St. Mary's Church - East Islip, NY
N 40° 43.808 W 073° 11.768
18T E 652329 N 4510364
St. Mary's Church, that now stands on Main Street in East Islip, NY, was built in 1901 and completed in 1902. It is not the original building on the property that served as a church for the parishioners.
Waymark Code: WM5JC4
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 01/12/2009
Views: 13
St. Mary's, originally called St. Mary of the Assumption, was established as a parish on July 1, 1898 as part of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Up until that time, from the early 1800's, Catholics in this area of Long Island traveled when they could to St. Patrick's Church in Huntington, some distance away. In 1860, St. Mary's was designated as a mission church of St. Patrick's.
In 1879, the Catholics of East Islip and Islip purchased the old St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Islip for $510, and had it moved to this location. This building is still on the premises and is called Sacred Heart Hall. In 1883, St. Mary's became a mission church of nearby St. Patrick's parish in Bay Shore.
St. Mary's was named a parish in its own right on July 1, 1898 and served many immigrant groups who worked on the large nearby Long Island estates. Ground was broken for the present church building on March 25, 1901 and it was completed in 1902. The stained glass windows in the church still bear the names of many of the benefactors of the church or their honorees.
In 1914, the parish school was opened. The old school building, once known as the "Academy" no longer stands next to the church on the parish grounds, but the 1957 school building with a later expansion is still serving area students.
The church had been maintained over the years, but in 1997 it was returned to its brown shingled exterior from the white clapboard it had acquired. The interior paintings and decoration were cleaned and restored.
St. Mary's Church stills serves its parishioners today for daily Mass and other services.
The Church building stands on Main Street in East Islip. The parish office and rectory is located around the corner, near the parish school, at 20 Harrison Ave.
This was my home parish when I was growing up. Family lore says that my great-grandfather actually helped to build the church. There may be truth to the story as he is listed as a carpenter in the 1910 US Census.
Type of Church: Church
Status of Building: Actively in use for worship
Date of organization: 07/01/1898
Date of building construction: 03/21/1901
Diocese: Rockville Centre, NY
Address/Location:
West Main Street
East Islip, NY USA
11730
Relvant Web Site: [Web Link]
Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed
Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed
Archdiocese: Not listed
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