One Sunday in 1900, thousands of miles away from San Valentino, Torio, Italy, some
people from Coney Island had heard a sermon about faith being “…as the grain of a
mustard seed.” On the way home from St. Finbar’s Roman Catholic Church one of the
party called out, “If our faith is loyal, behold our church already built!” As he
spoke, he rubbed off a dirty pane of glass to show the interior of a disused dance
hall, once known as the “Palm Garden,” the home of a thousand spiders and sparrows.
Early in the summer, a priest on the Italian missions in Brooklyn sent a little brass
medal of Our Lady of Solace from San Valentino, Torio, Italy, to the household of
the man who had spotted the possible site and had made a petition for a chapel.
Months passed and the committee continued its work. Once, a group of Italian children
was sent to the Bishop’s house with a bouquet of flowers and this message. “To our
dear Father, the Bishop, begging him not to forget his Coney Island children.” Then,
in October 1900, the long-awaited priest arrived: Brooklyn-born Reverend Joseph Francis
Brophy, D.D., who was later nicknamed “The Apostle of Coney Island.”
When Father Brophy (he preferred to sign documents with his educational title of
“Doctor” as opposed to the ecclesiastical title of “Father”) was shown the dance
hall he hastened to get permission to adapt it to its new uses. An army of small
boys dislodged the tenant spiders and sparrows. Everything was then washed down.
Benches from a nearby park were set in order to be used as pews. Two saloon screens
marked off the sacristy. The confessional was a nightmare. It was made of reversed
billboards and on the “wrong side” depicted astonishing feats of jugglers and told
of the desirable qualities of a certain brand of beer. An old chest was turned on
its side to serve as a temporary altar. The Altar Society brought linens, candles
and vestments for the celebration of Mass. On November 4, 1900 on the Feast of St.
Charles Borromeo the first Mass of Our Lady of Solace Parish was celebrated in the
newly decorated former dance hall.
The old, abandoned Palm Garden had become the first church of Our Lady of Solace
in Coney Island. However, in the spring of 1901, it became obvious that a more suitable
and a centralized location for the church was necessary. Father Brophy realized that
God’s work had to take in the crowds that surged to Coney Island from every tribe
and nation or the church and parish would fail. He envisioned the growth of a work
that would make Coney Island the place of national pilgrimage for the souls in purgatory,
for whose comfort Our Lady bears the “solace.” He selected some lots on 17th Street
on the corner of Mermaid Avenue which provided a direct route to the city. Unfortunately,
the lots were not for sale. So, in his usual manner, Father Brophy prayed. Shortly
thereafter, a lady donated to him one of the lots, and by May of 1901, twenty-six
lots in all belonged to Our Lady of Solace Parish. With the land finally acquired,
the problem then was how to move the church building. It was lifted off its foundation
and mounted on rollers. Unfortunately, as it was being transported from the Nassau
Depot to its new location on Mermaid Avenue, it got stuck halfway through the route!
As it was unable to reach its planned destination, the church was put down at a
temporary location on Railroad Avenue.
On the day of the re-opening of Our Lady of Solace Church, a great wind had caused
the Flip-Flop Railway, which was Coney Island’s first “Loop-the-Loop” ride, to collapse.
The timbers were saved by Steeplechase Park founder and owner George C. Tilyou for
Dr. Brophy, who used them to erect a small tower and belfry. This housed the fire
bell that originally rang from the tower of the first Steeplechase Park. On the bell
were engraved the following words:
WE LIVE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE US
FOR THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE TRUE
FOR THE GOD THAT REIGNS ABOVE US
AND THE GOOD THAT WE MAY DO.
Our Lady of Solace Church had indeed grown strong since its humble beginnings. Bishop
McDonnell, seeing that the people of Coney Island were in earnest, presented the
little church with a piece of baked stonework, which was a copy of the statue of
Our Lady of Consolation in San Valentino. It is a group of six figures which form
an allegorical picture; angels are represented beside our Lady and her Son, breaking
the chains of the captive souls in Purgatory.
In September 1905, Father Brophy, in poor health, was sent to Rome by the Bishop.
He visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation at San Valentino, Torio, Italy.
At this time, Father Brophy also received the privilege of a private interview with
Pius X. Bishop Mundelein, then a young priest, was present at the interview which
he tells about in these words…
“KNEELING AT THE FEET OF HIS HOLINESS, FATHER BROPHY ASKED HIM TO GRANT AN EXTRAORDINARY
PRIVILEGE TO HIS CHURCH, BEGGING THAT OUR LADY OF SOLACE BE MADE A SHRINE IN PERPETUITY
WITH SPECIAL INDULGENCES FOR ALL WHO VISIT IT. HIS HOLINESS LISTENED WHILE FATHER
BROPHY SPOKE OF THE MANIFOLD AMUSEMENTS OF CONEY ISLAND AND OF HIS LITTLE CHURCH
SET SO NEAR THE HEART OF ALL THE RUSH AND GLARE. THEN THE HOLY FATHER SMILED: ‘IF
THE PEOPLE WILL TURN ONLY A MOMENT FROM PLEASURE TO PRAYER LET THEM BE REWARDED.”
