St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens, New York)
Encyclopedia
St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church is a Catholic church built for the St. Sebastian Parish of Woodside, Queens, New York
.
Although the parish
of St. Sebastian itself was founded in May 1894 by Bishop Charles Mc Donnell of Brooklyn, New York, there was no building for the congregation until June 14, 1896 when the parish's first building was dedicated a year after the demise of its architect, Franz J. Berlenbach, Jr.
(also known as F.J. Berlenbach, Jr.); while its builder/carpenter was E.J. Coles. A new and permanent church building for the parish was later erected in 1952, on the location of a former cinema. Fr. Edward Gannon was the first pastor of the parish. The current church building is located on Roosevelt Avenue
and can be reached by using the number 7
subway
train line of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
.
. It had the capacity to seat 2,000 people. On its opening night, it once screened a pre-release version of Buster Keaton
's comedy film, the "Battling Butler
", under MGM. Later in 1952, it was sold to the St. Sebastian Roman Catholic parish in order to found a chapel
which was transformed into a church building. The construction of the church began with the demolition of the entrance and lobby of the theatre, where a Romanesque
bell tower
was erected. The theatre's original auditorium decor was kept and restored, along with "the domed ceiling, 40 columns along the side walls that were returned to their original marble with gold leaf capitals".
Formally founded as a parish in 1894, St. Sebastian Roman Catholic parish was originally intended to provide religious services to German
factory workers and immigrants of Queens County. Afterwards, it became the religious center of immigrants from Ireland
. At, present, Sunday Mass
celebration attendees include Hispanics (45%) particularly from Colombia
and Mexico
, Irish
(25%), Filipinos
(25%), and Koreans
(5%); which in total averages to 4,000 people. Masses are celebrated primarily in English
, but they also have services in Spanish
, and occasionally in Tagalog
and Korean
as well.
The New York City Organ Project has documented the musical organs
used or formerly used by the St. Sebastian Catholic Church, namely the III/Rodgers Instruments electronic organ, the II/Midmer-Losh Organ Company organ in 1930, and the I/6 Geo. Jardine & Son organ in 1878 for the church proper, and the II/Rodgers Instruments organ for its chapel.
After Monsignor D. Joseph Finnerty, the current pastor of St. Sebastian is Rev. Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman. The parish complex includes a convent
, a rectory
, a parish center, and a school
officially known as St. Sebastian School (but sometimes referred to as Saint Sebastian Parochial School or St. Sebastian Roman Catholic School).
The St. Sebastian Rectory Office is located on 39-63 57th Street, Woodside, New York 11377.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Although the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St. Sebastian itself was founded in May 1894 by Bishop Charles Mc Donnell of Brooklyn, New York, there was no building for the congregation until June 14, 1896 when the parish's first building was dedicated a year after the demise of its architect, Franz J. Berlenbach, Jr.
Franz J. Berlenbach, Jr.
Franz Joseph Berlenbach, Jr. was an American architect from New York City who specialized in designing Roman Catholic churches. He acted as a consultant for architectural designs for the Archdiocese of Brooklyn, New York and the Sisters of the Order of St. Dominic. He is also known simply as...
(also known as F.J. Berlenbach, Jr.); while its builder/carpenter was E.J. Coles. A new and permanent church building for the parish was later erected in 1952, on the location of a former cinema. Fr. Edward Gannon was the first pastor of the parish. The current church building is located on Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue is a main thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside...
and can be reached by using the number 7
7 (New York City Subway service)
The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line...
subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
train line of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
.
Historical background
Prior to becoming a church site, the current St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church was the former location of Loew's Woodside Theatre, a movie theatre that opened on September 27, 1926 and designed by Herbert J. KrappHerbert J. Krapp
Herbert J. Krapp was a theatre architect and designer in the early part of the twentieth century.Krapp was an apprentice with the Herts & Tallant firm, where he was involved with designing the plans for the Lyceum, Shubert, Booth, New Amsterdam and Longacre Theatres, among others. He departed the...
. It had the capacity to seat 2,000 people. On its opening night, it once screened a pre-release version of Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
's comedy film, the "Battling Butler
Battling Butler
Battling Butler is a 1926 comedy silent film directed by and starring Buster Keaton.-Plot summary:Alfred's father, portrayed as a wealthy aristocrat, feels his son has grown up too comfortably and as a result has not become what a man should be. To remedy this predicament he sends his son Alfred...
", under MGM. Later in 1952, it was sold to the St. Sebastian Roman Catholic parish in order to found a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
which was transformed into a church building. The construction of the church began with the demolition of the entrance and lobby of the theatre, where a Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was erected. The theatre's original auditorium decor was kept and restored, along with "the domed ceiling, 40 columns along the side walls that were returned to their original marble with gold leaf capitals".
Formally founded as a parish in 1894, St. Sebastian Roman Catholic parish was originally intended to provide religious services to German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
factory workers and immigrants of Queens County. Afterwards, it became the religious center of immigrants from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. At, present, Sunday Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
celebration attendees include Hispanics (45%) particularly from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(25%), Filipinos
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
(25%), and Koreans
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
(5%); which in total averages to 4,000 people. Masses are celebrated primarily in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, but they also have services in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and occasionally in Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
and Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
as well.
The New York City Organ Project has documented the musical organs
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
used or formerly used by the St. Sebastian Catholic Church, namely the III/Rodgers Instruments electronic organ, the II/Midmer-Losh Organ Company organ in 1930, and the I/6 Geo. Jardine & Son organ in 1878 for the church proper, and the II/Rodgers Instruments organ for its chapel.
After Monsignor D. Joseph Finnerty, the current pastor of St. Sebastian is Rev. Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman. The parish complex includes a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, a rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
, a parish center, and a school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
officially known as St. Sebastian School (but sometimes referred to as Saint Sebastian Parochial School or St. Sebastian Roman Catholic School).
The St. Sebastian Rectory Office is located on 39-63 57th Street, Woodside, New York 11377.
External links
- Official website
- Location map of St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church from New York HomeTownlocator, newyork.hometownlocator.com
- St. Sebastian School website