Church of the
AssumptionPASTORS
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Louis Riccio - started religious services in this section of New Brighton
Rev. Carmelo Crisci - 1921-1936 Founder of the church and first pastor
Rev. Joseph A. Catoggio - January 1937 to October 1954
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Charles F. Rizzo - December 1954 to October 1966
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Louis A. Martorella - October 1966 to March 1969
Rev. Raphael A. Lombardi - March 1969 to
Rev. Guarnieri
Rev. Esposito
Rev. McCarthy
Rev. Canon John A. Pintabone
Excerpts from the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Journal
1922-1972
The years immediately following World War I brought about many changes in the world, notably, the creation of new
independent nations. Perhaps not particularly outstanding in the eyes of civil rulers and officials, but in the eyes of
Almighty God, a chapel was established on Webster Avenue where Divine Services were conducted by the priests of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in West New Brighton. The pastor of Mt. Carmel, Father Louis Riccio, was
already known for his zeal in providing the Italian-speaking families with spiritual leadership and guidance.
It was not long before it became apparent that a resident pastor was needed for the new chapel. The Archbishop of
New York, Patrick J. Hayes, appointed Father Carmelo Crisci to be the first pastor of the newly organized Assumption
Parish in New Brighton.
The Parish Flourishes
The parish began to grow to such an extent that the chapel had to be enlarged within only a few months. Work on this
project was accomplished with the aid of a zealous committee. Soon, however, this expansion also proved to be
inadequate and plans were eagerly made to construct a new permanent church. Permission was obtained from the
Archbishop, a parish committee was formed, and on December 27, 1921, a contract was signed with the Niewenhous
Company, Inc., New York City.
A spirit of great joy came over the parishioners as they witnessed the rise of the Italian Renaissance style structure on
the corner of Brighton and Webster Avenues. On Sunday, April 23, 1922, at five o'clock in the afternoon, the Very Reverend
Monsignor M. J. Lavelle, Pastor of the St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, laid the cornerstone by delegation of the Archbishop.
On Sunday, August 6th, the Very Reverend Monsignor Charles H. Cassidy, Dean of the Borough of Richmond, blessed the new bells,
and on Tuesday, August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the new church was solemnly dedicated
by the Right Reverend John J. Dunn, Auxiliary Bishop of the
Archdiocese of New York, and opened for public worship.
Within a very short period of time, this section of New Brighton was able to provide a suitable place
of worship for the work of the spiritual regeneration of the parishioners. In addition, one of Father Crisci's strongest hopes
was to erect a school in the parish. Father Crisci saw much work ahead; the Catholic education of the children and the integration
of the young men and women into a unified spiritual force called the parish.
The years that followed were not without hardship and sacrifice. The total debt for the land, church and rectory (which was
built a few years after the church) amounted to about two hundred thousand dollars. It was a huge debt to
overcome and the years of the Depression following 1929 made the burden seem even heavier.
January 1, 1937 saw the arrival of our second pastor. Father Joseph A. Catoggio. Having found a substantial church building
and rectory in the parish and a longstanding debt accompanying them, the obvious desire of the new pastor
and his parishioners was the liquidation of the debt. Through the next decade and in the face of many difficulties and obstacles,
Father Catoggio made every effort to accomplish this along with attending to the spiritual needs of the parish.
In the Summer of 1953, the parish undertook to finance a much needed redecoration of the church and the rectory. A
hard working committee was organized to obtain subscriptions for the project and at the end of that year everything
was satisfactorily completed.
Father Rizzo
The third priest to be appointed pastor of Assumption Church was Father Charles F. Rizzo, who arrived on December
7, 1954. The new pastor was also confronted with the challenge to reduce the existing debt with the added
responsibility of establishing a parish elementary school. The original debt on the parish was finally paid on December
31, 1956. This cleared the way for further development. There was an obvious need for a parochial school and the pastor zealously
set put to direct the parishioners in accomplishing this project. On October 25, 1959, permission was obtained from the Archbishop
to acquire property for a school. Work was immediately begun and property was purchased on the corner of Brighton Avenue
and Kingsley Place.
Things then began to move rapidly and on March 6, 1960, the Campaign Fund Drive was officially opened with the blessing of
the workers by His Excellency, Joseph M. Pernicone, Auxiliary Bishop of New York. In this period joyous news arrived that
His Holiness, Pope John XXIII had appointed Father Rizzo a Domestic Prelate with the title of Right
Reverend Monsignor, and on March 27, 1960, Monsignor Rizzo was invested with the robes of his new appointment.
Later that same year, on August 15th, the ground was blessed and broken for the new school by Bishop Pernicone.
Work was subsequently begun and on July 16,1961, the cornerstone was laid by His Excellency, John J. Maguire,
Auxiliary Bishop, and Vicar General of the Archdiocese.
When the school year opened in September, 1961, Assumption School officially began with the first four grades of
elementary level. Since the new building was not yet completed, the children attended classes in the old school of St. Adalbert's
Parish, Elm Park, Staten Island, It wasn't until March 19, 1962, the Feast of St. Joseph, after a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving
and Procession to the new school, that the building was occupied. Much to the joy of the parish and the educational welfare
of the children, Monsignor Rizzo was able to obtain as teachers the Sisters of the Presentation of Staten Island.
