Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen |
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(2011)
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Town or city | Manhattan, New York City |
| Country | U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°44′33″N 73°58′52.7″W / 40.74250°N 73.981306°W |
| Construction started | school: c.1897 |
| Completed | church: 1854 extension: 1865 school: c.1902 renovation: 1949 rectory: 1954 |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | church: James Renwick Jr. extension: Patrick Charles Keely school: Elliott Lynch rectory: Knappe & Johnson |
| Designated | October 28, 2008 |
| Reference no. | 2259 |
The Church of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen is a Roman Catholic church in Manhattan, New York City. You can find it at 149 East 28th Street, between Third and Lexington Avenues. This church is part of the Rose Hill neighborhood.
The church we see today was formed in the 1980s. This happened when two church groups, Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Stephen the Martyr, joined together. Later, in 2007, another church called the Church of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus also became part of Our Lady of the Scapular–St. Stephen. However, in 2014, this church itself joined with the Church of Our Saviour.
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St. Stephen the Martyr
The St. Stephen the Martyr church group started in 1848. It was first located on Madison Avenue. A temporary church building was set up and officially opened on December 23, 1849.
In 1853, the land was bought by a railroad company. So, a new church building was constructed on 28th Street. This new church opened its doors on March 5, 1854. The first leader of the church was Reverend Jeremiah W. Cummings.
Under Dr. Cummings' leadership, St. Stephen's became a very popular church in New York. People loved its sermons and music. During the 1860s, St. Stephen's was one of the biggest and most important Catholic churches in the city.
Dr. Cummings passed away in 1866. Reverend Edward McGlynn took over as the church leader. Later, Charles H. Colton, who would become a bishop, worked here in 1876. He also served as a chaplain at Bellevue Hospital. Another future bishop, Charles Edward McDonnell, also worked at St. Stephen's in 1879.
Reverend McGlynn had some disagreements with the church leaders. He was asked to stop publicly supporting the ideas of Henry George. In 1877, McGlynn was removed from his role. Father Colton then became the church leader in February 1877. He started the parish school. In 1903, Father Colton became the Bishop of Buffalo.
Thomas Francis Cusack, an auxiliary bishop, became the leader of St. Stephen's Church from 1904 to 1915. During this time, the church helped the community in many ways. They had the Presentation Day Nursery, which allowed mothers to work. They also had St. Stephen's Inn, which offered affordable housing for young working women.
In 1988, the Carmelites, a religious order, began to manage the church. In 1990, the Our Lady of the Scapular church group officially joined with St. Stephen the Martyr.
Church of St. Stephen the Martyr Building
The church building itself is designed in the Romanesque Revival style. This means it looks like old Roman buildings with rounded arches. It was designed by a famous architect named James Renwick Jr.. He also designed other well-known buildings like St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The front of the church has rounded arches for the entrance and windows. In 1865, the building was made longer by architect Patrick Charles Keely. Inside the church, you can see 43 beautiful paintings on the walls. These were created by the artist Constantine Brumidi, who also painted murals in the U.S. Capitol building. He also painted the picture of the Crucifixion above the main altar. The colorful stained glass windows were made by Meyer of Munich.
On March 2, 1916, two Spanish poets, Juan Ramón Jiménez and Zenobia Camprubí, got married in this church. Juan Ramón Jiménez later won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Their time in the United States inspired his important book, Diario de un poeta recién casado (1917).
The church building was renovated in 1949. A school building connected to the church on 28th Street was built around 1902. It was designed by Elliot Lynch. A rectory, which is a house for the priests, was built on the 29th Street side in 1956. This was designed by the firm Knappe & Johnson.
Since its merger in 2014, this church building is no longer used for regular services.
St. Stephen Parish School
The St. Stephen Parish School building on 28th Street was built between 1897 and 1902. It was designed by Elliot Lynch. The Sisters of Charity taught at the school until 1967.
Today, this building is known as the St. Stephen's campus of the Epiphany School. It is one of their two locations, with the other being near the Epiphany Church on East 20th Street.
Our Lady of the Scapular
The church group of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel was started in 1889. It was founded by the Irish Carmelites, another religious order.
