Brooklyn’s First Catholic Church Celebrates 200th Anniversary
From brooklyneagle.com
The parish of St. James, which played a significant role in Brooklyn’s religious history, marks its 200th anniversary with a special Mass that the Most Reverend Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, will lead this Sunday.
The parish, which pre-dates the Diocese of Brooklyn by 31 years, was founded in 1822.
Prior to the construction of St. James, there was no established church on Long Island, which, in the early 19th century, consisted of Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. Residents of the Village of Brooklyn, weary of commuting by boat to Manhattan in order to attend Mass, decided to build a church on what is now on Jay Street near Tillary Street.
New York Bishop John Connolly traveled from St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Manhattan, on the Feast of St. James, on July 25, 1822, to bless the cornerstone of the Church designated as St. James.
St. James’ building is a Neo- Georgian Church which features a spire, a large gallery, and a nave. From above, the church building reflects construction in the shape of a cross, referred to as cruciform, an architectural style customary for many cathedrals. The stained-glass windows of this brick church were made in Germany.
The Diocese of Brooklyn, established in 1853, continued to build churches and schools throughout Long Island from Brooklyn to Montauk. Bishop John Loughlin, the new diocese’s prelate, suspended plans to build a bigger cathedral, due to financial concerns.