About Saint Jerome · Bronx, New York
The Church of St. Jerome is a Roman Catholic parish in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, at 230 Alexander Avenue. Founded in 1869 by the Rev. John J. Hughes to serve Irish and German immigrants, the parish has been continuously present on the same block of Alexander Avenue between East 137th and 138th Streets ever since. Since about 2007 the parish has been entrusted to the priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), an Argentine-founded religious congregation. Today St. Jerome is a bilingual (Spanish and English) faith community shaped by successive waves of immigration — Irish and German, then Puerto Rican, and most recently Mexican, Dominican, and West African families — and is known for its striking Italianate/Baroque Revival church, its devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and its musical life.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- Saint Jerome
- Rector
- Fr. Javier Correa-Llano, IVE
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Why belong here
St. Jerome is a bilingual, immigrant-rooted Catholic parish in the heart of Mott Haven, sustained for more than 150 years by priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word. The parish welcomes families in Spanish and English, devotes a notable shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and offers weekday and Sunday Masses plus extended Eucharistic Adoration. It also hosts an unusually rich musical life — including the Classics Chamber Orchestra, the St. Jerome Children's Choir, and the Apollo Opera Company, performing on a historic Estey organ — and a parish community center providing English, computer, and citizenship classes to newcomers.
Mass times at Saint Jerome
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available before Mass and by appointment (call the rectory)
Adoration times
- Monday: 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
- Tuesday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 8:45 AM
- First Friday of the Month: 7:30 AM – 7:00 PM
About St. Jerome Parish
The Church of St. Jerome is a Roman Catholic parish at 230 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Founded in 1869 by the Rev. John J. Hughes, the parish is today served by priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), a religious congregation founded in Argentina and entrusted with St. Jerome's around 2007. The parish is bilingual, celebrating Mass in Spanish and English, and serves a community shaped by successive waves of immigration — Irish and German in the 19th century, Puerto Rican in the mid-20th century, and most recently Mexican, Dominican, and West African families.
Parish History
St. Jerome's was established in 1869 by Father John J. Hughes, who celebrated the first Masses in the abandoned Market House at Alexander Avenue and East 138th Street. Hughes purchased the entire block on Alexander Avenue between 137th and 138th Streets and erected a combined school and chapel, dedicated on June 19, 1870. Under his successor Father Patrick Tandy, the present church was begun in 1898 and completed in July 1900 — nine months before Father Tandy's death — to designs by Dehli & Howard. The 1871 school, a Victorian Gothic red-brick building with sandstone trim, was for many years staffed by the Ursuline sisters, and from 1928 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools for the older boys. The parish of St. Luke's was separated from St. Jerome's in 1897. By the 1930s Puerto Rican families had become a major part of the congregation, and after World War II the construction of Patterson, Mott Haven, and Mitchell Houses changed the neighborhood again. Beginning around 2000 a new wave of Mexican immigration transformed the community, and Father John Grange introduced a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and expanded outreach to immigrant families. In 1986 the Mott Haven Historic District — which includes St. Jerome's church complex — was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
- 1869: Parish founded by Rev. John J. Hughes
- 1870: Combined school and church dedicated (June 19)
- 1871: School building constructed
- 1897: Parish of St. Luke's separated from St. Jerome's
- 1898–1900: Present church built under Father Patrick Tandy
- 1928: Brothers of the Christian Schools begin teaching older boys
- 1986: Mott Haven Historic District designated
- 2013: Parish school closed after 141 years
The Church Building and Architecture
The church is an Italianate / Baroque Revival structure designed by Dehli & Howard of 1193 Broadway, built 1898–1900 in brick and Dorchester stone. It has an 80-foot frontage on Alexander Avenue, a depth of 156 feet, and is crowned by a 100-foot main bell tower flanked by two smaller towers. Seating is for about 1,000 in the body of the church and an additional 400 in a gallery running back to the transepts; the cavernous interior led early parishioners to call it "the cathedral of the Bronx." The adjoining Victorian Gothic red-brick school (1871) over basement with sandstone trim faces East 137th Street; together the church, rectory, and former school form a single complex spanning the block. A statue of St. Jerome stands outside the church, modeled on Father John Grange's twin brother Joe.
