Cardinal Dolan Celebrates 150th Anniversary Mass at Manhattan's Church of St. Agnes
By: The Good Newsroom
St. Agnes parish pre-dates its famous neighbor, Grand Central Station, by 40 years
As the Church of St. Agnes closes its 150th anniversary jubilee year, Cardinal Dolan celebrated Mass at the parish to honor the milestone.
“Congratulations, St. Agnes parishioners. You don’t look that bad for 150 years of age,” Cardinal Dolan said at the beginning of his homily. The anniversary Mass was celebrated on January 20, the Feast of Saint Agnes (of Rome), a fourth-century martyr.
After thanking the parish’s priests and staff, Cardinal Dolan expressed his gratitude to the parishioners of St. Agnes. “Dear faithful parishioners, you loyal folks who call St. Agnes your spiritual home, heirs you are, heirs in the communion of saints to the millions of devoted souls who have prayed, and worked, and volunteered, and contributed, and celebrated the sacraments here, never daunted, whether it be by fire, by Covid, by ice and snow, never daunted in their loyalty to St. Agnes parish, thanks be to God, especially for all of your faithful parishioners,” he said.
In remarks offered at the close of Mass, Father Michael J. Barrett, pastor of the Church of St. Agnes, thanked everyone who helped arrange both the Cardinal’s visit, and the celebration that followed in the church hall. “I am so grateful, we are all grateful, all of the priests, the bishop, and the cardinal, to make this day successful,” he said.
Concelebrating with Cardinal Dolan were Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop John O’Hara (retired); Father Michael J. Barrett, pastor of the Church of St. Agnes; Father Nova Showraiah (Francis) Dasari, parochial vicar of the Church of St. Agnes; Father Jose Ruisanchez, parochial vicar of the Church of the St. Agnes; Father Thomas Bolan; Father Javier Del Castillo; Father Joseph O’Keefe; and Father Brian McWeeney. Father Stephen Ries and Deacon Joseph McQuade assisted at the liturgy. Soledad Reyes served as the lector.
The Church of St. Agnes sits just east of Grand Central Station, and pre-dates the current transportation hub by 40 years, having opened in 1873. The section of East 43rd Street on which the Church of St. Agnes has stood was renamed in 1980 for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, who was a frequent preacher at St. Agnes during his broadcast ministry in the 1950s.