St. Joseph's Church, Chinatown (Manhattan)
- Not to be confused with St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village, St. Joseph's Church, Yorkville (Manhattan) or St. Joseph of the Holy Family Church (New York City), all in Manhattan.
| The Church of St. Joseph | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Town or city | Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York. |
| Country | United States of America |
| Construction started | 1923 |
| Completed | 1924[1] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Matthew W. Del Guadio[1] |
The Church of St. Joseph in Chinatown is an American parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 5 Monroe Street, in the neighborhood of the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
In 1967 the former neighboring Parish of St. Joachim was merged with the Parish of St. Joseph. They now form the joint St. James and St. Joseph Parish.[2]
Parish history
The parish was opened about 1923 by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, a religious congregation founded in 1887 by the Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini, a Catholic bishop in Italy who had become aware of the plight of his fellow countrymen who were emigrating to America to escape poverty. The cornerstone of the new church was laid in 1923 by the first pastor, the Rev. Vincent M. Januzzi, C.S.C.B. The parish opened St. Joseph Parochial School in 1926, administered by the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a congregation of teaching Sisters from Italy.[2]
The Italian form of St. Joseph, San Giuseppe, is inscribed on the masonry and is used to distinguish this church from its more famous Manhattan neighbor, St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village, as well as from the other parishes in Manhattan dedicated to St. Joseph.[3] "Visible over the tenement scape of the Lower East Side are the twin domed towers of this Roman Catholic Sanctuary--San Giuseppe--at 5 Monroe Street, designed by Matthew W. Del Guadio".[1]
Established in 1923 to serve an Italian population, the Church and School of St. Joseph continues to serve the people of the inner city and immigrants. With the closing of St. Joachim Church, Masses are celebrated solely at St. Joseph Church in three different languages: English, Spanish and Chinese.[2] St. Joseph Parish is now designated a national parish for both the Italian and Chinese populations of the area.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 David W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.) p. 219.
- 1 2 3 "History". St. James & St. Joseph.
- ↑ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
Coordinates: 40°42′42″N 73°59′47″W / 40.71161°N 73.99633°W