Jesuits To Bury Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman's funeral will be held at a Catholic Church in Manhattan later this week in what organizers say will be a private ceremony. The funeral will be held at St. Ignatius Church on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the same church where the funerals of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the singer Aaliyah took place. 

Link (here) to ABC News

Phil’s strength as a director of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” which debuted at the Public Theater in 2005, was partially the result of his interest in, and familiarity with, the raw material of play. From the beginning, he encouraged the cast to ask questions about the Gospels and the story of Jesus and Judas. Some of this comfort had to do with his religious background. As a boy growing up in a town outside of Rochester, New York, Phil attended Sunday classes in preparation for confirmation in the Catholic Church, though his parents were not especially religious. 

“My parents were pretty liberal people, who didn’t talk about God much in the house,” he said. Early on, religion was uninviting to him. “Those Masses really turned me off,” he said. “Lots of rote repetition, pretty boring and sometimes really brutal.”

His perspective changed when one of his two sisters became active in a Christian evangelical movement, to which she still belongs today. She encouraged her brother to accompany her to meetings with her friends, and Phil went along happily. “There was something that was so heartfelt and emotional,” he said. “Nothing about it felt crazy at all. And my sister was certainly the sanest person you could ever meet. It all felt very real, very guttural, even rebellious.”

Link (here) to the full piece by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at Busted Halo

Former Provincial

“Therefore, Fr. John Whitney, S.J. commits a heresy when he writes that it is a sin to deny that homosexual orientation is unavoidably rooted in our human nature. And he doesn’t stop there. He goes on in his article to proudly talk about how grand it was for St. Joseph Church to march in the gay pride parade in 2012. He easily dismisses the fact that there were sinful acts being committed during the parade. He offers another circus trick when he makes the comparison with homosexuals to the unclean animals that Peter saw in his vision. Then, finally, he completely uncloaks himself as a wolf when he encourages his flock to join him again this year Seattle’s gay pride parade.”

Link (here) to read a much larger story at DAVIDLGRAY.INFO
Link (here) to read the Public Statement of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus V. Rev. John D. Whitney, S.J. Provincial Superior

“Therefore, Fr. John commits a heresy when he writes that it is a sin to deny that homosexual orientation is unavoidably rooted in our human nature. And he doesn’t stop there. He goes on in his article to proudly talk about how grand it was for St. Joseph Church to march in the gay pride parade in 2012. He easily dismisses the fact that there were sinful acts being committed during the parade. He offers another circus trick when he makes the comparison with homosexuals to the unclean animals that Peter saw in his vision. Then, finally, he completely uncloaks himself as a wolf when he encourages his flock to join him again this year Seattle’s gay pride parade.”

Read more at: http://www.davidlgray.info/blog/2014/01/father-john-whitney/ | DavidLGray.INFO

“Therefore, Fr. John commits a heresy when he writes that it is a sin to deny that homosexual orientation is unavoidably rooted in our human nature. And he doesn’t stop there. He goes on in his article to proudly talk about how grand it was for St. Joseph Church to march in the gay pride parade in 2012. He easily dismisses the fact that there were sinful acts being committed during the parade. He offers another circus trick when he makes the comparison with homosexuals to the unclean animals that Peter saw in his vision. Then, finally, he completely uncloaks himself as a wolf when he encourages his flock to join him again this year Seattle’s gay pride parade.”

Read more at: http://www.davidlgray.info/blog/2014/01/father-john-whitney/ | DavidLGray.INFO

“Therefore, Fr. John commits a heresy when he writes that it is a sin to deny that homosexual orientation is unavoidably rooted in our human nature. And he doesn’t stop there. He goes on in his article to proudly talk about how grand it was for St. Joseph Church to march in the gay pride parade in 2012. He easily dismisses the fact that there were sinful acts being committed during the parade. He offers another circus trick when he makes the comparison with homosexuals to the unclean animals that Peter saw in his vision. Then, finally, he completely uncloaks himself as a wolf when he encourages his flock to join him again this year Seattle’s gay pride parade.”

Read more at: http://www.davidlgray.info/blog/2014/01/father-john-whitney/ | DavidLGray.INFO

Jesuits Impose Dress Code At The Basilica Of Bom Gesu In Goa, India

Fr. Savio Barreto, S.J.

The authorities at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa have begun loaning shawls to visitors at the Basilica who are dressed inappropriately and wish to see the interiors of the 16th century baroque-styled monument. Church authorities or volunteers have now begun screening tourists before they enter the Basilica and those who are found dressed inappropriately are given a shawl which they will have to wear and return once they conclude their visit to the Jesuit monument housing the sacred relics of Jesuit saint and patron of the missions ~ St Francis Xavier.

