St. Helena Catholic Church

St. Helena's was built as the Catholic Church for the newly built region known as Parkchester. Construction of Parkchester began back in 1938 by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and by 1940 the south quadrant was completed allowing for the first 500 families to move in as the rest of development was constructed and completed by 1941 and by 1943 all 12,271 apartments were rented. The diocese expected over 10,000 Catholics would live near the parish. Met Life had purchased the 129 acre site from the Roman Catholic Church (for the sum of $5 million) which from 1861 until 1938 served as the New York Catholic Protectory—an orphanage for boys and girls. In 1904 there were well over 2,500 children under the care of the Protectory.

On May 3, 1940, His Excellency the Most Rev. Francis J. Spellman, Archbishop of New York, announced the establishment of a new $600,000 parish and parochial school in the Bronx in the new massive Parkchester development. The parish was dedicated to St. Helena, the saint who found the true cross, and it would also serve as a permanent remembrance of the Cardinal's own mother, Helen Spellman. The parish replaced the beer garden of Loeffler's Picnic Park.

Eggers and Higgins were chosen as the architects for the new structure, and the George Fuller Company were closen as the builders. Eggers & Higgins was a New York architectural firm partnered by Otto Reinhold Eggers (1882–1964) and Daniel Paul Higgins (1886–1953). The architects were responsible for the construction phase of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial beginning in 1939, two years after the death of its original architect, John Russell Pope; they also completed construction of Pope's other famous design, the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, also in Washington D.C.. The pair were longtime associates of Pope in the firm he founded in 1903 as the Office of John Russell Pope, Architect. Eggers was a brilliant designer and renderer who served as Pope's right hand for almost thirty years. They changed the name of the firm to Eggers & Higgins in 1937, soon after Pope's death.

The new parish's very first Mass took place on June 9, 1940. Mass was celebrated by the newly appointed pastor Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D. in the Loeffler building, and about 1,000 parishioners attended it. Msgr. Scanlan had been appointed the president of St. Joseph's Seminary in 1930, having previously served 20 years on the Seminary faculty. The Christmas Midnight Mass in 1940 was celebrated by Msgr. Scanlan in the newly constructed Loew's American Movie Theatre. The first children baptized in the parish were the daughters of John and Antoinette Roden, twins named Linda and Lorraine Roden, who were baptized on July 14, 1940 by one of the two newly appointed Parochial Vicars Rev. Gustav J. Schultheiss, who was later appointed chancellor of the archdiocese in 1954. The other assistant was Rev. Henry J. Vier.

Groundbreaking for the Church building took place on December 1, 1940, and on June 8, 1941 the cornerstone was laid. Addresses were given by Msgr. Scanlan and his two assistants Rev. Charles Giblin and Rev. Francis Murphy, and the two trustees, Police Inspector John Burke and Patrick Byrne. Of early Italian Renaissance influence, the new plant was constructed of select brick with limestone trim. The church and school face east with a frontage of 146 feet on Olmstead Avenue, while the north side of the church and convent occupy 170 feet on Benedict Avenue. The nave of the church was designed to seat 900 and the balconey to accomodate 177 additional. The school was built to provide classroom facilities for 600 pupils. The convent was built to provide living quarters for 23 sisters. On October 4, 1941, Msgr. Scanlan celebrated the first Mass at St. Helena's in the suditorium of the Church, but it was on Christmas morning 1941 that Mass was celebrated for the first time at the altar of the new Church of St. Helena. The three marble altars, the main and two side altars, were consecrated on April 14, 1942 by the Most Rev. Stephen J. Donahue, Auxiliary Boishop of New York, and sealed within the altars were the relics of Saint Helena (Feast Aug. 18), St. Pia of Numidia (Feast Jan. 19), and St. Amantius (Feast June 6).

St. Helena Elementary School officially began on September 11, 1940 at Loeffler’s Tavern, and in September 1941 the new school building was finished and could accomodate 600 children in grades 1-8.

On opening day, there were 461 students, and they were taught by eleven Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. The first principal was Sr. Purissima Reilly, O.P. Sister would later become the founding major superior of the new Sparkill Dominican mission in Pakistan.

Soon afterwards, some Marist Brothers joined the faculty. The parish purchased some land and opened two high schools, St. Helena’s Girls’ High School and St. Helena’s Boys’ High School, both of which later merged to become the co-ed Msgr. Scanlan High School. In 1951, there were 2,974 students enrolled at St. Helena School, and the upper grades were transferred to the high school buildings. In September 1957, the parish opened a two-year business school, which became known as St. Helena Commercial High School.

The joyful spirit of St. Helena’s flourished in fervent worship, bustling bazaars, parades, shows, a parish band, basketball games, parish dances, the annual New Year’s Gala Celebration, movie night, and roller skating. The parish Glee Club was founded by Fr. Owen McEnaney, who wrote many original songs and lyrics.

The second pastor, Msgr. John Voight eased the parish through the mandates of the Second Vatican Council. He was a man of great accomplishments and distinctions. He was a leader for many years in the field of Catholic education, Superintendent of Schools, and Secretary of Education. He began many programs at the parish, such as Leisure Club, Parish Council, and Project HAND, which is the largest senior citizen center in the city, starting as a little store-front on Winchester Avenue. In a homily for All Saints Day, he wrote: "The danger today is that we get so bombarded with bad news, so bogged down in things that are wrong, that we forget the things that are right. The tragedy is for you and me to stop believing in ourselves and in our fellow human beings. If any of us are here today, it is because there are some people who had faith in us, back there; somewhere, sometime, somebody believed in us and believed in life and taught us to do the same. As we are constantly confronted with the raw and ragged edges of human nature, the outlook is often dark and discouraging. The need of the hour is for people who can believe and work for the best things in the worst times. Jesus did that. The Apostles did that. Let us do the same."

The third pastor, Msgr. Philip Mulcahy was a poet who instilled within the parish a tremendous love for Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and the Eucharist. He introduced many new activities and organizations. Over the years, the demographics of Parkchester began changing, and the area became more multicultural. A Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was built where a venerable old oak tree once stood in the parking lot. The first Multicultural Mass was held in 1994 and has become an annual tradition. The elementary school began a program for three-year-olds in 1996, and this year the elementary school will open a special Universal Pre-School program. The Sparkill Dominican presence has gradually declined, and the last Sparkill Dominican Sr. Margaret Mary Rankin, O.P. departed in 2001. In 2014, a new religious community, the Piarist Fathers, began ministering at St. Helena’s, and the former convent became a seminary for young Piarists studying theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary. Fr. Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P. was pastor during the 2014-2015 school year, and Fr. David Powers, Sch.P. became pastor on August 1, 2015. He is assisted by Fr. Nelson Henao, Sch.P., who is in charge of Hispanic Ministry for the parish, and Rev. Richard Wyzykiewicz, Sch.P., who is the Director of Religious Education for the parish as well as the chaplain of the elementary school, which graduated its 75th class in 2016.