THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST FRANCES OF ROME, ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI, ST ANTHONY AND OUR LADY OF GRACE 761 East 236th Street Bronx, New York 10466 WELCOME Rectory 4307 Barnes Avenue Bronx, New York 10466 Tel: (718) 324-5340 - Fax: (718) 324-5373 Email: [email protected] Website: sfrbronx.org THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST FRANCES OF ROME, ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI, ST ANTHONY AND OUR LADY OF GRACE 761 East 236th Street Bronx, New York 10466 Rectory: 4307 Barnes Avenue Bronx, New York 10466 Tel: (718) 324-5340 Fax: (718) 324-5373 Email: [email protected] Website: sfrbronx.org MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 5:00PM Sunday: 8:00 AM; 9:30 AM; 11:00 AM (Spanish): 12:30 PM Mass Center at Saint Francis of Assisi (SFA) School 4330 Baychester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466 Sunday: 10 AM Weekdays: 9:00 AM Monday-Saturday (St. Frances of Rome) 8:00 AM on Saturday (St. Francis of Assisi Mass Center) Confessions: 4:15 to 4:45 PM in the St. Frances of Rome Upper Church Parish Programs Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Saturdays 9:30AM-12 Noon Religious Education Program 11:00AM-12:30PM (Ends with Mass) Choirs Practice Times: • Praise and Worship: Saturdays 12:30PM • Parish Main Choir: Saturdays 2:00PM • Spanish Choir: Saturdays in Lower Church 2:00PM Regional Catholic Schools Within Our Parish ** Our Lady of Grace School ** St. Mary School 3981 Bronxwood Ave. 3956 Carpenter Ave. Bronx, NY 10466 Bronx, NY 10466 (718) 547-9918 (718) 547-0500 ** St. Francis of Assisi School ** Catherine Corry Early Childhood Center 4300 Baychester Ave. 4321 Barnes Ave. Bronx, NY 10466 Bronx, NY 10466 (718) 994-4650 (718) 231-0858 ABOUT THE PARISH The Parish of St. Frances of Rome was established in 1898 by the Archbishop of New York, Michael A. Corrigan. Several parishes now embrace the territory that belonged to St. Frances of Rome. The first church was actually a tent with a cross on top of it. Fr. Francis P. Moore was the first pastor. By 1901 land had been purchased for the building of the first rectory and church of St. Frances of Rome.The wooden church was dedicated by Archbishop Corrigan on June 23rd of that same year. At this time the parish was located on Richardson Avenue. The parish continued to grow and a Mission Church was established in the Woodlawn area to serve the Catholics there. St. Barnabas Parish was later established for these parishioners. The boundaries of the parish were reduced as other parishes were established because of the growing population. By the middle of the 1920’s, property had been acquired for the building of a more permanent church and rectory in the area of Barnes Avenue and 236th Street. The School of St. Frances of Rome was also begun during this decade. Fr. Moore was a man of vision and energy. The great responsibility of builder rested on his shoulders. Moore Plaza is named in his honor as the founding pastor. The basement church was opened on Easter Sunday in 1926. The present rectory was also built about the same time. It was later expanded on the top floor to give more space to both living and office areas. Fr. Moore died in 1928 and the great cross on the dome of the church serves as a memorial to him. He was truly the founder and architect of the parish. Patrick Cardinal Hayes appointed Fr. John T. Jordan as pastor of the parish in 1929. The parish was blessed with another builder and organizer as it was he who went ahead with plans for the construction of a permanent parish school as well as a convent for the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These buildings were dedicated in 1930. The parish debt had grown and reached a total of $400,000. This was astronomical as the country was entering the Depression Era of the 1930’s. Fr. Jordan and his dedicated and faithful parishioners all pulled together and through various means hammered away at the debt which was finally paid in full in 1945. This hard-working man passed away one year later in 1946. Francis Cardinal Spellman, the new Archbishop of New York, appointed Fr. James J. Hackett the pastor. He arrived in January of 1947 and he passed away in June of the same year. He never had a chance to leave his permanent mark on the parish. He was succeeded by Monsignor Joseph M. Egan in July 1947. He served as the pastor for 12 years, until 1959. During this time the rectory was expanded and various repairs were made to the parish buildings. At the time of his death, there was also a balance of about $160,000, which would serve as the foundation for the eventual construction of