The rule applies for both men and women, given that it was found that it was not only women who dress scantily but men too saunter in wearing singlet and are made to either wear a shirt if they have one or a shawl. 

Speaking to Herald, Rector of the Basilica Fr Savio Barreto, S.J. said that the move was a result of a decision taken ‘long ago’ following complaints from the faithful that it was unacceptable and portrayed a complete lack of respect and decorum on the part of the tourists, both in their attire as well as their talk as it was not in keeping with the decorum of the place. 

“This was something we had said we would do and would put up boards that all tourists should be dressed appropriately if they wish to enter the Basilica. Many people had complained that the tourists were not dressing properly and were offended by it,” 

Fr Barreto said adding that the shawls were being handed over by the volunteers at the Basilica. 

More than a year ago, the church authorities had installed a signboard asking tourists to dress appropriately and maintain decorum. However, the written directions did not work, bringing about the need to give shawls to the tourists. Tourists are sometimes attired in beachwear since they come to the basilica as part of all Goa sightseeing tours that cover several locations including beaches in a single day. Many of these tours coincide with religious services that are conducted at the churches.
Link (here)

Jesuit Priest Leads Youth Group From Jesuit Parish In Pacifict Demonstration

Fr. William Bischel, S.J. during Communion at St. Leo's

Fifteen Catholic youth from the Jesuit parish St. Leo's in Tacoma, Wash., led their parents and dozens of other community members in a protest against nuclear weapons April 14 outside the Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor about 20 miles west of Seattle. Longtime activists, including Jesuit Fr. Bill "Bix" Bichsel and other members of the Tacoma Catholic Worker community, also participated. The event was held in solidarity with a weekend of education and actions in Scotland dubbed "Scrap Trident." The Herald in Scotland reported that up to 2,000 people joined a march and a rally in Glasgow's George Square. Scottish demonstrations culminated April 15 in a three-hour blockade of the Faslane Naval Base in Argyll, home of the United Kingdom's Trident nuclear weapons. According to Scotland's Evening Times, about 250 protesters took part and 45 were arrested. Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor is home to the largest single stockpile of nuclear warheads in the U.S. arsenal. Eight of the nation's 14 Trident nuclear ballistic missile submarines reside at this base; each carries more than 1,000 times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb and costs $77 million per year to maintain.

Link (here) to the Fishwrap

Diminishment: British Jesuits Shrink 80% In A Generation

Sacred Heart in Wimbledon

After almost 130 years, the Jesuits are to withdraw from running one of their landmark parishes as the order undertakes a review of all its apostolic work in Britain. 

The British Province of the Society of Jesus has announced that it will hand over Sacred Heart in Wimbledon, south west London, one of Britain's largest parishes with thousands attending Mass each week, to the Archdiocese of Southwark. In a letter to parishioners, Fr Dermot Preston S.J., the provincial, delivered the "very sad news" and said the decision had been taken because of the declining number of Jesuits. 

There are currently four serving the parish. Fr Preston pointed out in his letter that there were now fewer than 200 British Jesuits compared with almost 1,000 in the early 1960s. He added that the Jesuits "will need to hand over a number of our present commitments to other ministers" in the future and that Sacred Heart is our "strongest and most mature parish".

Link (here) to The Tablet

"Who Is Katie Holmes?"

Fr. Joe Costantino, S.J.

The pastor of Church of St. Francis Xavier, Father Joe Costantino,S.J. told the Daily Beast he was caught off-guard when reporters started calling about Holmes' alleged membership. “I didn’t even know who she was,” Costantino told the site. He added that if she had registered or taken Communion there recently, “It’s news to me.” Joseph Zwilling, the spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, couldn't confirm or deny that Holmes had joined the Church of St. Francis Xavier or any other Catholic church, saying that "if a person joined the parish, it’s done on the parish level.” Zwilling said he had not heard one way or the other from St. Francis Xavier's administrative offices. ...The Archdiocese of New York is no stranger to celebrity guests at its services, particularly at the famed St. Patrick's Cathedral, "Anyone who comes to Mass would be expected to follow the proper protocols," he said. "I think people understand and respect when you're in church, you don’t disturb them when they’re in a house of worship.” 

Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was born in Hollywood and grew up going to St. Charles Catholic Church in North Hollywood. He remembered going to services with "Farrah Fawcett on one side of me, John Wayne's family on the other side of me and the Bob Hope family behind me." Tamberg said he has had few, if any, incidents surrounding celebrities attending worship services. "When they come through the doors of the church, people know who people are, but people are doing their own thing," he said. “I’ve never seen anyone ask for autographs over the years ... and I’ve been in position to see it a lot.” 

Should Holmes decide to return to the Catholic Church, she could follow a similar script as Nicole Kidman, who was also once married to Cruise and was also raised Catholic. Tamberg said Kidman has returned to the church since her divorce. “Usually, what happens is, there’s still some ties to the church through your family,” he said. "My understanding with the Kidman story is, she was close to a priest her family had known their whole lives. That was helpful to her in picking up the pieces after the divorce." Should Holmes decide to return to Catholicism, Tamberg said, it's a fairly easy process. “You basically can pick it up where you left off,” he said, pointing to Jesus talking often in the Bible of rejoicing over wandering adherents returning to the fold. "There’s no test you have to take. Once you’ve received the sacraments, those are a permanent mark," he said, citing the sacraments of Communion, baptism and confirmation. Even if a person has publicly renounced his or her faith, Tamberg said, returning would only be a matter of private counseling with a priest, though even that process is not formalized. As the unnamed member of the Church of St. Francis Xavier and hordes of reporters wait for Holmes to attend a service in New York, they may want to consider that the parish has an online registration form that anyone can fill out. In most parishes, Zwilling noted, that's a form you have to fill out in person. Brewis welcomed the attention paid to the Church of St. Francis Xavier, saying it is “striving to be a vibrant parishioner-driven community.” He added, “On the plus side, many people who hadn't heard about us and the extraordinary work we do have heard about us now.”

Link (here) to CNN

The Church Of St. Frances Xavier Is A Left-Wing Incarnation Of The Catholic Church

Returning to Catholicism is certainly a step toward regaining traditional religion, but don’t count your chickens yet; the church Holmes chose just happens to be the same church Nancy Pelosi frequented while she was Speaker of the House. You might think any Catholic Church Pelosi felt comfortable at would be somewhat marginal, as Catholicism goes, and you’d be correct. The Church of St. Frances Xavier is a left-wing incarnation of the Catholic Church; its members have marched in New York City’s Gay Pride parade for years. So Holmes has left the realm of science fiction and returned to Earth; but not quite back to traditional morality yet.

Link (here) to Big Hollywood

Katie Holmes Registers As A Parishoner At A Jesuit Parish In New York City

Katie Holmes with daughter Suri

Five years after revealing that she had started to study Scientology, Katie Holmes has officially returned to the Catholic faith, registering as a parishioner at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City. “Everyone is thrilled to have Katie join us,” a member of the church's choir told me. “She has not yet attended a service, but when she does she will be welcomed with open arms.” The church, located on 16th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, is known for inclusive thinking and its welcoming of many gay and lesbian Catholics. Its mission statement indicates that the Roman Catholic Church parish “strives to be a prophetic, welcoming community, inclusive witness to the presence of Christ Jesus in our midst.” Its website proclaims that it is a respectful community, “where seekers and their questions are welcomed, where injustice is challenged, where the poor, the alienated and marginalized find a home, and where people are refreshed, reconciled and renewed.” Cruise and Holmes just issued a joint statement saying, "We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other's commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other's roles as parents." The New York parish is no stranger to celebrity faces: Nancy Pelosi was seen worshipping there while serving as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Link (here) to the Huffington Post

Award Winning

Jesuit Parish of Church of the Blessed Sacrament

A member of the liturgy committee at a San Francisco parish was “ordained a deacon” on Saturday, June 23, according to the website of Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Participants in such sham ceremonies are automatically excommunicated, but the group has repeatedly rejected the ruling of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the subject. The event took place at Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco, where Olivia Doko, “bishop” of the Western Region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, “ordained” Maria Eitz. According to the website of St. John of God Catholic Church in San Francisco, Eitz is a member of the parish’s Liturgy Committee. Now that Eitz has incurred automatic excommunication, it’s up to either Fr. Methodius Kiwale, administrator of the parish, or the Archbishop of San Francisco to determine whether she will be removed from her post on the committee. Much of the direction at St. John of God is supplied by the church’s deacon, Brian Bromberger. The majority of the published sermons on the St. John of God website are his. Bromberger, who previously served at San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer Parish, led St. John of God parishioners at San Francisco’s 2011 “Gay Pride” parade. Trinity Episcopal has long provided space to a Roman Catholic Womenpriests group called “Sophia in Trinity” for twice-monthly liturgies led by “Womanpriest” and open lesbian Victoria Rue. Over the past 18 months CalCatholic has published a number of articles documenting the “ordination” of women who serve, or have served, in Catholic parish ministries. Maureen Mancuso, an RCIA instructor at Christ the King parish in Pleasant Hill, was “ordained” a “womandeacon” by Doko on September 18, 2011 in Santa Barbara. “Ordained” as a “womandeacon” during the same event was open lesbian Jennifer O’Malley, who had served on the Ministry to Gay and Lesbian Catholics for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