School Is Dedicated
The day of the Solemn Dedication of the school was on Saturday, September 15, 1962, when His Eminence, Francis
Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York. It was indeed
a day of great satisfaction and happiness. On October 14. 1966, Francis Cardinal Spellman asked Monsignor Louis A. Martorella,
pastor of St. Lucy's Church in Manhattan, to accept the pastorate of the Church of the Assumption. Up to June, 1968, the parishioners
who had children in Assumption School paid no tuition. Their only obligation was to contribute to the church support and
pay on their school pledge. With the increases in teachers' salaries, and rising expenses for church and school, however,
Monsignor Martorella introduced tuition fees for all school children, those of parishioners and non-parishioners, as of September
1968. The additional money helped tremendously towards
meeting most of the daily school expenses.
Father Lombardi Arrives
Father said his first Mass at Assumption Church on Sunday, March 29, 1969. His first major project was the installation of
a new altar. Through donations made by the parishioners, Father was able to renovate the entire sanctuary which
consisted of painting, carpeting, and the installation of the beautiful marble altar shipped from Italy. The altar was consecrated
by His Excellency, Bishop Joseph M. Pernicone, on Saturday, October 3, 1970. To match the marble
altar, Father also acquired a new marble baptistry as of January 24, 1971. Following the renovation of the
sanctuary, Father Lombardi then remodeling the church rectory which included a complete new roof, the partitioning of walls
and the dropping of ceilings.
Another accomplishment brought about by Father Lombardi was to restore the lower church hall. The restoration involved the
painting of ceilings and walls, sanding of the floors and the installation of two basketball backboards used for youth activities.
Father Lombardi had begun another enormous project, the painting of the church, reupholstering of church pews, and any other
repairs necessary to beautify our church.
History current to present day will be updated.
Can you help us research the history of the Assumption Church? Click here
Chapel of St. PaulPASTORSRev. Msgr. Joseph A. Farrell
Rev. Robert M. Gibson
Rev. Edward J. Tobin
Rev.
William B. Duggan
Rev. Daniel J. Downing
Rev. Francis X. Doyle
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Michael O'Donnell
Rt. Rev.
Florence D. Cohalan
Rev. Thomas J. Darby
Msgr. Jeffrey P. Conway
Msgr. Vincent Bartley
Excerpts from St. Paul's Memory Book 1924 - 2007
"Fr. Michael is a young, pleasant and energetic priest. Im sure that he will be sensitive to your needs and your hopes for
the future. I believe that he will be a wonderful leader for us into the future. I assured him that he will be warmly received
by the parishioners of St. Paul's and I offered to help in any way possible to ensure a smooth transition. As a parish family
we have a lot to offer to the combined parishes. With the incredible growth of our Spanish speaking community in just one
year there will be new life and vibrancy in the realigned parishes. With faith in the good Lord and with a spirit of generosity
and good will all around we can look forward to a bright future." - Msgr. Vincent Bartley
St. Paul's was originally built as a chapel for St. Peter's parish. It stood facing Franklin Avenue, with Cassidy Place at
its side. Its exterior was designed in the style of a Spanish mission church, ostensibly the kind that Msgr. Cassidy, then-pastor
of St. Peter's, had seen during his travels around the world.
Pioneers
In the beginning the children who lived in the neighborhood around St. Pauls traveled to St. Peter's School to attend classes.
They walked along
Richmond Terrace or rode the trolley car, if they were lucky.
After St. Paul's Church opened in 1923, many of us started to
attend classes in the new church itself. At first, there were just
five grades-after the fifth grade, students again traveled to St.
Peters. The Presentation nuns who were assigned to teach at St.
Paul's came to New Brighton every morning from St. Michael's
Home in Greenridge, and returned there every night.
We sat on the kneelers in the church, and used the seats of the
pews as our desks. One class was held in the middle of the
church. Two were placed toward the front, one to the left of the
main altar, the other to the right. The remaining classes occupied
the rear of the church, one on each side. When there was a
funeral Mass, the start of the school day was delayed until the
funeral was over. We looked forward to funerals and became
very adept at praying for the dead.
In the early 1930s the Parish bought a three-story, rambling old
Victorian mansion on the corner of Cassidy Place and Clinton
Avenue. It became the first real St. Paul's School. The nuns
moved into the third floor and used it as a residence, sparing them
the tedious cross-Island commute. We were thrilled that we no
longer had to take our books home every night, as we had to do
when classes were held in the church. Even our new
responsibilities stoking the coal furnace, for example were
carried out with pleasure.
One big happy family
The story of St. Paul's, or any parish for that matter, goes beyond the history of the buildings. The story is about families.
St. Paul's has a glorious history of large families. In fact, there are over 30 families who have had at least 6 children
graduate
from St. Paul's School. And several more had children
graduating from St. Pauls in the 1930s following their older
brothers and sisters who started at St. Paul's but finished at St.
Peters. As if by divine intervention, Father Doyle's new school filled
quickly.
From the fifties...
The St. Paul's R.C. Church on Franklin Ave, New Brighton,
which has not been used since last December is being demolished.
The building was constructed in the early 1920s as a chapel of the
nearby St. Peter's Church.
A building near the church which had served as a rectory was sold
by the church about two months ago and is now a private home.
Thus all the buildings of St. Paul's are now at Clinton Ave. and
Cassidy Pl, New Brighton.
The Church and rectory were vacated last December with the
completion of the parishs new auditorium, convent, rectory and
lunchroom. The auditorium is an all-purpose structure used for
masses and for social and recreational functions.
The Right Rev. Msgr. Michael F. O'Donnell, Pastor of St. Paul's said there are no plans at present for the property being
cleared. - Staten Island Advance, October 23, 1963.
History current to present day will
be updated. Can you help us research the history of St. Paul's? Click here
