, but very rectangular in shape. The outside is light brick and painted trimmed stained glass windows line the sides of the buildings. The bell tower has electronic bells (real bells have been fitted with electric strikers for structural issues) and is copper topped with a statue of the angel Gabriel, blowing a trumpet (see above picture).


The interior is traditional Romanesque style, with painted frescos, statuary and a balcony to support another tier of people (this was also seen in Our Lady of Angels, which is another example of Romanesque style church). The main sanctuary has what I would consider " half of a baldachin" over the high altar where the Blessed Sacrament is in repose, with angels on either side of the top of the Corinthian columns. The statues are a mixture of painted plaster, carved painted wood, and marble and are  The side altars in my mind were small, yet very ornate. The colors of the church fit the patroness, as it is done in cream, gold, and blue (with the exception of the green carpet). Another fact of note: St Mary's was the first church in the City of Albany to be lit by electricity in 1895.

The parish has a better website than I could produce that talks about the church here.

Our Lady of Victory-From the 2nd Church

Sacred Heart From the Original 1797 Church

I guess what gets me about this church is not just it's beauty, but it's history. While it's not the original church, the parish hosted many different important events over the years. This is also where many of the "big wigs" from the state go to mass and it's not uncommon to be shaking hands with a State Senator at the sign of peace.

COMMUNITY:

If you're looking for praise and worship music, lots of hugs and hospitality after mass, then this parish isn't for you. I love going to St. Mary's when I need to be quiet and left alone to pray. It is more traditional than some parishes (you still kneel at the altar rail and they only distribute one species), they offer 2 daily weekday masses, a vigil mass on Saturday and six on Sunday with the last one being in Latin (ordinary form).  I went to a noon weekday mass this time and it was about 2/3rd full (and they had a collection which made me chuckle) and you will see people from every walk of life from the old timers, to young professionals.

EDUCATION:

At one point St. Mary's had a school, but it has been closed for many years. They do not offer faith formation of any kind, and all families are asked to enroll their kids for Religious Education at Blessed Sacrament. For outreach, they have a very small food pantry.


OVERALL:

I work less than five minutes walking time from St. Mary's and sometimes I go to the noon mass. It's a spiritual oasis in the center of the very loud, beating heart of New York State. Even if you're not Catholic, St. Mary's is the perfect picture of a old-style church. She is the crown jewel of the diocese and besides the Cathedral, this is one church every "Albanian" should see.

PS: It has another plus in my book: it's air conditioned!

RECAP:

St. Mary's Church
Parish Erected: 1797 as the Catholic Church in the City of Albany, Diocese of Baltimore
Present Church Dedicated: 1867 by the Rt. Rev. John Conroy-Bishop of Albany
Architect: Charles Nichols
Style: Romanesque Revival
Pastor: Rev. John T. Provost

The Churchman's Mea Culpa

To all three of you who have followed, I must apologize about the lack of posts over the last few months. The wanderer here has been a bit busy and has not made any posts recently. But, fear not! I still have been making my rounds around Albany and have only three more to go before the active churches are all photographed. Since my last post, here is a list of those you will be seeing posted in a few weeks time:

St. Mary's
Christ the King, Guilderland (Yes, I know it's not technically in Albany but you will see why when I do the post)
Blessed Sacrament
St. Vincent de Paul (Still need to shoot the VI grotto)
St. Francis of Assisi on Delaware Avenue (former St. James)

I have yet to photograph:

Mater Christi (former St. Catherine of Siena)
Sacred Heart in North Albany
St. Francis of Assisi in the South End (former St. Ann/St. John/St. Ann)

All Saints Catholic Church (former St. Margaret Mary's-1939)

Last week I had a minor surgical procedure, so I only made it to the closest parish to my house: All Saints. This church is another merger from the Albany Diocese's Called to Be Church pastoral planning program, comprising of the former parishes of Holy Cross, and St. Margaret Mary's. The parish merged at the St. Margaret Mary's site, with the parish school taking over the former Holy Cross church property.

BRIEF HISTORY:

Since this is a merged entity, I'm going to split this part into thirds: Holy Cross, St. Margaret Mary's, and All Saints.

