About St. Benedict the Moor [St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor Parish] · Jamaica, New York
St. Bonaventure – St. Benedict the Moor is a merged Catholic parish in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York, made up of two worship sites serving a notably diverse community of Latinos, African Americans, Caribbean Americans, and West Africans. It belongs to the Diocese of Brooklyn and offers Sunday Masses in English, Spanish, and a drum-based West African (Ghanaian) liturgy. Under its current pastor, Father Krystian J. Piasta, the parish describes itself as a 'vibrant and diverse community of faith that strives to put faith in practice by loving God and our neighbor,' rooted in the legacy of the historic African-American mission founded by Servant of God Msgr. Bernard Quinn.
- Established
- 1930 (St. Bonaventure); 1932 (St. Benedict the Moor); merged 2009
- Patron
- St. Benedict the Moor (and St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio)
- Rector
- Fr. Krystian J. Piasta
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brooklyn
Why belong here
St. Bonaventure – St. Benedict the Moor is one of the few Catholic parishes in New York City that intentionally gathers such a wide cultural range under one roof — Black Catholic, Latino, Caribbean, and West African worship styles coexist here, with Sunday Masses offered in English, Spanish, and a drum-based Ghanaian liturgy. It has a deep historical pedigree as the South Jamaica mission founded by Servant of God Msgr. Bernard Quinn, a robust social-outreach tradition (a twice-monthly food pantry, a St. Vincent de Paul conference, Knights of Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary), active youth and young-adult ministries, and small groups like Bible Study (Vineyard) and Unidos en una Sala Fe that welcome newcomers. As Father Piasta put it in his 2024 State of the Parish Address, 'this is a Church where there's room for all of us to grow and become true and growing disciples.'
Mass times at St. Benedict the Moor [St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor Parish]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Friday of the month during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (location alternates between St. Bonaventure and St. Benedict the Moor)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (alternating sites)
Parish History & Legacy of Msgr. Bernard Quinn
The parish is the union of two very different Catholic congregations that share the South Jamaica neighborhood. St. Bonaventure was established as a territorial parish in 1930; St. Benedict the Moor was founded on October 30, 1932 by Servant of God Msgr. Bernard J. Quinn as a 'national' parish for Black Catholics in Queens, the second such parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn after his 1922 founding of St. Peter Claver in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Quinn, who built orphanages for Black children on Long Island (twice attacked and rebuilt) and founded the Oblate Brothers of Mary, died on April 7, 1940. His cause for canonization has been formally forwarded to the Vatican. By the 1990s the two Jamaica churches were already sharing ministry, and in 2009 they were canonically merged into St. Bonaventure – St. Benedict the Moor.
- St. Bonaventure founded 1930 (territorial parish) — 114-58 170th Street
- St. Benedict the Moor founded 1932 (national parish for African-American Catholics) — 171-17 110th Avenue
- Founder of St. Benedict the Moor: Servant of God Msgr. Bernard J. Quinn (d. 1940)
- Parishes merged in 2009 under the Diocese of Brooklyn
- Neither site ever operated a parochial school
Mass & Worship Schedule
The parish celebrates daily and Sunday Masses across its two worship sites, with a deliberately multilingual and multicultural lineup: weekday Masses are split between the two churches, and Sunday Masses range from a Spanish Mass to a drum-based West African (Ghanaian) Mass. As the parish puts it, 'No matter what Mass you attend at our worship sites, you will be moved by its spirit of authenticity, fellowship and upbeat liturgies.'
- Monday–Wednesday: 8:30 am at St. Benedict the Moor
- Thursday–Friday: 8:30 am at St. Bonaventure
- Sunday 8:00 am (Spanish) — St. Benedict the Moor
- Sunday 10:00 am — St. Bonaventure
- Sunday 12:00 noon — St. Benedict the Moor
- Sunday 5:00 pm — St. Benedict the Moor (Ghanaian Mass with drums)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Father Krystian J. Piasta, a Polish-born priest who previously served St. Joseph's Parish and who also serves as a Catholic chaplain at JFK International and LaGuardia Airports. He is supported by a Coordinator of Religious Education and a parish secretary in the central office.
