The Great Growth
(1917-1943) Rt. Reverend Monsignor Joseph F Delaney D.D.
Second Pastor of Incarnation
In the spring of 1917, His Eminence, John Cardinal Farley, was faced with a difficult choice in selecting
Incarnation’s next pastor. The parish was still growing, and the new appointee would have to fill the place of
Incarnation’s founder. The Cardinal needed a man with financial ability who could meet the challenge of the
heavy debt ($187,000 mortgage). He needed a builder since the parish was only eight years old and it was
still without a church.
Two weeks after Doctor Mahoney’s funeral, Cardinal John Farley appointed, Father Delany the new pastor of
Incarnation. Obedient to the will of the Cardinal and moved by a desire to finish the work his friend had
begun so well, Father Delany left his well established parish of St. Malachy’s to become Incarnation’s second
pastor.
The New Pastor
The new pastor was ordained in Rome in 1890, after completing his theological studies at the North
American College. On his return to the United States he was assigned to St. Bernard’s on West 14th Street,
and then to St. Ann’s on East 12th Street. In 1892 he was appointed professor of Logic and Science at the
Provincial Seminary of New York, which was located in Troy. After four years of teaching he was called back
to New York City and named assistant pastor of Holy Name Church on West 96th Street. From 1904 until
1906 he was chaplain to the House of the Good Shepherd on East 90th Street, and it was from this post that
he was named pastor of St. Malachy’s, where he served eleven years.
Father Delany, was associated with the Chancery Court or the Tribunal of the Archdiocese as he served as
Notary in the Matrimonial Curia until 1921.
In that year, Archbishop Hayes appointed him Presiding Judge or Officialis of the Tribunal, a post he was to
hold for twenty years besides his pastoral duties at Incarnation.
When Father Delany came to Incarnation there were more than 3,000 adults attending Sunday Mass in the
parish. The school enrolled 467 children in 1917 and the number was to climb to almost 700 in less than
five years. Children were already being turned away for lack of space. The first seven years of his
administration recount a remarkable story of the new pastor’s management skills. He cut down the expenses
of operating the parish and was holding the line with the facilities on hand.
In 1917, the expenses of the parish were reduced by almost $8,000. The collections increased from the 1916
total of $11, 495 to $18, 133. Incarnation’s debt was reduced by $14,000 that year.
The financial stability which Incarnation exhibited in the second decade of its existence was due in part to
the careful management of Father Delany. However, the primary cause is the steady development of the
neighborhood during these years. Washington Heights was one of the fastest growing communities in the
City of New York in the first quarter of this century.
As soon as the campaign of debt reduction got under way the people of the parish were presented with the
overall program as a challenge to their spirit. In less than six years the debt had been liquidated and the
balance on hand in 1923 showed that Incarnation was more than $30,000 to the good.
Incarnation was financially sound; it was ready to build again.
On February 25, 1919, Father Delany, aware of the changes in population that were taking place and of the
arrival of less fortunate newcomers to the parish, asked ten men of the parish to come to the rectory to
discuss a problem in parish affairs. He unfolded his plan to establish the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the
parish.
From this moment forward the works of these men served as a most valuable aid to the priests of Incarnation
in their works of charity. They were to be a source of untold blessings to the poor of the parish.
In 1924, Father Delany was named domestic prelate with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor by Pope Pius
XI. Father Delany at this time, was one of the best known and most respected priests in New York.
New Developments in the Heights
The mid 1920's also witnessed further development of Washington Heights. Columbia University and the
Presbyterian Hospital concluded plans for the new Medical Center to be built at 168th Street and Broadway.
Many of the hundreds of people who were to be employed in this giant project sought homes in the vicinity,
and even more families moved into the area as bus and subway service continued to improve. There was
talk of a bridge across the Hudson being planned.
At this time not only Incarnation felt the pressure of the increasing numbers but the surrounding parishes
as well.
St. Elizabeth's was divided again to form Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish to help take care of the greater
number of Catholics in that area.