Holy Cross:

Holy Cross was established to serve the German immigrants of Albany on the corner of Philip and Hamilton Streets. While the church was not formally incorporated into the Diocese of Albany until 1859 (diocese was not founded until 1847), the earliest records state that the parish was running as early as 1842. The school was established around this time and staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph until German nuns could come over to teach. The parish was moved to Western Avenue in 1960 when New York State bought the land the parish was on to construct the South Mall (Empire State Plaza) and demolished the old church in 1959. A new school was also constructed under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. The parish was suppressed in 2009 and merged with St. Margaret Mary's just over a mile up Western Avenue.

St. Margaret Mary's:

Originally a mission church of St. Vincent de Paul on Madison Avenue, the parish was created in 1939. As with most small parishes in Albany at the time, St. Margaret Mary's church, school and convent were one building until the 1950's with the construction of the current church building across the street from the school building. While the parish drew some people from the area and the outside town of Guilderland, it wasn't until the 1950's and early 60's that the parish began to grow from the people moving out of the cities. What helped the parish grow was the displacement of the South End communities (especially the Italian community) with the construction of the South Mall, and the student community when the University of Albany built their uptown campus. Even with the influx of new parishioners, the parish school closed in the latter half of the 20th century and the parish was suppressed in 2009 and merged with Holy Cross.

All Saints:

One of two "new" Albany parishes established with the conclusion of Called to be Church, All Saints is truly a vibrant community. It is one of only three parishes in Albany with a school, and the church is more than 3/4 full on any given weekend mass.

STRUCTURE:

The church building is consistent with the brick and mortar design of the early 1950's, with some exterior concrete flairs to make it look somewhat more traditional. Inside, the church is whitewashed, with a marble and wood sanctuary with the choir area behind the main altar. The current configuration is the result of renovations done in the 1990's, which moved the altar forward, yet kept some of the more traditional parts of the sanctuary. They also created a Blessed Sacrament chapel to the left of the Sanctuary, and a Reconciliation room in the back of the church.

The confessionals were removed and different niches were installed for statues of the Blessed Mother. I am told some of these statues are from the former St. Anthony's church in Albany:

There are two prominent stained glass windows on either side of the crossing at the front of the church. To the  right is the patroness of the former parish, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in adoration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  

To the left is the window of St. Vincent de Paul, patron of the parish of which St. Margaret Mary's was it's mission church.

As part of the renovation, an immersion font was installed, and a mosaic was completed by parishioners (around the edges of the font. 

COMMUNITY:

The parish seems very vibrant and active. Like most parishes in the Northeast, the majority of the parishoners are over the age of 65. However, All Saints seems to have a very youthful community. This could be due to the proximity of the parish to the suburbs and the UAlbany college community nearby. Everyone here, including the priest and deacon were very friendly and welcoming when I attended last Sunday.

All Saints Catholic Academy

EDUCATION:

All Saints has a parish school that encompasses the former Holy Cross School and Church buildings. The school is a merger of Holy Cross and St. Teresa of Avila in 2009. They also have a pretty large faith formation and senior programs. They also do a lot of different programs with the neighboring parishes. 

OVERALL:

This very young parish has a lot going for it: great location, dynamic clergy, active participation of the community, and a great mix of people among the parishioners. If they can keep these dynamics in sync, this is parish that will be around for a long time.

I'm off to another church, so keep on walking!

RECAP:

All Saints Catholic Church (fmr Church of St. Margaret Mary)

Present Church Dedication: 1964 by the Most Reverend William A. Scully-Bishop of Albany

Architect: Unknown

Pastor: Rev. Ronald A. Menty

Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas (former St. Patrick's Church of Albany-1868)

After a short hiatus, I am back on my journey of documenting the Churches of Albany. In a mid-week edition of the Wandering Churchman, I bring you the Shrine of Our Lady of the Americas, which is located on Central Avenue in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany.

BRIEF HISTORY:

This church building was dedicated in 1868 as the Church of St. Patrick in the City of Albany. In 2005, the parish was suppressed and renamed "Holy Family Parish" which was a merger of the 3 nearby parishes of Our Lady of Angels (German), St. Casimir (Polish) and St. Patrick (bet you cant guess what the ethnicity of this parish is). In 2010, Holy Family was not able to function as a parish on it's own so it was merged with Blessed Sacrament up the street and kept open as a "Shrine Church", the first one in the diocese. There is no resident pastor (he's up at Blessed Sacrament) but there is a resident chaplain.

