St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church (Queens)

Coordinates: 40°35′10″N 73°48′34″W / 40.58624°N 73.809322°W / 40.58624; -73.809322
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St. Rose of Lima Church
View from the south west on Beach 84th Street, April 2009.
Map
40°35′10″N 73°48′34″W / 40.58624°N 73.809322°W / 40.58624; -73.809322
LocationRockaway Beach, Queens, New York City
Address130 Beach 84th Street, Rockaway Beach, New York, 11693
CountryUnited States
Language(s)English, Spanish, Polish
DenominationCatholic Church
TraditionLatin Church
WebsiteSt. Rose of Lima Queens.org
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint Rose of Lima
DedicatedSeptember 27, 1907
Earlier dedicationAugust 30, 1886
ConsecratedSeptember 27, 1907
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)John W. Ingle
Architectural typeChurch
StyleRomanesque Revival
Construction costUS$125,000 (current building), US$6,000 (first building)
Specifications
Capacity800 (current building), 500 (first building)
Number of spires2
Administration
DioceseRoman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
DeaneryQueens 10 Deanery
Clergy
Pastor(s)Fr. James Rodriguez
Fr. Daniel K. Rajski, Part Time Parochial Vicar
Deacon(s)Dcn. Juan M. Carattini
Dcn. Gilberto Laboy
Laity
Director of musicMr. Kevin Faughey
Organist(s)Mr. Kevin Faughey
Business managerMs. Luz Rivera
Religious education coordinatorMrs. Bridget Murphy
OCIA coordinatorMrs. Bridget Murphy
Youth ministry coordinatorMs. Sally Flores

Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church is a Catholic church located at 130 Beach 84th Street in Rockaway Beach, Queens New York. It is a currently active church within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, and masses are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Polish. The parish was founded on August 30, 1886, and the old church building was one of the first Catholic Churches built on the Rockaway peninsula.

Before the founding of St. Rose of Lima parish between 1847 and 1884, Catholics in Rockaway beach had to attended Mass in Far Rockaway. Prior to 1847, Rockaway Catholics had to journey to Jamaica, Queens, to attend Mass. In 1884, the Rev. Anthony Farley of St. Monica’s Church, Jamaica, was delegated to celebrate one Mass on Sundays. In that year Mass was celebrated at various places in Rockaway Beach – first at Datz’s Hotel, then at Curley’s Hotel and then at an old school house. [1]

Building[edit]

Current building[edit]

Groundbreaking for the current Romanesque Revival style church building took place on July 1, 1906, and the first Mass and dedication inside the new church took place on September 27, 1907. John W. Ingle was the architect of this church. It has a seating capacity of 800, and the cost of construction was US$125,000.[2]

First building[edit]

Photograph of the front of the first St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church building that was built in 1886. The photograph was taken in 1906. The inset is of Father Henry F. Murray, who was pastor of St. Rose of Lima from 1900 to 1911.

The first church building, built on Fairview Avenue (modern day Beach 84th Street) and Barry Place, near the Long Island Railroad, was 50 x 100 feet. It could hold 500 worshippers and cost $6,000 to build. A small cul-de-sac in back of the Hammel project marks the site of the first building at present. The first Mass was celebrated in the first building on August 30, 1886.[3]

School[edit]

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy is a private, Catholic school with a campus located on Beach 84th Street right next to the current St. Rose of Lima church building. The Academy has 428 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten to eight grade with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. Mrs. Karrie Moffo is the current principal.[4]

The School was first opened by the Presentation Sisters as St. Rose of Lima School in September 1966. The building program for the school and convent was started in 1963 and was completed in 1966. The dedication of these buildings took place on Sunday, May 15, 1966. The first principal was Sister Eleanor O’Donnell and the first school included classes in grades first through fifth. The first graduation was on June 20, 1970. The School became St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy on September 1, 2013. [5]

Pastors[edit]

Father Edward J. O’Connell, 1886-1895 ✠

Father Thomas J. McCaffrey, 1895-1900 ✠

Father Henry F. Murray, 1900-1911 ✠

Father John P. Wilson, 1911-1912 ✠

Father James J. Bennett, 1912-1921 ✠

Father John F. Stack, 1921-1953 ✠

Father Pierce V. Brennan (Adm.), 1953-1954 ✠

Father Charles T. Carow, 1954-1956 ✠

Father Patrick J. McLaughlin, 1956-1957 ✠

Father Joseph J. Tschantz, 1957-1961 ✠

Father John B. Smith, 1961-1965 ✠

Father James F. McDonald, 1965-1971 ✠

Father Karl M. Michel, 1971-1978 ✠

Father James T. Devine, 1978-1988

Msgr. James P. Grace, 1988-1993 ✠

Father Peter D. Gillen, 1993-2007

Msgr. James F. Spengler, 2007-2015 ✠

Father Wladyslaw Z. Kubrak (Adm.), 2014-2016

Father James A. Kuroly, 2016 – 2019

Father James Rodriguez, 2019–present

✠ – Deceased [6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History". Saint Rose of Lima Queens. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  2. ^ "History". Saint Rose of Lima Queens. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  3. ^ Lucev, Emil. "Historical Views of the Rockaways St. Rose Of Lima Roman Catholic Church - Rockaway Beach, N.Y. History". The Wave of Long Island. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  4. ^ "St. Rose of Lima School". niche.com. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  5. ^ "History". Saint Rose of Lima Queens. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  6. ^ "History". Saint Rose of Lima Queens. Retrieved 2023-12-22.