- Pastor: Fr. Krystian J. Piasta
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Warren Rolling, C.R.E.
- Secretary: Kathleen Webb
- Parish office phone: (718) 526-0040
- Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (closed other days)
Worship Sites
Because the merged parish has two churches on either side of Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in South Jamaica, daily and Sunday liturgies are distributed between them. Both sites are listed in the Diocese of Brooklyn's Chronological List of Queens Parishes; the parish asks the community to see the two buildings not as a division but as an expansion of its footprint.
- St. Bonaventure Catholic Church — 114-58 170th Street, Jamaica, NY 11434 (founded 1930)
- St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church — 171-17 110th Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11434 (founded 1932)
- Both sites serve ZIP codes 11433 and 11434
- Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral sits between the two worship sites
Ministries & Parish Life
The parish supports a wide range of lay-led ministries spanning liturgical service, faith formation, youth, young adults, men's fellowship, Spanish-language community, and outreach. As Father Piasta noted in his 2024 address, the parish is consciously building on its Black Catholic heritage — through groups like the Knights of Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary, and the Sister Thea Bowman Choir — while also pursuing full-scale integration with its growing Latino community through groups like Unidos en una Sala Fe.
- Liturgical: Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Altar Servers, Ushers, Choir, Liturgical Praise Dancers
- Formation: Bible Study / Vineyard (Mondays 7:00 PM), Unidos en una Sala Fe (Spanish, Saturdays)
- Youth: Disciples in Motion (DIM's) Youth Group — 1st & last Saturday, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
- Young Adult Ministry
- Men's Ministry — 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM at St. Bonaventure
- Rosary Society — 1st Sunday after each Mass
- Girl Scouts
- Rhymes-Lowery School of Dance (long-running parish tradition)
Outreach & Social Mission
Outreach is central to the parish's identity. The St. Vincent de Paul conference lives the Society's mission of 'serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy,' and the parish operates a twice-monthly food pantry in the neighborhood. The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary extend the parish's commitment to Black Catholic community life and charitable work. Father Piasta has also emphasized outdoor revival-style evangelization — most recently a Divine Mercy Sunday revival at St. Benedict the Moor led by Fr. Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R., held outdoors to attract neighborhood passersby.
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference
- Twice-monthly Food Pantry
- Knights of Peter Claver
- Ladies Auxiliary (Knights of Peter Claver)
- Outdoor neighborhood revivals (e.g. Divine Mercy Sunday with Fr. Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R.)
Distinctive Heritage
St. Bonaventure – St. Benedict the Moor is unusual among New York parishes in weaving together three Catholic cultures under one roof: Black Catholic (rooted in Quinn's 1932 mission), Latino (with Spanish-language Mass and Unidos en una Sala Fe), and West African (with a drum-based Ghanaian Mass on Sunday evenings). The parish is the baptismal home of rapper and actor LL Cool J, and has hosted the Sister Thea Bowman Choir. It is also one of the few U.S. parishes whose founding priest's cause for canonization is currently with the Vatican — Servant of God Msgr. Bernard Quinn, who died in 1940.
- Founded by Servant of God Msgr. Bernard Quinn (canonization cause in Rome)
- Baptismal parish of LL Cool J
- Sister Thea Bowman Choir performs here
- Home to the Rhymes-Lowery School of Dance for many decades
- One of two worship sites — three cultural worship styles under one parish
Visit, Register & Contact
The parish welcomes newcomers and invites them to register so it can keep important information securely on file and offer yearly tax receipts and giving/mail preferences. Visitors can find Mass times, directions to each church, and a contact form on the parish website.
- Phone: (718) 526-0040
- Fax: (315) 257-5338
- Website: stsbonabene.org
- Office: open Tuesday & Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Both church sites offer 'Get Directions' links on the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Servant of God Msgr. Bernard J. Quinn1932–1940
Founded St. Benedict the Moor Mission/Parish as a national parish for Black Catholics in Queens; died April 7, 1940; canonization cause sent to the Vatican.