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Places of Worship
Church of St. Elizabeth
268 Wadsworth Ave
New York, NY 10033
(212) 568-8803
Affiliation: Roman Catholic
Description:
A large Catholic church in Washington Heights. They offer a great deal of support programs aimed at the Spanish-speaking immigrant population, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Choir, Youth Group, and many other support programs.
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Impressions:
As I walked into St. Elizabeth’s, I was overwhelmed. The church itself was breathtakingly beautiful. The size of the church also overtook me (1,000 people could probably fit into the church.) The number attendees for the 10:30 Spanish mass was even more staggering. There was not an empty seat in the church and within minutes of the beginning of the mass, church members began to crowd the aisles, due to the lack of empty seats. I talked to father Kearney afterwards about the immensity of the church and the number of church members. He commented that this was actually a smaller Spanish mass, due to the rain – “Latinos come in snow and sleet but the rain seems to keep them in.” I can only imagine what a regular Sunday mass looks like. However, the size of the church made it difficult to feel welcome, especially if you are not a native Spanish speaker.
After the service, there was a bake sale to raise money for a mission’s trip to the Dominican Republic. Cake, cookies, juice and Dominican baked goods were on sale for $1. The church hopes to raise $20,000 in order to take approximately 35 people, including some kids, on the trip where they will build houses. I noted that although most people left after attending one mass, some of the teenagers hung around the church while other masses were in session – socializing with church leaders and other young adults their age, particularly in Spanish which contributes to the strong sense of community. They seemed so comfortable at the church and the church seems to act as a second home.
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Interviews:
Father Kearney is Irish American, but as a pastor of St. Elizabeth’s since the 1990s, he has seen a lot of change in the church community as well as the Dominican community. He conducts the English as well as the Spanish mass, and speaks fluent Spanish. Although he learned some prior to coming to the church, he really picked it up through his interactions with members of the congregation, most of whom are Dominican. He also noted that the Spanish masses are packed with people, but English masses are not.
Father Kearney feels that immigrants feel comfortable at church because it is a place that isn’t foreign to them. The church keeps many Dominican traditions, celebrating most Dominican feasts. Sometimes, priests from the Dominican Republic will come and join their services, as well. He also feels that the church plays an important role in the immigrant community: “We try to direct them,” he told us. He feels that the church plays a role in keeping kids out of trouble and off of the street, especially through the youth group. The church owns a nursing home, and also helps people with other problems, such as family, immigration or marital issues, and even problems regarding relatives in jail. They also host domestic violence events throughout the year, as well as a few immigration and housing forums. Father Kearney also told us about a missions’ trip to the Dominican Republic in the coming summer, which they are holding bake sales each week to raise money for the trip.
Although he feels that Dominicans are, in general, doing better, becoming more stable, and assimilating more readily than they were in the ‘90s, he also feels concerned about the education of the youth: “If they don’t get past high school, they don’t leave their neighborhoods. This neighborhood is ‘ghetto’, and it doesn’t help anyone out because if you go to the Dunkin Donuts, they speak Spanish. If you go to the laundry mat, they speak Spanish. At the bodegas, they speak Spanish.” Father Kearney believes that because they live in an ethnic neighborhood, it becomes more difficult for newcomers to adapt and get ahead outside of their enclaves: “It’s hard for them to go to college and have professional jobs. A Dominican American child here has better chances, but kids who have just arrived struggle, due to the language barrier.”