About Our Lady of Lourdes · New York, New York
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in the Hamilton Heights / West Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, in the Archdiocese of New York. Founded in 1901 by Monsignor Joseph H. McMahon under Archbishop Michael Corrigan, the parish is built around a 1902-1904 church whose facade was salvaged from the former National Academy of Design building. Designated a New York City Landmark in 1975, the church now serves a predominantly Hispanic congregation — overwhelmingly Dominican and Ecuadorian, with smaller Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican and other communities — through a vibrant bilingual and largely Spanish-language schedule of Masses, devotions, youth and young-adult groups, and a charismatic prayer group. The present pastor, Rev. Gilberto Ángel-Neri, has served the parish since roughly 2018 and is widely cited for his ministry with immigrant families.
- Established
- 1901
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Rev. Gilberto Ángel-Neri
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New York (Vicariate of North Manhattan)
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes offers a deeply Catholic, multigenerational and overwhelmingly immigrant home in West Harlem, with one of the most Spanish-rich liturgical schedules in the Archdiocese of New York — five of its six weekend Masses are celebrated in Spanish, plus a bilingual Family Mass in English and Spanish. The parish is a place where Marian devotion, Eucharistic Adoration (including all-night First Friday Adoration) and charismatic prayer are lived side by side, with active groups for youth, young adults ('Saints in Progress'), a charismatic prayer group, a Hispanic 'Tronco de Jese' prayer community, and ongoing formation for children. Pastoral leadership under Father Gilberto Ángel-Neri is widely noted for its closeness to working Dominican, Ecuadorian, Mexican and other Latin American families who form the heart of the parish.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- 1st Friday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM (All Night Adoration)
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Adoración Nocturna: 1st Friday 10:00 PM through Saturday 9:00 AM
History of Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Our Lady of Lourdes was canonically erected on June 14, 1901 by Archbishop Michael Corrigan of New York, who personally toured the Washington Heights area with his newly appointed founding pastor, Rev. Joseph H. McMahon. Father McMahon, then 38, had spent the previous fifteen years as a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral. While a permanent church was being planned, the first parish Mass was celebrated on Sunday, September 1, 1901 in three rooms above a drug store at Amsterdam Avenue and 145th Street that had previously been used as a dancing school; an altar and organ were installed, partitions removed, and 150 chairs set out. The first baptism was conferred on that opening Sunday on an adult convert, Francis Dykes, who was married the following day at a nuptial Mass. Rev. James P. Sheridan was soon added as the first assistant, and the priests moved into a rented apartment across the street at 468 West 145th Street.
- Parish established June 14, 1901 by Archbishop Michael Corrigan
- First Mass: Sunday, September 1, 1901 in a former dancing school above a drug store at Amsterdam Ave & 145th St
- First baptism and first marriage both in the opening days of the parish
- First assistant: Rev. James P. Sheridan
- First rented rectory: 468 West 145th Street
Building the Church
After attempts to purchase the nearby Convent Avenue Baptist Church and a Dutch Reformed Church fell through, Father McMahon chose to buy a site and build. The basement church — later known as the Grotto — was completed in a single year and hosted its first Mass on Sunday, September 7, 1902. Construction of the upper church proceeded through labor disputes, a contractor whose work had to be ripped out and replaced, and a zoning lawsuit (which the courts dismissed), yet the building was dedicated by Archbishop John M. Farley on Sunday, December 20, 1903 — only fourteen months after groundbreaking.
- Designed by Cornelius O'Reilly of the O'Reilly Brothers; facade by Peter B. Wight
- Built 1902–1904 at a cost of approximately $80,000
- Basement church (the Grotto) first used September 7, 1902
- Upper church dedicated by Archbishop Farley on December 20, 1903
- Parish school established in 1903, staffed by the Ursulines, then by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus; a larger school built about ten years later
A Landmark Made of Landmarks
What makes Our Lady of Lourdes architecturally extraordinary is that it was largely constructed from salvaged elements of three demolished New York landmarks, an economy and aesthetic choice that has since earned it New York City Landmark status. Wikipedia and the parish's own history both note that the church has been called 'one of the oddest buildings in New York.' The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it in 1975.
