Parish of Our Lady of the Scapular
Fr. James McMahon, a New York priest, offered to endow for the Carmelites of Ireland a church and monastery in Manhattan’s upper west side (Seventy-seventh Street and Columbus Avenue). Fr. McMahon had been left a small legacy which he had increased to a substantial sum through financial activity, mainly in real estate foreclosures. Within a few weeks of their arrival, the Carmelites were able to secure a temporary site for services at Twenty-ninth Street and First Avenue. The first Masses were on Palm Sunday, April 14, 1889. Fr. Michael Daly the first pastor, held that post until 1894 when he resigned from the position and Fr. Edward Southwell was appointed pastor.
Archbishop Corrigan came to dedicate the church on December 22, 1889. In 1891, a hall was constructed, which was used for Sunday school, meetings, annual fairs, a gymnasium and later as a youth center.
In 1904 Father Southwell purchased land on Twenty-ninth Street for $45,000 just a few doors west of the priory for the site of the parish school. The cornerstone was blessed in November 1904 and the school was dedicated in September, 1905. Father Southwell returned to Ireland in 1906 and Fr. Louis McCabe succeeded him as pastor.
During the pastorate of Fr. Vincent Smyth, a priory was constructed in 1928 on Twenty-eighth Street adjoining the church.
The parish boundaries included Bellevue Hospital, the largest hospital in the city, where the Carmelites took over the duty of chaplains from the priests at St. Stephen’s Church. The Carmelites maintained their hospital apostolate at Bellevue for the next 118 years, winning widespread praise for their ministry to sick and indigent New Yorkers.
The pastorate of Fr. Sean Reid (1943 – 1964) was the longest in the history of the parish.
The church’s centennial was a year long celebration that began on April 1, 1989 with Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular.
John Cardinal O’Connor was the main concelebrant and homilist.
Between the opening Mass of the centennial and the closing Mass, the parish of Our Lady of the Scapular was joined to that of St. Stephen’s. The following priests have served as pastors of Our Lady of the Scapular Parish:
  |
|
Rev. Michael Daly |
1889 – 1894 1894 – 1906 1906 – 1909 1909 – 1913 1916 – 1919 1919 – 1924 1924 – 1926 1926 – 1928 1928 – 1934 1934 – 1937 1937 – 1940 1940 – 1943 1943 – 1964 1964 – 1967 1967 – 1970 1970 – 1973 1973 – 1979 1979 – 1982 1982 – 1986 1986 – 1988 1988 – 1990 |
And thank you to Salvation for posting every archdiocese, diocese and eparchy in the State of New York!