P’ville’s Our Lady of Pompeii Celebrates 100 Years of Family, Faith
Several months before Grace Baer’s mother died in 2000, her mom instructed her that when 2018 arrived there needed to be a celebration for Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Pleasantville to recognize its 100h anniversary.
Baer and her fellow parishioners didn’t let her mother or the congregation down.
On Sunday, the small Saratoga Avenue church had its pews packed with several hundred congregants for a centennial Mass, followed by a Rosary procession around the neighborhood that was virtually identical to what the community’s forbears held for years every July that coincided with the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The afternoon also included plenty of good food, music, crafts and activities at the church’s social hall.
“It’s in honor of all the men and women who built the church and supported it, painted it, changed the windows,” said Baer, who has lived next door to the church for decades. “For all the work they did, it was all for them.”
The church, in the area of Pleasantville known as “The Flats,” attracted large numbers of immigrants from Sicily and areas of northern Italy in the early 20th century. The immigrants were either unwelcome or uncomfortable attending the established Catholic churches in the area at the time, said Jackie Kovatch, an Our Lady of Pompeii congregant and a member of the Parish Council.
So they decided to build one of their own – literally. With the help of a French Dominican priest, Fr. Alexander Mercier, the community raised the $400 to buy the parcel to build the church where Our Lady of Pompeii stands today.
Since most of the men who lived in the neighborhood worked in the trades as carpenters, masons or painters, they spent much of their free time retrieving stones from the nearby quarry where the Thornwood Town Center is currently located to build the church, said Connie Aucello Jakala, who grew up in The Flats.
“It’s small, it’s homey, it’s what church should be,” Jakala said.
It opened in 1918, although none of the community’s elders know for certain the date when Our Lady of Pompeii hosted its first Mass. Baer said her mother believed its opening was in May. September was chosen for the celebration because religious education classes were winding down for First Communions in May and then there would be confirmations in early fall, she said.
In 1925, the community added the present-day social hall, said Fr. Joseph Scordo, who grew up in the neighborhood.
Over the past 100 years, the church, which is part of Holy Innocents parish, has helped bind this section of town. Pastor Hugh Burns of Holy Innocents said Our Lady of Pompeii has thrived because the community around it has always understood that it was built and maintained on the backs of their families.
“A number of the original residents moved away but they come back,” Burns said. “They’re very loyal. It’s because their ancestors physically built this place so it has not only memories but a lot of significance for that reason.”
Sister Cathy O’Hanlon, who called Holy Innocents home for 14 years before retiring in 2016, said as she walked through the neighborhood during the procession she thought of the many people she served in the community.
“I just looked at the different houses of the people I used to visit and would bring communion to during those 14 years and so many wonderful memories come back,” O’Hanlon said. “I just think the faith of the people in this area is just so wonderful. I think Fr. Joe (Scordo) said it so very well in his remarks – there’s a lot of strong faith, wonderful people in this area and it’s just a privilege to be here.”
Entering its second century, Our Lady of Pompeii remains vibrant, although the daily Masses have been scrapped and there is just one Mass on Sunday morning. From time to time, there are still weddings and funerals at the church if the space can accommodate the anticipated crowd, Baer said.
Today, it serves area Catholics of all backgrounds. Pleasantville resident Christine McCarville, an 11-year parishioner, said she was thrilled to be part of the church.
“It’s a very proud day for the Italian-Americans in the area,” she said. “I can see the pride in their heritage and it’s just wonderful for them to celebrate what they made here with their own hands and we all celebrate with them.”
Scordo, who credited Our Lady of Pompeii with igniting his interest in his faith, said he was confident the church would be around for the community for generations to come.
“This is their church, this is their parish, this is their home, so it’s not going to fade away, not easily,” Scordo said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