Her biography on the RCWP website notes that O’Malley “previously worked as a Coordinator of Youth ministry at a parish in the archdiocese of Los Angeles and was a program director for a national Catholic service learning program.” According to the Autumn 2011 issue of GLOings, the newsletter of the LA archdiocese’s Ministry to Gay and Lesbian Catholics, O’Malley was one of seven persons receiving the “Lumen Christi” award at the Jesuit Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood on Oct. 22, 2011 -- after she had been “ordained,” and thereby, excommunicated. 

Despite an explicit warning from the Vatican that participation in such sham ordinations results in automatic excommunication

Link (here) to The California Catholic Daily

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church A Casualty Of The Jesuit Vocations Crisis

The following was released by the Very Rev. James M. Shea, S.J., Provincial of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus:

The Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) is deeply committed to continuing to fulfill its mission of service to the people of the Mid-Atlantic region through education, pastoral care and social justice, as we have for nearly 380 years.

Through the years, as needs and resources have changed, so have our ministries. Today, our province faces a decline in the number of Jesuit priests. Due to this decline in numbers, we are in the process of combining three provinces, and we have to make some very painful and difficult decisions about how to allocate our priests.

After prayerful reflection and careful consideration of how we can best use our human resources to serve those in need, we concluded that we can no longer staff St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish at 19 Eye St., NW (900 block of North Capitol Street), Washington, DC. The Jesuits will continue to be present in the Archdiocese of Washington through two other parishes, three schools, a university and a retreat center. The 300-household parish will merge with nearby Holy Redeemer Parish, which is located just three blocks away on New York Avenue, NW. The transition will begin July 1 and continue through the summer months. We are grateful to the Archdiocese of Washington and to Fr. David Bava, pastor of Holy Redeemer, for their support and welcome during this transition.

The church, which is owned by the Jesuits, is part of the Gonzaga College High School campus. Because it is physically connected with other buildings and integrated into the campus, it is not feasible to establish a non-Jesuit parish there. The church will continue to be used for school liturgies and, on a limited basis and in coordination with Fr. Bava, for special liturgies of Holy Redeemer parish, weddings and funerals for alumni and former parishioners, and other special events. 

In addition, the Father McKenna Center, the drop-in center for homeless men that has been on site since 1983, will continue to operate. This was a very difficult decision and one I wish did not have to be made. This change will be painful. Unfortunately, the Province can no longer staff the parish.

Link (here) to read the full statement

Eco-Justice At Jesuit Parish

Living in right relationship with all God’s Creation is at the center of our Christian faith. The Eco-Justice Ministry seeks not only to reduce our carbon footprint and live more sustainably, but to open ourselves to a radical change of heart and mind in how we live on and with the earth.

• We promote ways in which we as individuals, as families, and as a faith community can care for creation by making our homes and the church-school campus more sustainable.
• We promote governmental policies that are environmentally sound.
• We advocate for those who are most severely burdened by the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.

Link (here) to more about this at the Jesuit Parish, St. Joseph in  Seattle, Washington

Jesuit Parish Built Upon The Location Of A Former Protestant Church

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

The first Jesuit-founded St. Francis Xavier Church was on Elizabeth Street and the Bowery, purchased from a Protestant congregation. After it burned down, lots were purchased on W. 16th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues but the new church, built in 185l, proved too small for the growing number of the faithful. It was gutted in 1889; the rebuilt structure now houses a Jesuit residence on an upper floor and the parish’s boys’ high school — which counts among its Xavier-educated alumni major CEOs, top Fortune 500 executives, TV newscaster Al Roker and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Link (here) to read the full interesting article.

Jesuits Receed From Toledo Spain

San Ildefonso in Toledo, Spain

After centuries (except for the periods of abolition and expulsion - for instance, during the Second Republic),

the last Jesuits are leaving the Primate Archdiocese of Spain, Toledo. There are no new members to replace them in the staff of the majestic Iglesia de San Ildefonso (Iglesia de los Jesuitas). As F.J de la Cigoña, who reports this, asks: what places will they abandon next? Loyola (Azpeitia, Guipúzcoa)? Xavier (Navarre)?