His most pressing problem was the school. It's rapid growth in enrollment necessitated the holding of two
classes in the chapel, and its lack of an auditorium became even more of a problem.
In 1925, an all out drive to raise enough money for the building fund of the parish called forth the
generosity of the people to such an extent that the pastor was able to spend $117, 316.75 for the
enlargement of the school. During the summer months that year two more stories were added to the school.
Even though the yearly cost of the operation of the school climbed from $6500.00 to almost $11,000, the
support of the parishioners more than kept pace with the need. The parish was still in a very good condition
financially, partly because of the support of the people and partly because of the good management of
Fr. Delany.
The Building of the Church
Towards the end of the 1920's he had been pastor of Incarnation for almost ten years, he started to think
about building a permanent place of worship for his flock.
Only the best would do for Incarnation, and he was determined that only the best it should be.
The year 1927 saw a building fund started towards the construction of the parochial church. It raised more
than $50,000 that year, and more than $60,000 the next. With this money on hand, Monsignor Delany
decided that the time had come for Incarnation to have a church. The parish was almost twenty years old.
It was on the day of the official celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the parish that
Patrick Cardinal Hayes laid the cornerstone of the new church. October 28, 1928 was the feast of Christ the
King, and also the fourteenth anniversary of the cardinal's consecration as a bishop.
By this date, the outside walls had been constructed so that the whole structure was almost three-quarters
completed. The church was being built of Dunwoodie granite, and its cost was estimated at that time at more
than half a million dollars.
Five thousand people gathered for the blessing of the cornerstone, and Monsignor Thomas G. Carroll, the
Chancellor of the Archdiocese, delivered the sermon at the ceremonies in the school.
It was not however, until almost two years later that the church was dedicated. The depression struck
Incarnation Parish. If the parish church had not been begun when it was, Incarnation Church might not
have been built for twenty more years.
Indeed, with the shifting population trend of the next few decades, if the building had not been started in
1927, it might not have been started at all. The depression was harsh on the neighborhood. Unemployment
was a major problem and the poor looked to the church as well as civil government for help. The number of
cases handled by the St. Vincent de Paul Society almost doubled between the years of 1929 and 1931.
But, the generosity of the congregation helped shoulder the increased burdens of some of their less fortunate
neighbors.
The dedication of the church coming as it did on the heels of this great economic crisis was a psychological
lift for the people of the parish. This was their church. They had watched the progress of its construction
week by week for almost three years.
On Sunday, June 1st, 1930, Cardinal Hayes returned to Incarnation for the dedication of the church.
That Historic Sunday morning, his Eminence was met at 170th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue by
representatives of the parish Holy Name Society, St. Ann's Guild, and a troop of Boy Scouts, who escorted
him to the rectory. This line of march took them directly past the small storefront where Mass had been
celebrated for the first time in the parish twenty-two years before.
Hundreds of people gathered in the street to watch the procession. The church was filled to capacity,
hundreds stood in the aisles, and the overflow "catching a snatch now and then of the ceremony from the
steps of the church".
Monsignor thanked the people and reminded them of the new debt as he had been forced to borrow $143,000
to finish the church.
Catholic News wrote of the church building, " The Church of the Incarnation rises to a dignified height amid
the bustle of busy St. Nicholas Avenue at 175th Street. Requiring about two years to build and costing,
construction appointments together, close to $1,000,000, the church fairly dominates the section. Of
French Gothic Architecture, the edifice will seat 900 people in the upper church and 800 more in the
basement."
The dedication of the church marked the high point in the long pastorate of Monsignor Delany. It also
marked the half-way point of his twenty-six years as Pastor of Incarnation.
In 1933, the Silver Jubilee of the parish found an active, hardy, but economically hard hit Incarnation.
Despite the total income of the parish being half of what it had been only five years before, the debt was
being paid off.
