History of Holy Cross Church

(Pictures: Fr. Tomas,  picture taken from an old book of Patrick J. Gleason)

The history of Holy Cross Church is the history of most of the parochial churches of this city. From a humble beginning they have, through the blessing of God and the voluntary offerings of a comparatively poor but generous people, gone on struggling against debts and difficulties until they have attained the prominence they hold among the public buildings of this great metropolis.

Such has been, pre-eminently, the history of this church.

When, in 1852, its first pastor and founder, the Rev. Father Lutz, was commissioned by Archbishop Hughes to found a new parish on the west side of the city, north of St. Columba's and south of Manhattanville, the good father went forth, no doubt like a true apostle, carrying neither "scrip nor staff," his only dependence being in the blessing of Him who sent him, his only support and hope for the future work being in the well-tried faith and open-handed charity of the few scattered people among whom his lot was cast.

With the assistance of a gentleman, who is still a respected member of this parish, he was enabled to obtain two lots, on which he built a temporary chapel. This temporary structure soon became too small for the ever-increasing congregation. More ground was purchased, the cornerstone of a new church was laid, and in two years from the formation of the parish the new church was solemnly dedicated to the service of God, on the 17th of December, 1854, on the ground on which the present church stands.

In 1855 Father Lutz was transferred to the church of the Immaculate Conception, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Martin, O.P., with the Rev. Patrick McCarthy as assistant. Two years after, in June, 1857, Father Martin was transferred and Father McCarthy became pastor.

With natural increase of the population, and by the zeal and exertions of its good priests, the congregation of Holy Cross had become so large that Archbishop Hughes again prudently determined to form a new parish between St. Columba's and Holy Cross - the present parish of St. Michael.

Holy Cross parish was still in a prosperous condition when an accident occurred, from the material effects of which the church emerged only a little over one year ago. During a thunder-storm in the year 1867 the church was struck by lightning, and so injured as to require a thorough examination. It was then discovered that the work had not, in the first instance, been properly done. Competent architects and builders pronounced the wall unsafe; they declared that what seemed but an accident ought rather to be considered a merciful dispensation of providence, who thus wished to call attention to the state of the walls of the church, which might have at any moment caved in and have risked the lives of hundreds. It was a terrible blow to the people of Holy Cross, who thus found themselves deprived, as it were, of all their sacrifices and generous contributions. There was no alternative, however, but to take the church down and rebuild it from its very foundations.

This was done, and a grand new building was soon reared in the place of and on the same ground as the condemned one. The present edifice, as completed in 1870, is a spacious, cruciform building in the transition style of Byzantine. The depth is 100 feet and the width 82 feet, expanding to 92 feet in the transepts. Over the intersection of the nave and transept rise a cupola, intended to light the sanctuary and nave. This is a dome on a square basis, gradually running into the octagon form, and finishing with a lantern semi-circular in the ceiling and 112 feet from the church-floor. The whole height from the street curb to the top of the cross surmounting the dome is 148 feet. In construction it is one of the most solid and substantial churches in the city.

During the two years that the church was in building labor and materials were higher than they have been since; add to this the fact that there was debt of over $25,000 on the church that was taken down, and it will not be surprising to find that, when the new church was completed, Father McCarthy found himself involved in a debt of over $116,000. This debt was none of his seeking, but was forced upon him by the circumstances of the case. None but his most intimate friends knew the feeling of pride with which he regarded his beautiful new church, and none but they knew the anxieties and the anguish which his financial difficulties caused to one of his tender susceptibilities.

While still struggling to meet his obligations in 1876 the new parish of the Sacred Heart was formed. This tended for a time to diminish the income on which he relied to pay his enormous debts and their consequent interest; and yet such was his zeal in the cause of religion that he was one of the strongest advocates for the establishment of the new parish, and recommended his own assistant pastor as the rector of the church thus founded.

A constitution that was never one of the strongest finally succumbed to the strain of the labor and the anxiety to which it was subjected, and the good priest was called to his reward August 7, 1877.

Father McCarthy was succeeded by Rev. Charles McCready. He found that, on his advent to the pastorate, the church was still over $92,000 in debt. However, by the generous co-operation of all the people of the parish, he was able to announce seven years after, on the 1st of January, 1885; the Holy Cross Church was at length entirely free of debt.

The church was now free of debt, but two things still remained to be done to make the church with its dependencies worthy of its generous congregation. One, an immediate necessity, was larger church accommodation and the carrying out of the original design of its founder; the other, equally important, was the building of a parochial school, in order to extend to the youth of the parish the blessings of a religious as well as a secular education. To carry out these two important objects it was necessary to purchase more property. The church already owned one lot on Forty-Third Street, in the rear, and the rector was fortunate enough to obtain two more adjoining lots, which he purchased from the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul at a cost of nearly $20,000. On the rear of these three lots, with a gore for the side-chapel, the church has been extended 25 feet, leaving 75 by 75 feet for the new parochial school, to be commenced as soon as sufficient funds are accumulated.

The work, so happily brought to a completion to-day, was commenced in August, 1885.

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