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The parish has been entrusted to the priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) since about 2007, when Archbishop (later Cardinal) Edward Egan placed it in the care of the Argentine-founded congregation. Fr. Javier Correa-Llano, IVE — a native of Argentina ordained in 2001 — was appointed pastor by Archbishop Timothy Dolan on April 1, 2015. He is assisted by other IVE priests who have served the parish community.
- Fr. Javier Correa-Llano, IVE — Pastor (appointed April 1, 2015)
- Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE
- Fr. Jorge Randle, IVE
Sacraments
Information about the sacraments offered at St. Jerome's, as listed on the parish website.
- Baptism
- Marriage (couples are asked to contact the parish well in advance of the wedding date)
- Confession / Reconciliation (before Mass and by appointment)
- Eucharistic Adoration (weekday mornings and First Fridays)
Music, Liturgy, and the Arts
St. Jerome has built an unusually rich musical life around its historic three-manual Estey organ from Brattleboro, Vermont (electro-pneumatic action, 34 stops, 36 ranks). Ramon Catalan has served as music director since 2008. The Classics Chamber Orchestra, founded in 2009, performs sacred and classical repertoire for the major holy days — chiefly Christmas and Easter — and the St. Jerome Children's Choir, also founded in 2009, presents two to three concerts a year. The parish is also the residence of the Apollo Opera Company (founded 2009), which stages new and less frequently performed operas for the wider New York audience.
- Estey organ (Brattleboro, VT) — 3 manuals, 34 stops, 36 ranks
- Music director: Ramon Catalan (since 2008)
- Classics Chamber Orchestra (founded 2009)
- St. Jerome Children's Choir (founded 2009)
- Apollo Opera Company (resident since 2009)
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Beyond the sacraments, St. Jerome's runs several long-standing ministries and outreach programs that serve the Mott Haven community. A parish community center offers English-language, computer, and citizenship classes for newly arrived immigrant families. The shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, established under Father John Grange, anchors the parish's pastoral outreach to the Mexican community that has become the largest in the parish in the 21st century. The parish complex's facilities are also shared with the Classics Chamber Orchestra, the St. Jerome Children's Choir, and the Apollo Opera Company.
- Parish community center (English, computer, citizenship classes)
- Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Classics Chamber Orchestra
- St. Jerome Children's Choir
- Apollo Opera Company
St. Jerome School
St. Jerome Elementary School was founded with the parish in 1871 — the first school building on the block was dedicated the year before — and was staffed for many decades by the Ursuline sisters and, from 1928, by the Brothers of the Christian Schools for the older boys. After 141 years of continuous operation, the school was closed in 2013 by the Archdiocese of New York as part of a broader consolidation of financially at-risk schools; the Victorian Gothic school building remains on the parish campus at the corner of Alexander Avenue and East 137th Street.
- Founded 1871; closed 2013
- Staffed by the Ursuline sisters and (from 1928) the Brothers of the Christian Schools
- Closed by the Archdiocese of New York as part of a consolidation of at-risk schools
Visiting the Parish
St. Jerome's is located on Alexander Avenue between East 137th and 138th Streets in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx. The rectory address is 230 Alexander Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454; the main telephone number is (718) 665-5533. The parish complex — church, rectory, and former school — spans an entire block and is part of the Mott Haven Historic District designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1986.
- Address: 230 Alexander Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454
- Phone: (718) 665-5533
- Website: https://www.stjeromebronx.com/
- Archdiocese: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John J. Hughes1869–
Founder of the parish; celebrated first Masses in the abandoned Market House at Alexander Avenue and East 138th Street.
- Rev. Patrick Tandy–1901
Built the present church (1898–1900) under architect Dehli & Howard; died nine months after its completion.
- Rev. John Grange–2008
Served the growing Mexican community; created a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE
Institute of the Incarnate Word; succeeded Fr. Grange around the time the parish was entrusted to the IVE (~2007).
- Fr. Jorge Randle, IVE
Institute of the Incarnate Word.
- Fr. Javier Correa-Llano, IVE2015–
Appointed pastor on April 1, 2015 by Archbishop Timothy Dolan; native of Argentina, ordained in 2001.