St Mary’s RC Church

A beautiful historic old sanctuary in the midst of an expanding metropolis filling with condos. I love the juxtaposition of the old and new. A wonderful reminder to Long Island City’s immigrant past and present. It has been a center of family and community life since 1865. These immigrants and their descendants pray, celebrate life milestones, and educate their families in this parish. They built and toiled in the area for generations. I felt honored that I was able to participate in the ongoing celebration of the mass with the faithful here. «Blessed be the ties that bind.»

Just off the 7 train subway stop, St. Mary’s sits along Vernon Blvd, quietly in the heart of Long Island City. Its been my understanding the church has been in the area forever, an unchanged remnant of LIC’s pre condo city explosion. It’s a nice neighborhood church, not too big, never too busy.
Sunday service has its crowds, but there is always space. Saturday service (5pm) is as predicted, crawling and a bit slow. The interior has the makings of a decent looking facility, with an ample alter and enough space for a quality choir. The choir is limited and the ventilation could use an upgrade (pillar mounted fans won’t cut it for summer). It may not have the kind of high energy that some of the mega churches have in the city or central Queens, but this place is all for the easy going vibe.
Amidst all the hip businesses popping up everywhere, condos rising, and overall gentrification of LIC, I’m glad there is one spot that seems to be in for the long haul. And for that, St Mary’s gets my thumbs up.