The Bronx: The Church of St. Raymond's
Survival for The Bronx's First Catholic Church Means Adjusting to Changing Demographics and Building Technology
“The school’s old boiler was linked to the church and it leaked,” says Father James Cruz as he walks through the connected buildings that are the Rectory of the Church of St. Raymond and St. Raymond’s Academy for Girls. “We replaced the boiler in the church. But you can still see the condensation.”
As he continues to show around the 182-year-old church, Father Cruz points out the many ways it has had to update its electricity, pipes, and other building technology so the Church of St. Raymond’s can continue to be open and serve its parishioners and student bodies in the Parkchester neighborhood of The Bronx. While many houses of worship throughout New York City have closed due to the upkeep costs, dwindling enrollment, and even mismanagement, St. Raymond’s has been able to survive, as Father Cruz, a self-described neighborhood boy, puts it, and change as the times and the neighborhood change.
When the idea for St. Raymond’s came up in the first half of the 19th century, before the Civil War, the place now known as The Bronx was not called that. Instead, it was simply Westchester and a part of the northern territory that is now Westchester County. But the Bishop of New York then wanted to build a Catholic church in this area, even though anti-Catholic resentment ran strong around this time. Wealthy landowners did not want to sell their land so a Catholic church could be built. Eventually, in 1842, land was purchased, and the building of what would become the First Catholic Church in The Bronx began, at an old barn on the property.
By 1845, this church was dedicated on August 31st, the feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus. Over time, the church founded eleven missions throughout The Bronx, or churches that St. Raymond’s was the Mother of. Three schools will eventually be added to the parish grounds and are still open to this day: the co-ed St. Raymond’s Pre-K3 - 8th grade; St. Raymond’s Academy for Girls; and St. Raymond’s Academy for Boys.
Some of the designs and materials inside the church are the same from 1845, especially the stained glass windows. But other materials have been replaced through time, including the pillars and the tiles in front of the altar. The tiles now have representations of the Seven Sacraments in Catholicism. The pillars were once made of dark marble but now are white marble. The altar itself has been redesigned with a ciborion added. A lot of these changes happened during the 1930s.
Below this church is another church, but a smaller, simpler version. This one is often used during the week for daily mass when there’s a smaller attendance. The ambo and the altar rails are made of solid wood with carvings that even Father Cruz admits are rarely created these days. He also says this church could be used in the summer when it would be cooler and the parish can cut back on electricity bills.
When asked if St. Raymond’s has ever applied to be a landmark, Father Cruz says no.
“It would cost a lot and we would not be in control of the church,” he says.
Maybe there’s no need to get the official stamp of being a landmark. St. Raymond’s has seen so much and could continue to see more. When the church officially opened in 1845, the area was mostly farmland. But soon, the population quickly increased as if the foresight from years earlier was fulfilled. Irish and German immigrants came first and then Italian immigrants soon followed. Now the parish is mostly immigrants from Latin America, such as Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Locals from the last two countries tend to stay the longest in New York City, says Father Cruz.
“The others just fade away,” he says. “The more affluent they get, they’re more likely to leave the city.”
Among the parish are migrants, who recently arrived from the southern U.S. border. St. Raymond’s gives Spanish-language mass on Saturdays so the adults can go to work on Sunday mornings. It also offers ESL classes; it hopes to start a food pantry for these families.
“It reminds them of home,” Father Cruz says about the migrants coming to his church. "and what they left behind.”
Outside of the parish, Parkchester is becoming home to those who follow Hinduism and Islam; some of the families who follow the former send their children to St. Raymond’s three schools. In a way, this helps the schools maintain healthy enrollment, though some of the numbers could be higher. While Father Cruz says the elementary school and the boy’s high school have good enrollment, the girl’s high school is below the preferred 400.
“We do everything we can to introduce kids to the faith,” the priest says. “Presence matters. There needs to be a priestly presence in all three schools.”
Because with a connection between the schools and the actual church, mass attendance will remain steady. Currently, 1200 parishioners attend mass each weekend and Father Cruz believes the schools play a large part in that.
But he believes, overall, it is all about survival. Adjusting to changing technology and the need to replace old technology, and then changing with the neighborhood itself as it serves that same community.
“New York is always moving,” he says. “Don’t like New York? Wait a minute.”
“We’ve been blessed to have handled it well and be able to keep it going. This neighborhood will change again. But we’re not worried.”