The original St. Patrick's Church was built in 1858. A newer church was built ten years later and renovated in time for the church's centennial in 1968. While the wealthy Irish of Albany lived downtown and attended parishes like St. Joseph's, St. Patrick's was built for the working class Irish in the West Hill neighborhood. As the neighborhood changed and people moved out of the cities, the church lost a great many of their parishioners and income base. However, St. Patrick's was not going to go out without a fight. However, new life came into the parish in 1980's when the Albany Hispanic Apostolate moved from Cathedral to St. Patrick's and now makes up over half of the parish's population.

STRUCTURE:

From the outside, it seems like any old brick church. However, the structure of the church is quite amazing. With the 1968 renovation, they stripped down the plaster/stucco exterior and refinished the brick and added a copper roof. They also eliminated the spire on the steeple and really made he building look like it does today. But that's not what really strikes me.

This is a picture of the center isle. If you look to the right, and to the left, you will see an absence of something big from the churches of this era. 

Figure it out yet? its pillars! There isn't a bad seat in the house and the furnishings are elaborate. The altar platform, high and side altars, statues and the altar rail are all made out of marble.

The brass doors are still on the rail, and the high pulpit is still intact on the left side of the sanctuary. While the inside is due for a paint job, the church for its age is in excellent shape.

BVM Altar

Statue of St Francis helping Christ off the Cross, to show the Franciscan Heritage of Our Lady of Angels

St Casimir 

Facing from the Altar to the back

Bl. Kateri Tekawitha, St. Patrick, St. Maximilian Kolbe, OFM Conv.

Christ being nailed on the cross. The windows on either side were manufactured in Austria by the Tyrol  Stained Glass Company.

High Pulpit and St. Joseph's altar

COMMUNITY:

The Shrine is predominantly Hispanic with some Angelo's and other ethnic groups which make this parish very multi-cultural. When you go here for mass, you are welcomed and treated like one of their own. Masses are celebrated at 930 in English, 12N in Spanish. As this is not a parish, there is no pastor but the community is lead by the pastor of Blessed Sacrament and the Shrine Chaplain, Rev. Frank O'Connor who is bi-lingual.

EDUCATION:

Each of the 3 original parishes has schools. St. Patrick's closed in 1980 (Sisters of Mercy), Our Lady of Angels in 1986 (Sisters of St. Francis), and St. Casimir's (Resurrection Sisters). St. Casimir's was made a regional school in the late 1980's and was closed back in 2009 due to lack of funds. All religious education is done through Blessed Sacrament and they have a very vibrant youth ministry and other educational programs. The Hispanic community also uses the church for their retreats and other activities during the year. In addition, Catholic Charities runs a soup kitchen, medical clinic and food pantry outreach services from this location and the former St. Casimir's convent on Sheridan Avenue.

Church History of the Shrine of OL Americas

OVERALL:

This parish has a lot of history, phenomenal architecture and a small, yet vibrant community. If you're in the area of Central Avenue I would stop by and take a peek. I think it's a understated gem of a church in the Diocese of Albany. Until next time: Vaya con Dios and Keep on Walking!

RECAP:

Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas (fmr Church of St. Patrick)

Present Church Dedication: 1867 by the Right Reverend John J. Conroy-Bishop of Albany

Architect: Unknown

Style: Mix between Gothic Revival and Art Deco

Additions: 1967 renovation

Pastor: Very Rev. John J. Bradley (Blessed Sacrament)

Chaplain: Rev. Francis A. O'Connor

South End Closed Parishes

After my visit at the Cathedral today, I swung by former South End parishes nearby and snapped a few pictures.

St. Anthony of Padua-1908


St. Anthony's was founded in to serve the Italian community that was moving into the Mansion and Pastures neighborhoods of Albany. Situated 2 blocks from the Cathedral and St. John's on the corner of Grand St. and Madison Ave. It's population was practically demolished with the South Mall construction project and the parish was closed in the 1970's. Currently, it is a local arts center for the neighborhood.

St. John the Baptist-1837


St. John's was the 2nd Catholic church built in the city (after St. Mary's) and is located in the Pastures neighborhood of the South End. Like others, the community here relocated during the construction of the South Mall project. St. John's had a huge parish with both a grammar and a high school. In 1978, it merged with St. Anne's and the building was sold to an architectural firm. It currently sits vacant, boarded up, and for sale.