St. Helena Catholic
Church in Parkchester
celebrates 78 years
BY JASON COHEN
Last weekend the Church
of Saint Helena celebrated
its 78th anniversary. The
church, located at 1315 Olmstead
Ave. in Parkchester,
was founded May 3, 1942.
In May 1940, Francis
Spellman, Archbishop of
New York, announced the
establishment of a new parish
in the Bronx.
The parish was dedicated
to St. Helena and its
founding pastor was Monsignor
Arthur Scanlan, president
of St. Joseph’s Seminary
in Yonkers. It was a
post to which he had been
appointed in 1930 after serving
20 years on the seminary
faculty.
Scanlan named the parish
in honor of Archbishop
Spellman’s mother Ellen
Maria “Nellie” Conway
Spellman, who had passed
fi ve years previously.
A temporary site was required
to fulfi ll the needs
of the infant parish and the
old dance hall, tavern and
bowling alleys on the property
known as Loeffl ers
Picnic Park were chosen.
The church’s current green
building was the original
1901 tavern building.
In these quarters Scanlan
and his two assistants
Monsignos Gustave
Schultheiss and Henry Vier
carried on the spiritual affairs
of the church. In September
1940, Sisters of the
Order of St. Dominic at
Sparkhill, inaugurated the
school for 600 children and
thus the tavern became a
combination church and
school.
The ground was broken
for the church on Dec. 1,
1940. On Oct. 4, 1941, Scanlan
celebrated in the auditorium,
the fi rst mass at St.
Helena’s and on Christmas
morning 1941, mass was offered
for the fi rst time in the
upper church.
On April 14, 1942, the
three limestone altars were
fi nally consecrated when
Stephen Donahue, Auxiliary
Bishop of New York
sealed within the altars
the relics of St. Helena and
Saints Pia and Amantius.
The rectory is connected
to the church and has a
kitchen, dining room and
administrative offi ces on
the fi rst fl oor, suites for four
priests on the second fl oor
and two priests on the third
fl oor. There are two meeting
rooms in the basement.
Archbishop Spellman
dedicated the church, and
the original program for the
dedication of the parish concludes
with: “On this third
day of May 1942, the work is
completed. Today the Vision
of St. Helena’s has become a
shining reality. May God be
praised!” St. Helena Church in Parkchester Photo courtesy of Rev. David Powers Pastor St. Helena
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