Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 55.568 W 078° 45.240
17T E 683290 N 4755059
This is the site of the first church in the Town of Cheektowaga.
Waymark Code: WME6A
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/03/2006
Views: 31
On October 20, 1836, Joseph Batt, his wife Barbara, and their children left their homeland in Alsace-Lorraine and departed for America. According to historic records the Batt family booked passage on a ship named The Mary Ann. The ship set sail on November 11, 1836. On November 29th a significant occurrence took place, which had a direct bearing on the establishment of the Shrine of Maria Hilf Zu (the German words for Our Lady Help of Christians) and its subsequent establishment as a parish. On that day the ship encountered a tremendous storm of hurricane intensity, and was severly damaged. Joseph Batt, a man of deep faith, turned to our Blessed Mother, to safe-guard the voyage of his family. He invoked the name of Our Lady Help of Christians, Star of the Sea. Mr. Batt made a solemn promise to Our Lady that if he and his family arrived safely in America he would build a chapel in honor of the Blessed Mother of god. The storm subsided, and the ship drifted to Ireland, where it was repaired. The ship sailed again, and arrived in America on February 2, 1837, Candlemas Day - which is the Feast of the Purification of Mary.
It took Joseph Batt several years to begin to fulfill his solemn promise. This allowed time to establish himself financially, acquire the land, and very importantly to acclimate himself to the American culture and language. On July 17, 1852 his promise began to be realized. Bishop Timon granted permission for the construction of the Chapel, which was completed in 1853.
Street address:
4125 Union Rd
Cheektowaga, NY United States
14225
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1978
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1925-1949
Historic function: Religion: Religious Structure
Current function: Religion: Religious Structure
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.