Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan)

Church of the Holy Name of Jesus
Church of the Holy Name of Jesus
	Amsterdam Avenue and 96th Street
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
General information
Address	207 West 96th Street
Town or city	New York City
Country	United States of America
Client	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Website
	Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manhattan (Upper West Side)

The Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York located at 207 West 96th Street at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1900 and was designed by Thomas H. Poole in the Gothic Revival style.

The parish was under the administration of the Franciscans for 30 years, between 1990-2020. The parish has an attached elementary and middle school, as well as a community center on West 97th Street.

On May 8, 2015, the parish was merged with that of St. Gregory the Great.^[1]

History[]

Interior of the church

The church and school around 1914.

The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus was organized in 1868 in the area then known as Bloomingdale.^[2] A wood-frame church was erected on the northwest corner of Bloomingdale Road (now called Broadway) and 97th Street.^[3]

For many years the pastor was Most Reverend Stephen Donahue, auxiliary bishop of New York. In 1939, after the death of Cardinal Patrick Hayes he was considered a possible successor as archbishop of New York. However, Pope Pius XII appointed Bishop Francis Spellman, auxiliary bishop of Boston, to the See. Bishop Donahue died in 1982.

In 1997, the church suffered damage when the air compressor in the organ caught fire during a noon mass. The church took the opportunity to renovate, which was finished in 2000.

Architecture[]

Thomas Henry Poole designed the present Gothic Revival church, which was built in stages from 1891 to 1900. The steeple was added in 1918. The large interior is noted for its hammer-and-beam ceiling, stained glass windows, terrazzo floor, and beautiful marble altars. It is built entirely of pink Milford granite, richly carved at the entrances and towers. The roof construction and ceiling are made of highly polished wood. The woodwork throughout the interior is fashioned from American quartered oak. The many columns supporting the roof have been designed in very light color to provide contrast with the darker ceiling.

Sanctuary and Altars[]

The church boasts five marble altars, rich in design and workmanship. The high altar, at the center of the sanctuary, is in the decorative style of Gothic architecture. It features detailed carvings and columns of onyx. The most beautiful carving is a relief image of the Last Supper, modeled after Da Vinci's work of the same name. (This carving was later moved to constitute the front of a new main altar, placed at the foot of the steps of the high altar.)

Two side altars also adorn the sanctuary—a Marian altar to the high altar's left, and one dedicated to Joseph on its right. Both side altars are made from the same marble, and were placed within the sanctuary on the day the Church was dedicated.

There are two additional altars, outside the communion rail, honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Anne.

Stained Glass[]

The stained-glass windows in the Church was carefully planned and executed. The large window over the church's main entrance represents the Adoration of the Holy Name of Jesus. The window depicts Christ, Savior of the world, crowned upon His throne, receiving due adoration from all creation. All classes of individual with the title of Saint (e.g. Apostles, Holy Doctors, Holy Women, etc.) are here represented.

In the south transept, the window represents the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple. The window in the north transept depicts the Apparition of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The window nearest the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The window near the altar of St. Joseph is a beautiful image of the Death of St. Joseph.

On the south side of the church, the windows describe the events of Our Blessed Lord's interior life: The Annunciation, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, Christ among the pharisees and scribes of the temple, and Christ in the Carpenter Shop.

The windows on the north side of the Church depict scenes from Christ's public life: His Baptism, Blessing the Children, Anointing at Bethany, Agony in the Garden, and Handing of the Keys to St. Peter.

Organ[]

M.P. Moller Pipe Organ Company's Opus 6570 was installed in the church in 1937. The instrument contains four-manuals with 68 stops and 76 ranks. As a result of the 1997 fire, the organ suffered smoke and water damage and portions are not operable.^[4]

Community roles[]

Holy Name has taken a leading role in addressing social justice issues on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Under the direction of Fr. Mike Tyson, the church had sponsored numerous petitions and took a leading role in closing a zoning loophole that a land developer had exploited in order to build two large condominium towers. Holy Name also organizes an interfaith March for Peace every year on Martin Luther King Jr Day, along with several Lutheran and Episcopal Churches and several synagogues and is the epicenter of the organization West Siders for Peace.