During this time the population was predominantly Irish, and an estimate of 10,000 Catholics lived in the
area. The men of Incarnation parish were employed by the public transportation services, agencies of local
or federal governments such as the police and fire departments or the post office. There were a small group of
professional men and women. In 1936, First communion and confirmation numbered 400. There were 90
altar servers and more than fifty members of the Boys Choir. The parish population was over 10,000.
A second wave of newcomers composed mainly of displaced Jews from Germany and the slavic countries who
found refuge and peace in the Heights.
The New Convent
In 1937, the school became overcrowded again, the enrollment approximated 1400 children. The school
instituted the triple session making an eight hundred pupil school accommodate 1400. More sisters were
needed to teach in the school. A new convent had to be built as the old convent was already overcrowded. A
drive to realize funds and construction was begun. The new convent was opened on October 1940.
The End of an Era
In 1943, Msgr. Delany became ill and on March 6th of that year he died. The new Church achieved through
his selfless efforts stands as a tribute to his work. He had loved the beauty of the Lord's house and where His
glory dwells.
Incarnation was blessed because of this gifted, great and devoted priest. Fifteen Monsignori and seventy
priests attended the funeral. The body of Incarnation's second pastor was laid to rest in Calvary cemetary.
It was the end of an era, and Incarnation's people felt the loss of their shepherd. Under his administration the
parish had grown from 5000 to well over 10,000 souls. He had build an impressive church, he had enlarged
the school, he had erected a convent for the sisters, with the help of the priests of the parish, he had kept
Incarnation an active, thriving parish.
The planting was done. Now it was time for the harvest.
(1917-1943) Rt. Reverend Monsignor Joseph F Delaney D.D.
Second Pastor of Incarnation
In the spring of 1917, His Eminence, John Cardinal Farley, was faced with a difficult choice in selecting
Incarnation’s next pastor. The parish was still growing, and the new appointee would have to fill the place of
Incarnation’s founder. The Cardinal needed a man with financial ability who could meet the challenge of the
heavy debt ($187,000 mortgage). He needed a builder since the parish was only eight years old and it was
still without a church.
Two weeks after Doctor Mahoney’s funeral, Cardinal John Farley appointed, Father Delany the new pastor of
Incarnation. Obedient to the will of the Cardinal and moved by a desire to finish the work his friend had
begun so well, Father Delany left his well established parish of St. Malachy’s to become Incarnation’s second
pastor.
The New Pastor
The new pastor was ordained in Rome in 1890, after completing his theological studies at the North
American College. On his return to the United States he was assigned to St. Bernard’s on West 14th Street,
and then to St. Ann’s on East 12th Street. In 1892 he was appointed professor of Logic and Science at the
Provincial Seminary of New York, which was located in Troy. After four years of teaching he was called back
to New York City and named assistant pastor of Holy Name Church on West 96th Street. From 1904 until
1906 he was chaplain to the House of the Good Shepherd on East 90th Street, and it was from this post that
he was named pastor of St. Malachy’s, where he served eleven years.
Father Delany, was associated with the Chancery Court or the Tribunal of the Archdiocese as he served as
Notary in the Matrimonial Curia until 1921.
In that year, Archbishop Hayes appointed him Presiding Judge or Officialis of the Tribunal, a post he was to
hold for twenty years besides his pastoral duties at Incarnation.
When Father Delany came to Incarnation there were more than 3,000 adults attending Sunday Mass in the
parish. The school enrolled 467 children in 1917 and the number was to climb to almost 700 in less than
five years. Children were already being turned away for lack of space. The first seven years of his
administration recount a remarkable story of the new pastor’s management skills. He cut down the expenses
of operating the parish and was holding the line with the facilities on hand.
In 1917, the expenses of the parish were reduced by almost $8,000. The collections increased from the 1916
total of $11, 495 to $18, 133. Incarnation’s debt was reduced by $14,000 that year.
The financial stability which Incarnation exhibited in the second decade of its existence was due in part to
the careful management of Father Delany. However, the primary cause is the steady development of the
neighborhood during these years. Washington Heights was one of the fastest growing communities in the
City of New York in the first quarter of this century.
