“This is a wonderful parish; all my daughters were married here, and made all their sacraments here,” Patricia Walsh, 83, said after a packed 100^th anniversary celebration Mass at Our Lady of Angels Church in the Bronx, which was celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.  

An outdoor reception on the parish grounds followed the Mass. “It’s a very special parish – kindness and welcoming to everybody.” Walsh told The Good Newsroom. She has been a parishioner for 60 years, a fact proudly acknowledged by the pastor, Father Joseph Franco. A widow, Walsh has three daughters and six grandchildren.

The 5 p.m. Mass was celebrated in English and Spanish on Saturday, June 8. Attendance was near capacity; the multicultural church seats about 670 people. The parish is located on Sedgwick Avenue in the Kingsbridge area of the west Bronx.                      

The Good Shepherds of Our Lady of Angels

“Alleluia – 100 years, folks, 100 years,” Cardinal Dolan said early on in the homily. “Almighty God keeps His promises, right? A century ago Cardinal Hayes established this parish in the Bronx, trusting the Lord would keep it strong – and He has; my brother priests, here so strong, our deacons, our religious sisters, and here the devoted people.”

The Cardinal, who sprinkled his homily with Spanish, added, “Demos gracias a Dios (Let us give thanks to God) …Father Franco and Father Gonzalez, you’re both very good shepherds; we appreciate all the shepherding that you do.” This was greeted with loud applause from the faithful. Father Gonzalez serves as Our Lady of Angels’ parochial vicar. 

Cardinal Dolan also noted the dedicated works of past pastors and parochial vicars including Father Tom Lynch, the parish’s seventh pastor; the Cardinal acknowledged the presence of several relatives of Father Lynch, who died in April 2022 and was pastor of the parish from 2007 to 2018.

Cardinal Dolan went on to talk about the “beautiful title” of the parish, Our Lady of Angels – the special role of Mary in the Church’s history, “Mother of Jesus, and our Blessed Mother,” and the angels, “that invisible heavenly chorus and army, messengers; you all have been messengers…Congratulations on this jubilee evening. His promise goes on.” 

Father Franco acknowledged the presence of special parishioners in his closing remarks of gratitude, including a couple married at Our Lady of Angels 60 years ago – Edward and Margaret Halpin, who were in attendance. About 12 uniformed NYPD officers also attended; Father Franco is a chaplain with the NYPD. Two officers performed “Amazing Grace” with bagpipes toward the end of Mass. The NYPD Jazz Band performed during the reception.  

The pastor also asked several women religious from the Sisters of Charity to stand and be recognized, noting that the Sisters of Charity taught at the parish school for 85 years, until the school was closed in 2013. Other 100th anniversary gatherings are planned, including an August 4 Mass to be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat. August 2 is the feast day of Our Lady of Angels.  

Luis Muñoz, 54, a parishioner of Our Lady of Angels for 10 years, served as an usher during the Mass. “This is a very active parish. The community is very proud of Our Lady of Angels Church, and some former parishioners came for this celebration,” Muñoz told The Good Newsroom as the faithful were exiting the church, many on their way to the reception.  

Our Lady of Angels Parish History

On October 16, 1924, Father Francis Kiniry, the founding pastor, celebrated the first Mass in the rectory, formerly the John Claflin House. On June 8, 1925, construction began on the new church and was completed in 20 days. The first Mass was celebrated on June 29th.

On September 10, 1928, Our Lady of Angels School opened under the direction of the Sisters of Charity. On March 8, 1931, a major storm destroyed the first church building, forcing all parish liturgies and activities into the school auditorium until June 4, 1958.

On October 26, 1958, the newly constructed church was consecrated. On April 11, 1974, Monsignor Robert Trainor (then parochial administrator, later pastor) celebrated the first Spanish Mass at Our Lady of Angels. Father Franco was appointed the parish’s ninth pastor in 2021.