Beneath the East Harlem sky, a story unfolds of faith and community at the Church of the Holy Rosary. This church once stood proudly at 444 East 119th Street. It served as a beacon for Catholics in this vibrant New York City neighborhood.
The Church of the Holy Rosary has a history that started in 1884. The Rev Joseph A Byron founded it. Cardinal John McCloskey directed him. It was intended for the German and Irish immigrants. They populated the area east of Third Avenue near the East River.
Interestingly, the area was initially served by St Paul’s Church on East 117th Street. St Cecilia’s was on East 106th Street. These churches were far from the growing settlement. This distance led to the creation of two ethnic churches. Our Lady of Mt Carmel was for the Italians. The Church of the Holy Rosary was for the Germans and Irish.
Joseph A Byron became the first pastor. He was a 35-year-old New Yorker. He had neither a church nor a rectory. Byron went door-to-door to gather support. He sought to build a church for his prospective parishioners. He bought four lots on East 119th Street in March 1884. These lots were between First and Pleasant Avenues. This is where the parish buildings stand today.
Michael Corrigan dedicated the new church. He was the Coadjutor Archbishop of New York. The dedication occurred on Rosary Sunday October 5 1884. Older records list the address as 442 E 119th Street.
Byron’s dedication was evident. He and his assistants lived in a rented house. The address was 365 Pleasant Avenue. They lived there until the rectory was completed. Sadly Byron died in 1893 at age 44. He caught a cold while building the new rectory. Francis H Wall succeeded him as pastor in 1894. He encouraged the establishment of various societies. These included the Rosary Society and the Holy Name Society.
The present stone church rose in 1898. Corrigan dedicated it on February 11 1900. Sports became part of the parish life. The Boys Club was established in 1903. William J Guinan succeeded Wall in 1909. He established a training course for CCD teachers.
Thomas F Kane became pastor in 1916. He received support from the Pallotine Sisters. They had started St John’s Settlement in 1908. It housed 42 girls and 35 boys.
From 1918 to 1925, two congregations shared the same building. Kane and his Irish assistants served the regular parish upstairs. Gaetano Arcese and Italian priests ministered to the Italian population downstairs. Arcese arranged training for the nuns at Fordham University. He also moved St John’s Settlement to smaller quarters. In 1949, he opened the Holy Rosary School. It started with 160 pupils.
After Arcese’s death in 1953, Bonaventure Filitti replaced him. Filitti added a wing to the school. He also embellished the church’s interior. Salvatore Cantatore became pastor in 1956. Robert Banome served the Spanish-speaking immigrants. He had worked in Puerto Rico before ordination.
Interestingly, the Church of the Holy Rosary saw masses in English Spanish and Italian in 1975. Various organizations thrived. These included the Legions of Mary and the Holy Name Society. School enrollment reached 727 students.
In 1978 the Parish was entrusted to Nicanor L Lana. He was the former rector of the University of San Agustin in the Philippines.
In an interesting turn, Catholic Charities established the Holy Rosary Stabilization Bed program in the former convent in June 2016. It provides services to formerly homeless adults. These adults have severe mental illness and substance abuse issues.
Though the Church of the Holy Rosary closed in 2015. It merged with St Paul’s Parish. The church was deconsecrated on June 30 2017. Its legacy remains. It stands as a testament to the enduring power of faith and community in the heart of East Harlem.