St. Christopher's Church (Red Hook, New York)

The Church of St. Christopher
General information
Town or city Red Hook, New York
Country United States of America
Client Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

The Church of St. Christopher is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York City.

History

It was founded as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Barrytown in 1910, and elevated to parish status in 1975. Sacred Heart parish, established in 1875 in Barrytown to serve immigrants settling in the area. As the area developed and the population grew, the little church could not hold all the Catholics who wanted to come to Mass. Hazardous travel conditions again played a role: Improved transportation had led to settlement farther inland, and the trip to Barrytown was difficult and even dangerous in winter. For a while the parish used a local theater for Sunday Mass. In 1925 it purchased property and laid the cornerstone for St. Christopher's Church, which was dedicated in 1926. When plans were under way to build St. Christopher's Church in Red Hook 75 years ago, parishioners hauled stones from their own yards and fields for its exterior walls.

The parish school, staffed by Sparkill Dominican Sisters, opened in 1962, but low enrollment caused it to close in 1985; the school building, now the parish center, houses the religious education program. Holy Spirit Chapel is in the parish center. Its stained-glass windows depict the evangelists, St. John Bosco, St. Maria Goretti, and four Americans: SS. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Elizabeth Ann Seton and John Neumann and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Special Masses, confirmation retreats and other events take place there.

Pastors

Pastors who served St. Christopher's in Red Hook and the parish from which it developed, Sacred Heart in Barrytown, are:

Monsignor Coen, who was born in County Galway, Ireland, is a three-time All Ireland concertina champion and performs regularly with traditional Irish musicians.[1]

Merger

In November 2014, the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Sylvia's Church in Tivoli, New York would merge with St. Christopher's. Although remaining a church which may be used on special occasions, Masses and the sacraments will no longer be celebrated on a regular weekly basis at St. Sylvia's as of August 2015.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ McDonnell, Claudia, Nobody Says No, Catholic New York, November 2, 2000
  2. ↑ Parish mergers, Archdiocese of New York
  3. ↑ Schutzman, Nina. "Dutchess, Ulster churches among those merging in N.Y.", Poughkeepsie Journal, November 2, 2014

External links

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