The first Jesuit to visit Toledo, in 1535-36, was Loyola himself, a few years before going to Rome and after definitively leaving Azpeitia on his return from Paris, where he and his companions had taken the Montmartre vow.

Link (here) to Rorate Caeli

Jesuit Urban Center Again

Four years ago, a methodical search for a new place of worship led a group of g@y Roman Catholics to the Rev. John Unni, the youthful priest at St. Cecilia’s Church. The search committee was blunt: Would the priest accept an influx of gay and lesbian parishioners? “He told us, ‘All are welcome,’ ’’ said John Kelly, now head of the St. Cecilia Rainbow Ministry. 

Kelly and other parishioners credit Unni with managing the merger of the predominantly g@y congregation from the Jesuit Urban Center, which closed in 2007, 

and with keeping ga@s and les@ians in the Catholic Church, despite the uneasy balance between the church’s message of love for all and its strict doctrine against g@y relations.

Link (here) to the full article at Boston.com

Fr. Patrick Earl, SJ, “Just Having Something Public Is Not Going To Be A Big, Big Deal Here.."

Fr. Patrick Earl, S.J.

At St. Peter's Catholic Church, a Jesuit parish in Charlotte has canceled plans to read the Qur’an from the pulpit on June 26, the feast of Corpus Christi.  

“Just having something public is not going to be a big, big deal here, but to have someone come in and read from the Qur’an and to recognize publicly the existence of Islam and to reverence and respect is a good thing for the Church to do,” Father Patrick Earl, S.J., said on May 27. “I’ve heard from Muslim imams about what they and their congregations have suffered just from the fear, the fear of what they call Islamophobia.”  

On June 7, Father Earl announced the cancellation of the event; he said that he had been unaware that 2004 Vatican instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum forbade such readings. The document states that “it is strictly to be considered an abuse to introduce into the celebration of Holy Mass elements that are contrary to the prescriptions of the liturgical books and taken from the rites of other religions.”  

Link (here) to read the original story at Catholic Culture

 

Jesuit Urban Center

The Rainbw Ministry of Saint Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGB T community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pri@e Month. The liturgy will take place on Sunday evening, June 19, at six o’clock, with a reception following. The theme of the liturgy, “All Are Welcome,” honors Christ’s message of hope and salvation to all people. 

We will also celebrate the diverse community that finds its home at Saint Cecilia and acknowledge, in a special way, the generous and warm welcome extended to the members of the Jesuit Urban Center in 2007. The Mass will be celebrated by Father John Unni and concelebrated by several of the priests who faithfully ministered at the Jesuit Urban Center for so many years. 

Please plan to attend this special liturgy and support the diversity that makes Saint Cecilia such a special place

Link (here) to St. Cecilia's Parish bulletin. 
Blogger Note: This Mass was canceled by Cardinal O'Malley (here)

The Jesuit Church Of Saint Paul Saint Louis In Paris France

SAINT-PAUL-SAINT-LOUIS.
(translated into English) 

In the Rue Saint-Antoine is the old church of the Jesuits, gorgeous in marbles, gilding and stucco, as is the wont of the architects employed by those wary fathers. It was built from the designs of Francois Derraud from 1627-41. The remains of the conventual buildings are now occupied by the College Charlemagne. The expenses of the building were defrayed by King Louis XIII. and Cardinal Richelieu, who celebrated his maiden mass there. It was the second cupola erected in Paris, the first being that belonging to the Carmelite church. It is Italian in style, the facade being very similar to that of S. Gervais, recalling the Gesu and S. Ignatius at Rome, and is adorned with statues of S. Louis, by Lequesne; of S. Catherine, by Auguste Preault; and of S. Anne, by Etex. Bourdaloue and archbishop Huet of Avranches are buried there, and in a crypt below lie the Jesuits who have died in the convent from its foundation until the suppression of the order. The numerous monuments were swept away at the Revolution: a rich sculptured coffer for the heart of Louis XIII., and another by Coustou le jeune, containing Louis XIV.'s heart. The tabernacle was of silver gilt, but it is no more. The only contents now of any interest are a picture representing the abbey of Longchamps, attributed to Philippe de Champaigne, and a fine work by Delacroix, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although his first known picture, it is an example of his splendid colouring and grand composition. Victor Hugo's first child was born in the parish, and baptized at S. Paul's, and to commemorate the event the poet presented two holy-water stoops, in the shape of shells, very beautiful in design.

