St. Joseph's Chapel (New York City)
Not to be confused with St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village, San Giuseppe's Church (New York City), or St. Joseph of the Holy Family's Church (New York City) in Manhattan.
| St. Joseph's Chapel | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Town or city | New York City |
| Country | United States of America |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Website | |
| St. Joseph's Chapel, Manhattan | |
St. Joseph's Chapel is a mission parish of St. Peter's Church, the oldest Catholic parish in New York State. Established in 1983, it is located at 385 South End Avenue, Manhattan, New York City. The parish includes all of Tribeca from Canal Street south to the Battery and from Broadway west to the Hudson River.
History
St. Joseph's traces its origin to Maronite Catholics who held services in the lower church at St. Peter's on Barclay Street from 1899 to 1906,[1] when they built their own church on Washington Street.[2] In 1904 the Maronite community established The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Brooklyn. Most of the parishioners were from Aleppo, Syria. Over time, many Manhattan Maronites, who were predominantly from Lebanon, relocated to Brooklyn.[3] By the late 1930s, Saint Joseph’s had a very small congregation of Maronites in the neighborhood.
In 1946, the City of New York took title to the Washington Street property in connection with the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Saint Joseph’s Church moved to 157 Cedar Street next to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The new location was heavily remodeled including the removal of the top two floors and in use by May 1949. In 1969 the Saint Joseph’s Church property was sold to the Archdiocese of New York, but later the property was taken again by eminent domain, for construction of the World Trade Center.[3] In 1983, St Joseph’s moved to Battery Park City at 385 South End Avenue and affiliated with St Peter’s Church. The Cedar Street location was razed and turned into parking.
The chapel is famous for surviving and sheltering its inhabitants from harm during the September 11th Attacks a mere two city blocks away. The chapel was renovated in 2002 after the events of 9/11 and reopened on September 11, 2002. It was rededicated by, Archbishop Edward Cardinal Egan on May 22, 2005.
References
External links
Coordinates: 40°42′41.89″N 74°0′59.71″W / 40.7116361°N 74.0165861°W