As soon as the campaign of debt reduction got under way the people of the parish were presented with the
overall program as a challenge to their spirit. In less than six years the debt had been liquidated and the
balance on hand in 1923 showed that Incarnation was more than $30,000 to the good.
Incarnation was financially sound; it was ready to build again.
On February 25, 1919, Father Delany, aware of the changes in population that were taking place and of the
arrival of less fortunate newcomers to the parish, asked ten men of the parish to come to the rectory to
discuss a problem in parish affairs. He unfolded his plan to establish the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the
parish.
From this moment forward the works of these men served as a most valuable aid to the priests of Incarnation
in their works of charity. They were to be a source of untold blessings to the poor of the parish.
In 1924, Father Delany was named domestic prelate with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor by Pope Pius
XI. Father Delany at this time, was one of the best known and most respected priests in New York.
New Developments in the Heights
The mid 1920's also witnessed further development of Washington Heights. Columbia University and the
Presbyterian Hospital concluded plans for the new Medical Center to be built at 168th Street and Broadway.
Many of the hundreds of people who were to be employed in this giant project sought homes in the vicinity,
and even more families moved into the area as bus and subway service continued to improve. There was
talk of a bridge across the Hudson being planned.
At this time not only Incarnation felt the pressure of the increasing numbers but the surrounding parishes
as well.
St. Elizabeth's was divided again to form Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish to help take care of the greater
number of Catholics in that area.
His most pressing problem was the school. It's rapid growth in enrollment necessitated the holding of two
classes in the chapel, and its lack of an auditorium became even more of a problem.
In 1925, an all out drive to raise enough money for the building fund of the parish called forth the
generosity of the people to such an extent that the pastor was able to spend $117, 316.75 for the
enlargement of the school. During the summer months that year two more stories were added to the school.
Even though the yearly cost of the operation of the school climbed from $6500.00 to almost $11,000, the
support of the parishioners more than kept pace with the need. The parish was still in a very good condition
financially, partly because of the support of the people and partly because of the good management of
Fr. Delany.
The Building of the Church
Towards the end of the 1920's he had been pastor of Incarnation for almost ten years, he started to think
about building a permanent place of worship for his flock.
Only the best would do for Incarnation, and he was determined that only the best it should be.
The year 1927 saw a building fund started towards the construction of the parochial church. It raised more
than $50,000 that year, and more than $60,000 the next. With this money on hand, Monsignor Delany
decided that the time had come for Incarnation to have a church. The parish was almost twenty years old.
It was on the day of the official celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the parish that
Patrick Cardinal Hayes laid the cornerstone of the new church. October 28, 1928 was the feast of Christ the
King, and also the fourteenth anniversary of the cardinal's consecration as a bishop.
By this date, the outside walls had been constructed so that the whole structure was almost three-quarters
completed. The church was being built of Dunwoodie granite, and its cost was estimated at that time at more
than half a million dollars.
Five thousand people gathered for the blessing of the cornerstone, and Monsignor Thomas G. Carroll, the
Chancellor of the Archdiocese, delivered the sermon at the ceremonies in the school.
It was not however, until almost two years later that the church was dedicated. The depression struck
Incarnation Parish. If the parish church had not been begun when it was, Incarnation Church might not
have been built for twenty more years.
Indeed, with the shifting population trend of the next few decades, if the building had not been started in
1927, it might not have been started at all. The depression was harsh on the neighborhood. Unemployment
was a major problem and the poor looked to the church as well as civil government for help. The number of
cases handled by the St. Vincent de Paul Society almost doubled between the years of 1929 and 1931.
But, the generosity of the congregation helped shoulder the increased burdens of some of their less fortunate
neighbors.
The dedication of the church coming as it did on the heels of this great economic crisis was a psychological
lift for the people of the parish. This was their church. They had watched the progress of its construction
week by week for almost three years.