Thus, Father Brophy’s request was granted. Our Lady of Solace Church became the Shrine
Church of Our Lady of Solace, a recognized Roman Shrine with the privilege of the
Portiuncula Indulgence. It is truly ironic and unique that the island of pleasure,
the playground of the world, was the very place chosen for the special remembrance
of the souls in purgatory.
In 1925, Father Brophy’s dream of a magnificent permanent church building and parish
complex was finally realized under the administration of the parish’s second pastor:
Rev. Walter Kerwin, late of St. Sebastian’s R.C. Church in Woodside, Queens. The
Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace, as it stands today, was erected at the site
located on the northwest corner of West 17th Street and Mermaid Avenue. A tasteful
combination of the best of overall Romanesque, Tuscan roof and Neapolitan brick styles
with grand apse mosaics honoring the Holy Trinity, and an ornate gold-leaf tooled
wood ceiling brought to the church a spacious, ornate and acoustically perfect structure.
The overall atmosphere brought to the near cathedral-sized structure the prayerful
intimacy of a small country church. Stations of the Cross, hand-painted in fine
oil paints with almost photographic renderings surrounded the church interior on
its walls between its colorful leaded stained glass windows. Its historic tracker
organ, originally built in 1865 by Odell and rebuilt in 1884 by Hilborne Roosevelt
for the Second Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was acquired from the
Second Reformed by Father Kerwin in 1924, the year before the new church’s completion.
An entire parish campus was constructed that included a school and a convent (Both
were completed in 1919 and still stand today.), and a magnificent spired neo-Gothic
three-story rectory on a man-made hill designed to resemble Mount Carmel occupied
the space between the church and school. Built on the corner of Mermaid Avenue and
West 19th Street, the structure pre-dated the church by a six years. It was adjacent
to the school and church sites; the church’s construction commenced in 1924.
Attached to the church building with its baptismal chapel in its base was an imposing
185-foot tower that could be seen from miles away. Its Meneely-cast and controlled
chimes consisting of massive fire bells were donated by the New York City Fire Department
and the Tilyou family, owners of Coney Island’s greatest and last surviving of its
original three great theme parks, “Steeplechase, the Funny Place.”
Sadly, Father Brophy never lived to see the fulfillment of his work. The energetic
and devoted young founder and pastor died of pneumonia in September of 1908 at the
age of 39. A plaque honoring Father Brophy was moved from the original church to
the lobby of the current church during its dedication Mass where it remains today.
Forty-nine years after his passing, in 1957 the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace
came to national prominence on the ABC and syndicated primetime dramatic religious
anthology series, Crossroads. In an episode taken from a true story and titled “Coney
Island Wedding,” Father Brophy was immortalized in a moving portrayal by longtime
film actor Dick Foran.
Over the decades, the destinies of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace and America’s
Playground would be inevitably intertwined. Coney Island lost Dreamland to a massive
fire in 1911. In 1944, Luna Park from Surf Avenue to Neptune Avenue suffered the
same fate. The surviving section of the park from Neptune Avenue to the subway yard
continued to operate for the remainder of the season; then it, too, closed. During
the decades of the fifties, sixties and seventies (the era of Robert Moses’ much-vilified
“urban removal”), Coney Island spiraled into decline as poverty, drugs and gang violence
took over the streets. With devotion and defiance, the Shrine Church of Our Lady
of Solace continued to stand against these elements. By 1964, its great Meneely
chimes had been silent for nearly a decade. Through the longtime devotion and generosity
of the Tilyou family to the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace, they were restored
that spring in time for the annual "Catholic Day." However, the escalating crime
and gang violence, as well as the overwhelming competition from Robert Moses' 1964
New York World's Fair was too much to overcome and the great "funny place," Steeplechase,
closed forever. Moses' triumph was complete; he had successfully helped eliminate
the last of the three great Coney Island theme parks. At the moment of its closing,
two bells sounded that indicated the passage of time, and the numerous lights went
out for the last time. In 1965, the Tilyou family sold the park to developer Fred
Trump, who then subleased some of the property to small independent ride operators
and concessionaires.
