OUR PARISH HISTORY
Remember the days of old, consider the years of generations past.
- Deuteronomy 32:7
The Story of St. Monica
1879 | A New Parish in Yorkville
The Parish of St. Monica was established in June 1879, becoming the fourth Catholic parish on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. As Yorkville grew, so did the need for a Catholic community to serve the families settling east of Lexington Avenue.
1880 | Humble Beginnings
Before there was a church, there was a room above a feed store. Under St. Monica’s first pastor, Father James J. Dougherty, parishioners gathered for mass at 404 East 78th Street while plans for a permanent home began to take shape.
1881–1883 | A Church and School Take Root
Land was purchased on East 79th Street in 1881, and within two years the young parish had built its first church and parish school. The school opened under the care of the Sisters of Charity of New York, beginning a long tradition of Catholic education in the neighborhood.
1906 | The Church We Know Today
As the parish continued to grow, the original church gave way to a larger permanent home. In 1906, the present Church of St. Monica was erected on East 79th Street. Designed by the noted architectural firm Schickel & Ditmars, its Gothic Revival façade, soaring interior, and stained-glass windows have made it a distinctive presence in Yorkville for more than a century.
The neighborhood surrounding St. Monica changed considerably over the decades. Generations of immigrants arrived, families moved in and out of Yorkville, and Manhattan grew around the church. St. Monica remained a place where parishioners gathered for the moments that marked their lives: baptisms and weddings, First Communions and funerals, Sunday mass and ordinary weekday prayer.
In 2004, St. Monica celebrated its 125th anniversary—a milestone in a history that was soon to enter a new chapter.
For nearly 150 years, Catholic life has been woven into the history of Yorkville. Our parish today carries the stories of three communities—St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and St. Stephen of Hungary—each shaped by the people who made this neighborhood their home.
The newly completed Church of St. Monica, as pictured in the New-York Tribune, November 29, 1907. Designed by Schickel & Ditmars in the English Gothic style, the new church rose above and around the parish’s original lower church.
The Church of St. Monica on East 79th Street, 1939. The Gothic church is seen here framed by the tenements that once lined the block between First and York Avenues. Photo: New York Public Library
Three Histories, One Parish
The Catholic history of Yorkville extends well beyond East 79th Street. By the early twentieth century, the neighborhood had become home to one of New York City’s largest Central European communities, and nearby Catholic parishes served generations of immigrants in their own languages, traditions, and cultures.
St. Stephen of Hungary was founded in 1902 to serve New York’s growing Hungarian Catholic community. Originally located farther downtown, the parish followed Hungarian families north to Yorkville, where a new church, school, and community center were established on East 82nd Street in the 1920s. St. Stephen became one of the anchors of the neighborhood once known as “Little Hungary,” and its legacy continues today through St. Stephen of Hungary School.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary began in 1891 among Slovak Catholic immigrants on the Lower East Side. As its community also migrated uptown, the parish moved to East 83rd Street in 1917. In 1980, St. Elizabeth entered another significant chapter when it was designated to serve Deaf Catholics throughout New York, adding a distinctive ministry to its already rich history.
The newly completed St. Stephen of Hungary complex on East 82nd Street, c. 1928. Designed as a church, parochial school, and community center for New York’s growing Hungarian Catholic community.
The Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary on East 83rd Street, c. 1930s.
In 2014, as part of the Archdiocese of New York’s Making All Things New pastoral planning initiative, it was announced that St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and St. Stephen of Hungary would come together as one parish. Beginning in 2015, St. Monica became the principal church of the newly united community.The name of our parish is long because the history behind it is long. Today, the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Monica, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Stephen of Hungary carries forward the inheritance of all three communities. Their histories can still be seen throughout parish life: in the church on East 79th Street, in St. Stephen of Hungary School, in the traditions handed down by generations of parishioners, and in a community that continues to reflect the changing neighborhood around it.More than a century after each of these communities first took root in New York City, their stories now belong to one parish—one that continues to grow, welcome new generations, celebrate the sacraments, serve its neighbors, and make a home for Catholic life in Yorkville.
Joining Together