On Sunday, June 1st, 1930, Cardinal Hayes returned to Incarnation for the dedication of the church.
That Historic Sunday morning, his Eminence was met at 170th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue by
representatives of the parish Holy Name Society, St. Ann's Guild, and a troop of Boy Scouts, who escorted
him to the rectory. This line of march took them directly past the small storefront where Mass had been
celebrated for the first time in the parish twenty-two years before.
Hundreds of people gathered in the street to watch the procession. The church was filled to capacity,
hundreds stood in the aisles, and the overflow "catching a snatch now and then of the ceremony from the
steps of the church".
Monsignor thanked the people and reminded them of the new debt as he had been forced to borrow $143,000
to finish the church.
Catholic News wrote of the church building, " The Church of the Incarnation rises to a dignified height amid
the bustle of busy St. Nicholas Avenue at 175th Street. Requiring about two years to build and costing,
construction appointments together, close to $1,000,000, the church fairly dominates the section. Of
French Gothic Architecture, the edifice will seat 900 people in the upper church and 800 more in the
basement."
The dedication of the church marked the high point in the long pastorate of Monsignor Delany. It also
marked the half-way point of his twenty-six years as Pastor of Incarnation.
In 1933, the Silver Jubilee of the parish found an active, hardy, but economically hard hit Incarnation.
Despite the total income of the parish being half of what it had been only five years before, the debt was
being paid off.
During this time the population was predominantly Irish, and an estimate of 10,000 Catholics lived in the
area. The men of Incarnation parish were employed by the public transportation services, agencies of local
or federal governments such as the police and fire departments or the post office. There were a small group of
professional men and women. In 1936, First communion and confirmation numbered 400. There were 90
altar servers and more than fifty members of the Boys Choir. The parish population was over 10,000.
A second wave of newcomers composed mainly of displaced Jews from Germany and the slavic countries who
found refuge and peace in the Heights.
The New Convent
In 1937, the school became overcrowded again, the enrollment approximated 1400 children. The school
instituted the triple session making an eight hundred pupil school accommodate 1400. More sisters were
needed to teach in the school. A new convent had to be built as the old convent was already overcrowded. A
drive to realize funds and construction was begun. The new convent was opened on October 1940.
The End of an Era
In 1943, Msgr. Delany became ill and on March 6th of that year he died. The new Church achieved through
his selfless efforts stands as a tribute to his work. He had loved the beauty of the Lord's house and where His
glory dwells.
Incarnation was blessed because of this gifted, great and devoted priest. Fifteen Monsignori and seventy
priests attended the funeral. The body of Incarnation's second pastor was laid to rest in Calvary cemetary.
It was the end of an era, and Incarnation's people felt the loss of their shepherd. Under his administration the
parish had grown from 5000 to well over 10,000 souls. He had build an impressive church, he had enlarged
the school, he had erected a convent for the sisters, with the help of the priests of the parish, he had kept
Incarnation an active, thriving parish.
The planting was done. Now it was time for the harvest.
Webmaster email us at: Parishinfo
Church of the Incarnation 1290 St. Nicholas Avenue New York, New York 10033 212-927-7474 |
Celebrating 100 years of Prayer and Service 1908-2008
| The Church of the Incarnation A Roman Catholic Church | New York City |
Rt. Reverend Joseph
F Delaney, D.D.
Second Pastor of
Incarnation Parish
He wanted to build,
"the finest church in
New York".
"Incarnation was
blessed because of this
gifted, great and
devoted priest."
F Delaney, D.D.
Second Pastor of
Incarnation Parish
He wanted to build,
"the finest church in
New York".
"Incarnation was
blessed because of this
gifted, great and
devoted priest."
142 Audubon Avenue
Convent built by
Msgr. Delany.
In 1988 it was sold and
became Incarnation
Children's Center.
Convent built by
Msgr. Delany.
In 1988 it was sold and
became Incarnation
Children's Center.
But, when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because
they had no root... Matthew 13
they had no root... Matthew 13
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