German Catholics have left their mark on history of Manhattan

Published: 2008-02-25

NEW YORK (CNS) -- German Catholics are such a modest presence in New York that Pope Benedict XVI may leave the Big Apple without meeting a single one. He will, however, see evidence of their mark on Manhattan's history, when he hosts an ecumenical prayer service April 18 at St. Joseph's Church. St. Joseph's Church on East 87th Street, in the city's Yorkville neighborhood, was established in 1873 to serve the needs of German immigrants. The church, built in 1895 in the Romanesque revival style, and its stained-glass windows bear inscriptions from the German-American parishioners whose donations financed the building. St. Joseph's is the only parish in the Archdiocese of New York with a regularly scheduled German-language Mass, according to Julia Winter, a longtime parishioner. She said the monthly Mass draws as many as 100 people, many of whom come from outside the parish. "We are the only German Catholic presence in the archdiocese," Winter said. "We have a German ministry. It's not just a Mass."

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