ABOUT US

• In Rev. Emmanuel Kufre Okon, MSP Became the 11th pastor of the pastor.
• The Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Committee continue to support leadership and mission, helping the parish respond to the needs of a diverse and changing community.

Gratitude for Priests, Deacons, Sisters, and Laity
Across more than a century, St. Bartholomew’s has been blessed with:

• Ten dedicated pastors,
• Many associate pastors and MSP missionaries,
• Several permanent deacons,
• The faithful service of the Sisters of the Presentation and other religious,
• And countless laypeople who built societies, ministries, and outreach.

• Fr. Brian McCarthy (pastor 1997–2005) initiated parish dinner dances, liturgical improvements, and the Family Mass. He also oversaw responses to September 11, 2001, offering spiritual support during national trauma.
• In 2005, a new chapter began when the parish was entrusted to the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria (MSP), marking a historic moment of African missionary leadership in Yonkers:
  • Fr. Francis Ibanga, MSP – 8th pastor (briefly, while completing studies).
  • Fr. Anthony Ita Bassey, MSP – 9th pastor, who strengthened the Parish Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, youth involvement, Children’s Mass, Bereavement Group, and launched the parish website and Bicentennial fundraising.
• The parish celebrated the School’s Golden Jubilee (2008) and the Parish Centennial (2009–2010) with a full year of liturgies, events, renovations, and a new marble sanctuary.
• Fr. Raphael Ezeh, MSP became the 10th pastor. With a background in pastoral counseling, he:
  • Led a parish survey and developed a three-year pastoral plan,
  • Strengthened and reorganized ministries in the parish and continued the legacy of growing the parish like others before him.

• A Food Pantry was founded in 1986 by Sr. Rose Murphy to serve the poor and needy.
• The parish celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1986, marked by a special Jubilee Mass and journal.
• Permanent deacons (John Sullivan, Robert Clemens, and later Anthony Mercandetti) were ordained and served the parish.
• Dr. Catherine Hickey, a parishioner, was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York, a historic first for a lay woman.
• Msgr. Vincent Case (pastor 1993–1997) strengthened liturgy, choirs, and established a Parish Social Ministry, expanding outreach to the sick and homebound.

• During Msgr. Duggan’s and Msgr. Joseph Tracy’s pastorates, the parish experienced the effects of Vatican II:
  • Introduction of Saturday Vigil Mass,
  • Greater participation of the laity,
  • Renewed focus on catechesis and parish life.
• In the early 1970s, a new church building was constructed at Roosevelt and Fero Streets. The old white church was demolished, and the new semi-circular church was dedicated on November 18, 1973.
• Under Msgr. Charles McManus, a Parish Council was formed (1981), along with a Parents’ Association for the school.
• The parish embraced lay ministries (lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, catechists) and hosted a thriving community theater group (“Broadway at St. Bart’s”).

St. Bartholomew’s Parish was founded in 1910 by Archbishop John Murphy Farley, who sent Fr. James F. McNamara to the west side of Yonkers to serve a growing immigrant population (Irish, Italian, Polish, etc.).

In 1914, Fr. McNamara built a large Parish Hall, which became a center for parish life, including Broadway-style shows and fundraising events.

Early Masses were celebrated in a private home on Stone Avenue, then in a tent on Lockwood Avenue, and later in a storefront, before moving to a converted carriage house on the Palmer Estate in 1911.

The parish was officially incorporated in 1911, and the first recorded baptism was Anna Maria Albright in January 1911.

• After Fr. McNamara’s death (1942), Fr. Patrick Mee became pastor and fostered strong parish societies, including:
  • Rosary Altar Society (1943)
  • Holy Name Society (1945)
• These groups deeply supported parish life and helped pay off parish debts.
• In 1955, Fr. William Duggan became pastor and began planning for a parish school, convent, and auditorium.

• In 1957–1958, the original red-brick hall was demolished and replaced by a new School, Convent, and Auditorium on Saw Mill River Road.
• The school opened on September 8, 1958, staffed by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and quickly became a central part of parish life.
• The auditorium served not only school functions but also Sunday Masses when the old church was too small.

• Fr. McNamara purchased multiple lots and eventually built a rectory (completed in 1924).
• Religious education (“Sunday School”) was organized for parish children, helped by Sisters of St. Francis and later other clergy.
• The Parish Hall became a place for drama, music, sports, and community gatherings, shaping the social and spiritual life of the parish.