During the past three or four years, St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Grand Street has undergone a significant physical transformation. You can see the newly installed copper-coated steeples. The lower level gathering space has been turned into Grand Hall. The library in the rectory building has been beautifully restored. If you haven’t had a chance to look inside the city’s third oldest Catholic church, tonight’s your chance.
In partnership with the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative there’s a celebration of the parish’s founding almost 200 years ago on the Lower East Side. Here’s more from the invite:
St. Mary’s Grand Roman Catholic Church & Lower East Side Preservation Initiative invite you to join us Monday, May 14, 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Grand Rectory to celebrate, as part of LES History Month, the 192nd anniversary of the church’s founding. Father Andrew O’Connor, Rector, will present on the history of this iconic church, which was founded to serve the Irish immigrants who were arriving in large numbers into the Lower East Side during the early 19th century… Guests are welcome into the Attorney Street Rectory, a townhouse built in 1840 and acquired by the church during the Civil War. The event will include a photography exhibit of St. Mary’s through the years and handiwork from the parish: sustainable fashions designed by Father O’Connor, featuring native Guatemalan cotton woven by indigenous Mayans and fabricated at the Rectory, as featured in Vogue magazine and other publications. Refreshments featuring Irish and Latino influences will be served. The event will end with a tour of the church and ringing of St. Mary’s Bell.
You can purchase tickets here.
