Queens: St. Rose of Lima
A Roman Catholic Church Prepares to Merge With Two Others to Keep Local Catholic Community Afloat
Traveling to Rockaway Beach during the summer means having a dramatic sight come upon anyone arriving at the popular beach site. One turn and two tall church steeples rise above the shoreline. It may not be what is expected while looking for a parking spot or walking from the A train, but if a religious building is supposed to be a beacon for seekers, this one has succeeded in standing out.
The building in question is the Roman Catholic Church St. Rose of Lima. Located about 500 feet from Rockaway Beach, the church was built in 1886 after nearly 40 years of Rockaway Catholics either going to Jamaica, Queens to attend Mass or hold Mass at hotels in Far Rockaway. And despite its location, it is not as prone to floods as some might think.
“Not recently at all,” says Father James Rodriguez, the pastor of St. Rose of Lima since 2019. “Hurricane Sandy was a major issue, we had water in the basement. We got rid of the boiler. Occasionally, water gets into the basement.”
According to Father Rodriguez, the church was built to last. But like so many other churches in New York City, its congregation has been struggling, bringing to the question of what “built to last” means for a religious building like St. Rose of Lima.
Rockaway is in flux, Father Rodriguez says, who was born and raised around here. Many are moving out and that includes members of St. Rose of Lima. There are many registered members of the church, but not all come. Mass is held four times on Sunday and once on Saturday, yet an average of 600 people attend per weekend. Even with Mass held in three available languages - English, Spanish, and Polish - attendance remains low. Numbers have been rising since COVID-19, but they are still low.
It is the same for two other Roman Catholic churches nearby, St. Camillus, which St. Rose of Lima was the Mother Church, and St. Virgilius, St. Rose of Lima’s mission church. A three-way merging is in the works, mainly because each church has just one priest. St. Rose of Lima and St. Camillus have already merged their religious education program. Along with declining church attendance for the Roman Catholic Church, so is the number of men becoming priests.
But with those churches coming together, Father Rodriguez hopes they could serve Rockaway Beach more strongly. His church already has a food pantry and there is a Legion of Mary offering prayer throughout the neighborhood. Finally, St. Rose of Lima has its K - 8th grade Catholic Academy, which Father Rodriguez says has stable enrollment though it could have a higher capacity.
But one thing is for sure, despite the increasing flooding throughout the city, St. Rose of Lima is doing just fine.
“There’s infrastructure and sewage issues,” he says. “I had phone calls from friends during Hurricane Ida [in 2021]. But not a drop.”
Right now, Father Rodriguez is concentrating on the merger and building up his church. He mentions City Planners are looking to develop the area to make it easier for visitors to get around, such as a boardwalk and bike paths. This could help draw more people to St. Rose of Lima.
“We’re on the mend,” he says. “And it could help us do a better job of serving people.”
Sacred Places NYC now has videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Check them out and subscribe!
Sacred Places NYC is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Or tip me on my Ko-Fi account or on the Venmo app under “Megan McGibney Writes” - @mmcgibneywrites