- 142nd Street facade: from Peter B. Wight's Venetian Gothic National Academy of Design (23rd St & Fourth Ave / Park Ave South)
- Apse and part of eastern wall, including stained glass: from James Renwick Jr.'s St. Patrick's Cathedral (removed for the Lady Chapel)
- Entrance pedestals: from A. T. Stewart's 'Marble Palace' (34th St & Fifth Ave)
- Bricks from St. Patrick's Cathedral also used in the construction
- Designated a New York City Landmark in 1975
Pastoral Leadership and Pastoral Succession
The parish's only well-documented pastor to date is its founding pastor, Right Reverend Monsignor Joseph H. McMahon, who served from 1901 until 1939 and shaped the parish's buildings, school, and devotional character in its first four decades. The current pastor, Rev. Gilberto Ángel-Neri, has led the parish for approximately seven years (as of 2024) and is widely cited for his ministry among Dominican, Ecuadorian, Mexican and other Latin American immigrant families in West Harlem. The parish's own site and the Archdiocese of New York directory confirm him as the present pastor.
- Monsignor Joseph H. McMahon — Founding Pastor, 1901–1939
- Rev. Gilberto Ángel-Neri — current Pastor
Devotions and Other Services
Beyond Mass, Confession and Adoration, the parish maintains a rhythm of Marian and charismatic devotions, including a walking Rosary that links Lourdes with neighboring St. Catherine of Genoa, a monthly retreat called Sígueme, and a charismatic Praise Evening.
- Walking Rosary: St. Catherine of Genoa Church (504 W. 153rd St.) → Our Lady of Lourdes (472 W. 142nd St.)
- Clase Pre-Bautismal en Español — Pre-Baptismal Class in Spanish (date set at registration)
- Retiro Mensual de Sígueme — monthly retreat of Adoration, Prayer and Reflection
- Tarde de Alabanza — Charismatic Prayer Group Praise Evening
Parish Ministries and Groups
Ministry life at Our Lady of Lourdes centers on forming young people and families in faith and prayer. The parish runs an active youth group meeting in the school gymnasium, a young-adult community called 'Saints in Progress,' and a Hispanic charismatic prayer community (Grupo de Oración Carismático / Tronco de Jese), alongside ongoing Religious Education and sacramental preparation for children.
- Our Lady of Lourdes Youth Group — meets at 468 West 143rd Street (School Gymnasium)
- Saints in Progress Young Adults — meets in the Parish Office, 472 West 142nd Street; focuses on Eucharist, Adoration, Prayer, Learning and Service
- Grupo de Oración Carismático / Tronco de Jese — Hispanic charismatic prayer group
- Retiro Mensual de Sígueme — monthly retreat
- Religious Education program
- Pre-Baptismal Preparation (Spanish)
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the full sacramental life of the Church, with Baptism celebrated in Spanish and preceded by a Pre-Baptismal class whose date is fixed at registration. Marriage, First Communion, Confirmation and Reconciliation are referenced in parish communications; confession is offered Thursday and Saturday afternoons/evenings.
- Baptism — celebrated in Spanish; Pre-Baptismal class required
- Marriage / Nuptial Mass
- First Communion
- Confirmation
- Reconciliation (Confession) — Thursday 5–6 PM, Saturday 5–6 PM
Visit, Location and Contact
Our Lady of Lourdes sits in the heart of West Harlem between Convent Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue, just a block from the 145th Street subway hub. The parish office is at 472 West 142nd Street, and the school gymnasium used by the Youth Group is next door at 468 West 143rd Street.
- Address: 472 West 142nd Street, New York, NY 10031
- Phone: (212) 862-4380
- Website: http://lourdesnyc.org/
- Youth Group: 468 West 143rd Street (School Gymnasium)
- Listed by the Archdiocese of New York at archny.org/places/our-lady-of-lourdes-church
- Archdiocese: Archdiocese of New York; Vicariate of North Manhattan
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Right Reverend Monsignor Joseph H. McMahon1901–1939
Founding pastor; appointed by Archbishop Michael Corrigan; previously a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral for fifteen years; oversaw construction of the 1902-1904 church and early school.