the upper church. Monsignor Michael A. McGuire became the pastor in 1959, and he became another builder in the parish. Three structures rose under his auspices – our present upper church, an additional school building, as well as an expansion of the convent for the sisters. The school population had expanded greatly at this time and these two latter buildings were sorely needed. The upper church was finally becoming a reality and it was a tremendous project, which, at the time, cost about one million dollars. Ground for the new church was broken in May of 1965 and the building was dedicated by Cardinal Spellman in March of 1967. The church is both traditional and modern in its architecture and is very distinguished by the magnificence of its stained-glass windows. During this time the parish boundaries were reduced again and some areas went to existing parishes as well as the new neighboring parish of St. Francis of Assisi. Those who went to parochial school many years ago will also remember Monsignor McGuire as the author of the Baltimore Catechism which is used to learn the truths of the Catholic religion. The present church building stands as a tribute to him. In 1971 Monsignor Patrick Raftery became our pastor. He still had the burden of paying off the debt connected with the new church and he succeeded in this without the use of any fundraising gimmicks. The parish also began to change in its ethnic make-up. Many different ethnic groups moved into the parish. Monsignor Raftery became ill and passed away in 1987. In September of 1987 Fr. Karl Bauer was appointed pastor. He again brought new life and new blood into the parish. He also shouldered financial burdens in keeping up the physical plant of the parish. Fr. Bauer was successful in installing a much needed elevator for access to the upper church. He refreshed the parish with new insights into social action, an important role of the Church. Programs for the elderly and home bound, a food pantry for those in need, and a Spanish Mass revitalized the parishioners. The introduction of tithing gave added responsibility to the parishioners as the real custodians of the parish of St. Frances of Rome. Fr. Francis Corry served as pastor of St. Frances of Rome from 1999-2014. During his time as pastor the neighborhood Catholic community began to dwindle. The Archdiocese of New York closed St. Frances of Rome School; St. Anthony Church and School clustered with St. Frances of Rome Church. Eventually, St. Anthony School was closed. With two schools closed Fr. Corry was successful in having the St. Frances of Rome School house the new Catherine Corry Academy. St. Frances of Rome merged with St. Francis of Assisi to form the Churches of Wakefield during his time as pastor. July 15, 2014 Fr. Georginus Ejiofor Ugwu, MSP, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul with headquarters in Houston, Texas became the first MSP priest to be appointed pastor of the parish after Cardinal Dolan assigned the church to the Missionaries of St. Paul in July of 2014. His arrival coincided with the Archdiocesan parish-planning program (Making All Things New) that consolidated existing parishes in the archdiocese. Father E (as he is popularly known) has worked tirelessly with both the Archdiocese and the parishioners of the merged catholic churches of Wakefield to create a strong and close-knit faith community in the parish. About the Catholic Faith Our core beliefs are summed up in our Creed. We are the original Christian Church, which began when Jesus himself said to the Apostle Peter, “You are the rock on which I will build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Every pope since then has been part of an unbroken line of succession since Peter, the first pope. Early in the history of the Church there was the belief that when Jesus said at the Last Supper, “Take this and eat – this is my body, take this and drink – this is my blood,” he was giving us the gift of his real presence in the form of bread and wine. We call this the Eucharist – a name that comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving. The Catholic Mass is a Eucharistic celebration and a celebration of God’s word in Scriptures. We believe that holy men and women who have come before us still pray for us and aid us. We call them saints, and many of our churches are named for them. First among the saints is Mary, a virgin who gave birth to the child Jesus, and who is honored as the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. From the beginning of Christianity, the Catholic Church has handed on God’s word to each new generation – and defined what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ.