Parish History Cont'd: 1950-1969

In 1950, “the Grotto” was started as our first Church bulletin. Initially it was given out four times a year, then monthly. Sisters and current Parishioners, Isabella Pernicone and Margaret Mary McQuillan, and Justine Fitzpatrick, all Senior Sodality Members, edited and printed it.

In July 1950, ground was broken for our present School on the southwest corner of Westchester Avenue and St. Eleanora’s Lane. Included in the cornerstone were the names of the original families of Annunciation Parish.

On March 17, 1951, the St. Patrick’s Day Dance was held in the School auditorium; it was the first party in the new auditorium. Monsignor Dugan thought this was only fitting since the ground-breaking ceremony took place ironically on Orangemen’s Day.

On March 23, 1952, Annunciation School was dedicated by Francis Cardinal Spellman. In June of that year, the children who had started in the first kindergarten class in the Crowley House in 1943 graduated from 8th grade. In 1955, The Reverend Raymond A. Hyland was appointed Assistant to Monsignor Dugan. He would become known for running an exemplary cadre of altar boys and for his signature singing of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” at numerous 7th and 8th grade dances. Father Hyland also instigated several other activities in the Parish, including the leaders of Song,
Commentators, and Lectors.

Father Hyland amplified the activity of the Holy Name Society — a group of dedicate men already established in the Parish; they would become a powerful force in the spiritual and social activities of the Parish, a complement to the Ladies Guild.

The Annual Men’s Communion breakfast attracted several hundred men, both young and old — indeed some families regularly had three generations in attendance (one family had four — The McNulty’s!). Other activities included the Annual Men’s retreat, still in place; the introduction of the Father-Daughter Communion Breakfasts; and, of course, the Gala Parish dances that decorated the gym beyond recognition.

Annunciation’s societies were extremely active in the early fifties — teenage dances for the Junior Sodality, Valentine Square Dances, sponsored by the Guild, luncheons, bazaars, and dessert card parties, Harvest Moon Suppers and Dances each year, Guild Teas and Fashion shows; cake sales, and St. Patrick’s Day Dances.

On June 17, 1956, the Parish celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Monsignor Dugan’s ordination. On that occasion he recalled that every bill was paid before he started the upper Church. Later that summer, on August 18, 1956, at a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Parish, a bronze church bell with complete electric bell ringing equipment (christened St. Timothy after the Pastor) was installed. It bears the following inscription: on one side — St. Timothy, Church of the Annunciation, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Timothy J. Dugan, Pastor, Crestwood, N.Y. On the opposite side — To The Honor and Glory of God and In Loving Memory of Ralph B. Feriola, Jr., donated by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph B. Feriola, AD. 1956”. On March 5, 1957, Monsignor Dugan died at the age of 70. His funeral services took place the next day in the lower Church inasmuch as his beautiful cathedral was being built, but not quite finished and still covered with scaffolding. However, the bell bearing his name tolled for the first time as his body was carried past the Church. On March 25, 1957, Cardinal Spellman Appointed the Right Reverend Vincent J. Brosnan as our second Pastor. Monsignor Brosnan was born February 1, 1898 and ordained June 6, 1925. On October 31, 1957, Monsignor Brosnan and Father Hyland celebrated the first Mass in the new upper Church. Monsignor Dugan’s vision of the Cathedral of Crestwood was complete. In December 1957, the new altar was consecrated.

On May 11, 1958, the formal dedication of our new Church took place at an 11:00 Mass by His Eminence Francis Cardinal Spellman. The ceremony included the blessing of the exterior and interior of the Church, as well as a commemorative plaque near the door. The first wedding in the upper Church was on All Saints Day in 1958 — Alfred and Mary Ellen Donohue were the happy couple.

In September 1960, the School opened with a brand new addition that doubled the building’s size with a ten-room, two-story wing. Most of the teachers were Dominican nuns and the Convent building expanded as well. At that time, there were 637 children in school (200 attended class in the lower Church) and 10 Sisters in the Convent. The sum of $308,250 was pledged and collected at the close of the drive and this assured us the additional schoolrooms and the long-desired improvement to the Convent. Dedication of the “new” School took place on June 10, 1961.

On November 21, 1961, the first meeting of the St. Ann’s Parents Club was held; Peter Dirr was the first President, and Helen Furgiuele, Secretary — they were responsible for writing the Constitution and By-Laws. Previously, School issues were discussed at the Ladies Guild or Holy Name meetings. It was decided to start the Parents Club to deal more directly with the needs of the School and parental involvement. Today, the group is renamed the Home School Association — but their mission remains unchanged.

On November 27, 1965, Monsignor Brosnan broke ground for the new Parish house/rectory to be built on the parking lot across from the Church, where May Day processions had been held —it was completed in the Spring of 1966. The building of a new Rectory, long overdue, completed Annunciation Parish’s structures. The major building era of Annunciation, the foundation of our Parish today, came to a close. What ensued was the continued expansion of the Parish’s spiritual, cultural, and community mission

Parish History Cont'd: 1969-2010

Following Monsignor Brosnan as Pastor was Monsignor John McNamara in 1969. He was the first Pastor to shoulder fully the burdens of all the expansion of the 50’s and early 60’s — with staggering growth in the number of Parishioner families and the fully expanded physical plant. After all the building and expansion, and despite hugely successful fund-raising efforts for each project, there were bills to pay and greatly increased operating expenses — not to mention a significant physical plant to maintain, now spanning all four corners. Monsignor McNamara contributed much needed administrative, organizational, and fiscal rigor to the Parish and all its activities — facilitating the continued and sustained growth in activity and support.

Monsignor McNamara was the first to begin implementing the changes of Vatican II. This was the beginning of perhaps the most dramatic changes that both priests and laity have dealt with as Catholics in a millennium. It was a time when most of the congregation welcomed many of the changes, while others felt quite differently; for them, it seemed as if all they embraced and loved was slipping away. It was not an easy time foe this or any Parish community. It took several Pastors and years of patience, understanding, and sensitivity to shepherd and guide these enormous changes in the lives of all the Parishioners here at Annunciation. It’s difficult to imagine that these changes, so readily accepted now, could have been so tumultuous in the life of the Parish.

Our next Pastor was Father John E. Byrne, assigned in 1975. With the Mass now in English, and the celebrant facing the congregation — using a portable wooden altar — change continued, including the reintroduction of Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, further increasing the focus and expanding the role of the laity in the celebration of regular liturgies, sacraments, and special celebrations.

Vatican II also reintroduced the role of the Permanent Diaconate. Albert Conner, husband of Marion, and father of Marion, Elaine, Elizabeth, Mary, Alice, Casey, and James (all Annunciation graduates), became Annunciation’s first Lay Deacon. Ordained by Cardinal Cooke on May 26, 1978, Al officiated his first Mass at Annunciation on June 4, 1978, and served the Parish as Deacon for 25 years, until his death in June of 2003.

Following Father Byrne was Monsignor Eugene V. Clark, who was appointed Pastor in 1980. Monsignor Clark was a superb homilist and a great connoisseur of art, especially religious art (indeed, through the 90’s, he also hosted shows on Catholic TV, which capitalized on his great acumen). With his eye for the aesthetic, he refurbished much of the magnificent sculpture in the lower Church, and moved several pieces to the upper Church — including the Pieta and the enormous crucifix that now hangs in the back of the upper church. With Dick Fay’s assistance, Monsignor Clark had the majestic marble altar in the upper Church, the altar stairs, and marble façade redesigned to face forward — replacing the “portable” altar used for several years previously. The altar is now dedicated to the memory of Richard and Regina Fay.

The beautiful Italian custom and hand-made papier-mâché Christmas Crèche was acquired at this time as well — with the help of the Mark and Alicia Barry Family, and In Memory of Frank and Catherine Gleason — this work of art graces St. Joseph’s Altar — redecorated for Christmas to this day. Much later in the 90’s, Father Eugene Carrella commissioned the addition of the manger, which replicates the marble columns of the main altar and the green marble facade behind the altar.

Monsignor Clark was also the first to institute a Finance Council in the Parish (the full Parish Council would come later). He was also dedicated to the Parish School, and a more diverse curriculum. Under his stewardship and with Kevin Scanlon as the Principal for more than a decade, the School excelled in every way. The School also expanded with the creation of the Kindergarten program.

Following Monsignor Clark’s departure for St. Agnes Parish and High School in Manhattan, Father James Conte became Pastor in 1986, having just retired from a 29-year career in the U.S. Chaplain Corps. He retired as Pastor just a few years later.

One activity that Father Conte inaugurated, that has since become a tradition, is St. Joseph’s Table — a dinner of soup and bread. Meant to complement the festivities surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, Father Conte claimed it to be an Italian tradition, and although several Parishioners have tried, none can corroborate this tradition in Italy — it has become one here at Annunciation nonetheless.

In 1989, when His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor came to officiate at the installation of our next Pastor, Father James Moore, he said he was giving us one of his own — and indeed he was.

Father Jim, soon to become Monsignor James R. Moore, served as Pastor of Annunciation for more than 13 years, the longest Pastorship since Monsignor Dugan. And, as the Cardinal had predicted, or rather insisted, the Parish took to him and he to the Parish.

Over the course of the next dozen years, the Parish was renewed and reinvigorated in every way. Attendance and participation increased, most especially at liturgies — but also in apostolic and outreach activities, Parish societies and clubs, ecumenical interaction, interfaith activities, and more.

Monsignor Moore had a constant and watchful focus on the School. With Sr. Anne Massell, P.B.V.M. as Principal then (and since, now 20 years), the waiting list exceeding 4 or 5 years. Monsignor Moore resolved that the School must expand to better serve the needs of the Parish, especially with the burgeoning young families moving in — many moving back to the neighborhood, the Parish, and School in which they grew up and had attended. Every available nook and cranny, closet and corner of the School was transformed into usable space for classrooms, language labs, technology centers, and the like, while the academic prowess of the School and its graduates continued to grow as well.

The Parish physical plant was reinvigorated and refurbished — from roofs and boilers to drainage and air conditioning — from the Church to the Convent and especially in the School.

Perhaps the most visible and enduring legacy of Monsignor Moore’s tenure at Annunciation was the thorough renovation of the lower Church and then the meticulously refurbished upper Church, completely restoring the Cathedral of Crestwood — so much the dream of Father Dugan — to a place of majestic worship for the Parish faithful more than 50 years later.

Over the decades, this succession of Pastors, along the new Parish Priests, Principals, Home School Boards, Finance Councils, Parish Councils, Men’s Clubs, Ladies Guilds, and volunteers extraordinaire have carried the founding families’ and Monsignor Dugan’s original vision forward. We have enjoyed the good fortune of some outstanding religious leaders. And as lay teachers became more common than nuns in our School, Parishioners began to take a more active role as volunteers, leaders, and fund raisers in both the Church and School.

Annunciation and its activities have also kept up with the times. Some events have endured the test of time: the Palm Sunday Cake Sale, the annual 8th grade Halloween Carnival, the Parish Picnic at Ridge Road, the Parish Raffle, House of Calvary/Rosary Hill Raffle and Christmas Gift Collection, Thanksgiving Dinner Collection for the poor, Ladies of Charity Fashion Show remains, although no one from the original would recognize today’s spectacular — complete with cocktail hour, hip-hop music, fancy fashions, and bling-bling prices.

The St. Patrick’s Day Dance evolved into the St. Patrick’s Day Mass and Reception, a mainstay the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day for the last 15 years, followed by St. Joseph’s Day Table, where pasta fagiole and other hearty soups honor the Italian tradition.

Other favorites (the frightening Halloween Haunted House, the Special Olympics, the Guild Auction and Communion Breakfasts) seem to have disappeared as personalities changed and new ideas emerged. All through the late 90’s, as more and more two income families moved in, most of the heretofore couples dances (New Years’s Eve, Columbus Day, Square Dances, Valentine’s Day, 50’s/60’s, and even the Big Chill) became family affairs as both mothers and fathers sought more time with their children. And while the family danced seems to have fallen out of fashion, the Parish in 2006 is still all about family, witness the American Girl Fashion Show.

The Men’s Club remains active in the Parish, decorating the Church at Christmas, staffing the School yearend carnival, Hosting a Mother’s Day coffee; other events include the Rake-a-thon (which means 7th and 8th grade Annunciation students rake leaves from Parish lawns to raise money for less fortunate families), a Super Bowl Party, and the Spring Golf Outing (which raises scholarship money for families attending Annunciation School).

And “new” activities have emerged as well, such as the Midnight Run for the homeless poor in Manhattan ­— a quarterly effort involving much of the School and a small legion of Parent/Parishioner volunteers; the twice-monthly Soup Kitchen, cooking for the Sharing Community in Yonkers, which feeds 200 a night; the Christmas Giving Tree, which now collects more than 400 gifts which are then distributed through 5 local charities; and the annual Handicapped Mass and luncheon for the physically and mentally challenged in the local community.

Two evergreens — the Scouts and Athletic organizations — have continued to thrive over 50 years with Annunciation reigning as a basketball, track, and baseball powerhouse in both the CYO and Westchester Catholic School leagues. Knights (oh, what a night) Night has been joined by Alumni Basketball and, in recent years, the DeSola Duffy tournament.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and all their dedicated leaders, notably the late Dick Petrilli and Leo Sweeney, who were exceptional leaders of young men for over 50 years between them, and many other outstanding men and women, have helped define ecological learning, community good works, and wonderful fun for Annunciation children for over 50 years.

Throughout the decades, the liturgies have changed appearances somewhat with the times and fashions. Gone are the Latin Masses, May processions, and starched white-collared altar boys and even the Folk Masses of the Sixties in the gym. The laity has become more visible on the altar (notably sacristan Paul LaSalle and all the ushers, leaders of song, deacons choir members, lectors, commentators, Eucharistic Ministers, and the Altar Society.) Still, always, the Mass and special liturgies anchor the Parish, beacons to us not only on Sunday’s but also in times of joy as well as heartache and heartbreak.

Every generation has its heroes, people who gave selflessly of their time and resources for years, sometimes decades until time. Other obligations, and new, eager Parishioners relieved them of their duties and passions. There have been legions of names, some have gone before us, some still remain, but few have given so generously and as long as Evelyn Pizzuti, who taught first grade for 48 years; the Peg Connors, who taught for nearly 40 years; and Evelyn Cosgrove, our current School Nurse, Guild President Emeritus, advisor to Pastors over the last 30 years, and behind the scenes at every event and every special liturgy.

Monsignor Dennis P. Keane, the current Pastor, appointed in 2003, embraces this anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Parish in the past, the rich legacy he, and all of today’s Parishioners, inherited from all who cam before and to accept the responsibility we have to endow the future generations with just as strong and vibrant a Catholic community.

With Monsignor Keane’s leadership, and those Pastors who will follow him, we can be confident that people will emerge, as they always have, to continue to make the Cathedral of Crestwood a unique haven of spiritual and community life, a place that spans generations and spawns memories, a place of stirring and special times with family and friends — all centered in the four corners we love so well.

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