Help Restore St. Francis Xavier Church, Bronx NY!

St. Francis Xavier Church was built in 1950 and is located in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. For the past 5 years, I have been so lucky to be the pastor of this wonderful Catholic parish, which has a very active catholic school and Pre-K.  We also have an order of sisters, The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, whose Novitiate is located within our parish borders. They are active in our church and school. This is very much an “old-time” Catholic Parish.

Recently, we began some much-needed repairs and renovations on the church, particularly on the sanctuary. I was able to obtain from a closed church (St. Roch’s in the Bronx) a very old and beautiful high altar, which fits perfectly into the architectural design. I am also repairing a stained glass window, which is more than 100 years old, and am building a new casing for it.

These renovations, I believe, are essential because it’s important for God’s house to be kept beautiful. People come to church to find hope and to be closer to Jesus. In times past, Catholic Churches were designed and built to emphasize the great glory of God, and to give people a feeling of being “home.” That’s what I want my parishioners to have. And even though modern churches aren’t built that way anymore, I believe it’s still crucial to our Catholic identity. To have a church building that is bright, clean, beautiful, and centered on the Eucharist is what the world needs right now.

I am attempting to raise a total of $60,000 dollars for this project.

Attached are some images of the church when I became pastor.

The walls were painted a deep peach color. The sanctuary was wood paneling, intended to cover a mural painted sometime in the 1970s.

This stained glass window, which is over 100 years old, is in need of a new casing to properly preserve it for future generations.

I was able to purchase this very old high altar, which I will restore to its former glory.

Below is what the end product should look like.