Link (here) to the book Churches of Paris

The Jesuits Are Vanishing

When John Langan came to Georgetown University in 1975 as a young Jesuit priest, he was one of 112 brothers from the Catholic order on campus. Jesuit Robert Drinan, a Massachusetts Democrat, was in Congress, and Jesuit John McLaughlin was in the West Wing advising Republican President Richard Nixon. Today there are barely half as many Jesuits at Georgetown, the order’s flagship university. Gonzaga, a Jesuit high school, is down to 17, compared with 43 in 1970. There’s talk that St. Aloysius, a Jesuit parish in the District known for its social justice efforts, could close when the current Jesuit leaves. And there are no full-time Jesuit staff members at all at the Washington Jesuit Academy, where the board chairman is Jewish. The Jesuits are vanishing from the Washington area, where they established the first Catholic Church in the colonies.

Link (here) to the full article at the Washington Post by Michelle Boornstein

The Parish Numbers 5000

St. Francis Xavier, New York, N.Y. — This parish had its origin in 1847, when Father John Larkin and three other Jesuits had charge of a church in Elizabeth Street near Walker Street, which was dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The basement of the church served as an academy with 120 scholars. The church was burned down on January 28, 1848. It was decided not to rebuild on the old site, so Father Larkin sold the property and rented a house at 3rd Avenue, where he continued the school. 

To quote an appreciative historian of the parish: "Father Larkin having been obliged to make a hurried trip to Europe in order to escape the honor of being 'Bishop of Toronto,'" 

Father John Ryan, S.J., succeeded Father Larkin as rector, and continued the latter's search for a proper location for a permanent college, and after some time, the property in West 15th and 16th Streets, on which the college now stands, was purchased. "The cornerstone of the first church erected in honor of St. Francis Xavier in New York was laid on September 24, 1850, and the church was completed early in the following summer. Archbishop Hughes officiated at the dedication, which occurred on July 6, 1851. At the solemn vesper service on the same day, Rev. P. N. Lynch, D.D., preached and, 27 years later (1878), the same prelate, having since become Bishop of Charleston, preached at the laying of the cornerstone of the present grand edifice, the new Church of St. Francis Xavier in West 16th Street. The college was opened on November 25, 1850. . . . The front elevation is considered to be the best specimen of Roman architecture we have, and the plan of the same was for many years after used by the Building Department of this city in the examination of building inspectors." Among the early Fathers connected with the college were: Fathers Patrick Dealy, Hector Glackmeyer, Henry Hudon, Joseph Durthaller, Theodore Thiry, Joseph Shea, Joseph Loyzance, John Cunningham, Francis Cazeau, Francis X. Renaud, Peter Cassidy, Patrick Gleason, William Pardow, Augustus "Gus" Langcake, Hippolytus DeLuynes, Samuel Frisbee, Thomas Freeman, Maurice Ronayne, Louis Jouin, Isidore Daubresse, Henry Duranquet, John Prendergast, Nilus McKinnon and David Merrick. The present rector of the parish, Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, is also president of the college and of the Xavier High School. The parochial schools, established in 1857, are conducted by 4 Brothers of the Christian Schools, 8 Sisters of Charity and 9 lay teachers, and have an attendance of 520 boys and 490 girls. Attended from St. Francis Xavier's, are: St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, St. Vincent's Hospital, Nazareth Day Nursery, Sisters of Jesus Mary (West 14th Street), New York Hospital and Ward's and Randall's Islands. The population of the parish numbers 5000, and the church property is valued at $900,000, with a debt of about $130,000.

Link (here)

Mass Attendence Up 30% At Downtown Cincinnati Jesuit Church

"Never underestimate the aesthetics," said the Rev. Eric Knapp, a Jesuit priest and pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati. "It helps." Knapp said his church has revitalized itself in the past few years by blending hospitality, social activities and community outreach with a traditional Catholic message.

Mass attendance is up from 1,000 to 1,300, baptisms are up from 12 to 60 a year and weekly collections have climbed from $5,700 to $11,000. The church has gotten younger, too. 

The average age of parishioners has fallen from 60 to 50 in just a few years, thanks in part to young people who are finding their way back to Mass.

"There is room for those who are curious, those who are taking baby steps to explore their spirituality," Knapp said. "The bottom line is, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

Link (here) to the Cincinnati Examiner