Yonkers Oldest Catholic Church
By Dan Murphy
Parishioners of St. Mary’s -Immaculate Conception Church, located at 103 South Broadway in Yonkers, are celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2023 with a series of events leading to its anniversary Mass to be celebrated on December 9th by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Another big event in the church’s celebration is a Parish Cultural Heritage Day on October 15, where families from St. Mary’s diverse communities have been invited to share a favorite dish or a beverage, display their national flag, and wear their cultural attire. This special event will be similar to the successful one from the 1998 -150th anniversary. An anniversary dinner dance will also be held at Castle Royale on November 11.
One of St. Mary’s longest serving Pastors was Msgr. Hugh Corrigan, who presided over the parish for 30 years, (1987-2018). Msgr. Corrigan wrote a book on the history of the church to celebrate the 150th anniversary in 1998, titled The Parish of St. Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception, Yonkers 1848-2016. Saint Mary’s was the church’s first name but in late 1948 a second name was also permitted -Immaculate Conception, and in 1878 the latter name became the canonical one.
Over the years, St. Mary’s Church has reflected the true diversity in the City of Yonkers. For its first Mass on Christmas December 25, 1848, 98% of the parishioners were Irish, many of those fleeing the Famine in Ireland.
In 1850, the Census counted only 4,160 residents in Yonkers; by 1870 that number grew to 18,000, and in 1890 a large population expansion began, with 32,000, and 100,000 in 1920. Today, 211,000 residents call Yonkers home.
At the turn of the century many immigrants from Eastern Europe came to America and settled in Yonkers. Immigrants from Italy and Poland came to Yonkers seeking the factory jobs in the city and attended church at St. Mary’s. In 1890, St. Mary’s was one of two Catholic Parishes in Yonkers; by 1920 there were 15.
Like the rest of the country, Yonkers and St. Mary’s church was hit hard by the depression during the 1930s. Baptisms decreased, and collections did the same, as many Catholic families in Yonkers needed help.
After World War II, St. Mary’s saw a rebirth, with marriages and baptisms rising dramatically up to the point of the church’s 100th anniversary in 1948.
St. Mary’s always had a bond with the Yonkers Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, which started every year with a Mass at the church along the old parade route on S. Broadway. The parade began in 1863 but ended in 1903 when the organizers joined the much larger New York City parade.
When the Yonkers St. Patrick’s Parade returned to Yonkers in 1955, 10,000 people marched and many attended the kickoff mass at St. Mary’s. In 1955 St. Mary’s had 840 students in its school with 18 teachers comprised of Sisters of Charity and Christian Brothers. There was no tuition for parishioners, although parents had to contribute at least $0.50 in their Sunday collection. A new cafeteria opened with a charge to students of $1.50 per week (five meals).
St. Mary’s welcomed members of the Jordanian Christian community, in the middle of the 20th Century. The Jordanian/Arabic Christian community are members of the Good Shepherd Church which is based within St. Mary’s”.
The first St. Mary’s church, built in 1948, still stands today and is the parish hall, standing to the left of the present-day church.
The first St. Mary’s school, built in 1860, tripled in size in 1885 to accommodate the growing families of children of Catholic immigrants. The old school was torn down in 1968 and replaced by a new school. Like many Catholic schools in the area, St. Mary’s school faced declining enrollment and closed in 2011.
In 1998 the parish celebrated its 150th anniversary and was able to make significant renovations, air conditioning and a new main altar from a Yonkers quarry, in memory of the many laborers who worked there and worshiped at St. Mary’s. Two new statues, donated by the Arab community and the other of Saint Elizabeth Seaton founder of Sisters of Charity, remain in the church today.
$3 Million was raised for the renovation, with much of those funds coming from estate wills of former parishioners who had moved from Yonkers but never forgot their first church, which played such an instrumental role in their lives.
This year’s 175th Anniversary celebration will include families from Jordan, Palestine, Mexico, Portugal, Cuba, Ghana, India, Puerto Rico, Honduras, the West Indies, Philippines, Colombia, and Pakistan.
In his book, Msgr. Corrigan reflected on the immigrant experience in Yonkers, and at St. Mary’s that is still relevant today. “Hundreds of people passed under my windows every day during the early hours of the morning. I could see young Hispanic men with their knapsacks on their backs most of them were undocumented immigrants searching for a day job…. on March 1st, 2008, at 5:00 AM I looked at the window expecting to see a handful of people waiting online to get into St. Mary’s parish hall where they would be seeking valid Mexican passports from the Mexican consulate instead there were 500 men and women some with babies in their arms and then in the course of six days over 3000 Mexicans received proper documentation. You don’t forget scenes like that.”
St. Mary’s Pastor Rev. Anthony C. Ekanem, MSP wants the word to get out to the large St. Mary’s family across the country about this year’s celebration. “Over the past 175 years many immigrants have come to Yonkers and worshipped at St. Mary’s. Some have moved on, but they never forget this special place of worship. One couple celebrated their 50th anniversary here. Many attended the school. Now is the time to come back and support the celebration.”
An All-Souls’ Day special service will also be held on November 2. And the mass on December 9 with Cardinal Dolan will be the culmination of 175 years. Father Anthony also wrote, “A special anniversary mass will be celebrated on Saturday December 9th, 2023, any person who is registered in the Paris and would like to attend can call the office and give their name and their envelope number only two people per family.”