Trump (who was pushing for luxury hotels, high-rise low-income apartments - much
as he did to the Luna Park site - and legalized casinos on the site) demolished the
abandoned and historic Pavilion of Fun and its surroundings in the pre-dawn hours
of one morning in September 1966. He discovered that the City Council and the Department
of the Interior were about to protect it as a city and national historic landmark
later that day. A new, temporary Steeplechase Park opened in 1966. It was “Steeplechase”
in name only; much of it wasn’t even on the original Steeplechase site and the ride
for which it was named was gone with the Pavilion of Fun. The facility was generally
rundown in comparison to the clean, sparkling theme park of the Tilyou era. Unable
to secure zoning changes, Trump sold the site the the City of New York. The former
Avis Antique Car ride from the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair also arrived with some
of the Fair's light fixtures and was reconstructed at the boardwalk end of the Thunderbolt;
it died in 1968. Two of the three remaining great historic rollercoasters, the Tornado
and the Thunderbolt, survived for a few more years. The bobsled-styled Tornado was
claimed by fire in 1978. After decades of sitting as a vacant lot, the site became
the home to successful miniature auto-racing tracks and a batting range. With the
final closing of the the Parachute Jump in 1968 and the historic Thunderbolt in 1983,
this sad incarnation of Steeplechase Park was gradually abandoned and completely
closed. In 2000, the abandoned Thunderbolt was suddenly condemned and demolished
by the City Buildings Department as “unsafe” on the orders of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
(he saw it an “eyesore” next to the new Keyspan Park), just before the City Council
was about to meet with property owner Horace Bullard and consider landmark status
and funding for restoration and new operation. Fortunately, were two bright spots
that kept classic amusements from leaving Coney Island forever in spite of the City’s
efforts to wipe them out completely. One was the establishment of Astroland Park
in 1962, built on the site of the old Feltman’s Hot Dog Emporium, by Dewey and Jerome
Albert. The Albert family later took over management of the National Historic Landmark
Cyclone rollercoaster in 1974 after it was purchased by the City of New York. The
other was when Tarrytown pushcart vendor, entrepreneur, restaurateur, and very frequent
Coney Island vacationer Denos Vourderis purchased and saved the former Ward’s Kiddie
Park in 1981. In 1983, he purchased the Garms family’s great Wonder Wheel as “…a
wedding present to his wife - a ring so big, everyone in the world would see how
much he loved her - a ring that would never be lost.” Together, they form the ever-popular
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. Starting with the Ward and Garms families and
continuing with the current ownership and management of the Vourderis family, the
park has been delighting children and grown-ups alike continuously for over ninety
years.
During the late 1960's, the aging rectory of Our Lady of Solace on the northeast
corner of Mermaid Avenue and West 19th Street had become more and more difficult
and increasingly expensive to maintain. The rectory building and its manmade hilltop
were eventually razed and replaced with a new building on West 17th Street adjacent
to the convent. The main church parking lot now occupies the original site. The
185-foot bell tower had major structural issues; it was top-heavy and its foundation
had been built too shallow to support the weight of the massive belfry as well as
its total height. In 1989, the bells were removed and sold. Its ornate belfry as
well as its top 100 feet were razed, but the lower portion was saved and still stands
today. The original 1884 Roosevelt tracker organ had become far too expensive to
maintain and repair. After 1969, it was rarely used and the passing decades of neglect
and decay ultimately rendered it unplayable. A project to restore the instrument
had been started in 2007, but continuing and expensive necessary repairs and restoration
of the parish buildings made funding unavailable. Finally, the tracker organ had
deteriorated to a condition where restoration and repair were no longer feasible
and the project was entirely abandoned in 2012. Our Lady of Solace School was shuttered
in 2003; however, the building rose like a Phoenix from the ashes when part of it
was leased to HeartShare and the remainder to the City of New York’s Department of
Education. It now serves as Liberation High School. The school and the auditorium/gymnasium
are still used by the parish for special events, and some classrooms for the Sunday
Religious Education program.
From the dawn of the 1990’s (and especially over the first decade of the new millennium),
Coney Island has experienced a reversal of its fortunes as new generations have discovered
the remaining landmark amusements and a rich history. The annual Mermaid Parade draws
more than a million people annually, evoking memories of George Tilyou and Steeplechase.
The New York Mets’ minor league Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team plays at MCU Park
(formerly Keyspan Park; the name disappeared when it was absorbed by National Grid).
The sparkling new modern subway terminal greets visitors as they arrive, its facade,
spires and running exterior lights patterned after the Surf Avenue entrance to old
Luna Park. The National Historic Landmark Cyclone rollercoaster and Deno’s ever-popular
Wonder Wheel continue to thrill visitors. The original Nathan’s at the corner of
Surf and Stillwell Avenues still turns out its gastronomic delights and has visitors
holding their stomachs during its nationally-televised Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Garguilo’s Restaurant, Coney Island’s “Basilica of Italian Dining”, continues to
prepare the finest in Italian cuisine as it has for a century. The famed Steeplechase
Parachute Jump (“Coney Island’s Eiffel Tower”) has been painstakingly structurally
restored and stands proudly at the foot of Keyspan Park, once the site of the Pavilion
of Fun and the World’s Largest Swimming Pool. Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
continues to delight the youngest and thrill the older “kids” with the kiddie park
and the great Wheel. Astroland, whose properties also were sold to Joseph Sitt and
Thor Equities in 2006, was finally closed permanently on September 7, 2008 and demolished
in early 2009. Only the AstroTower remained. With the sale of seven acres of Thor
property along the boardwalk to the City of New York, a new incarnation of the long-lamented
Luna Park opened on the former Astroland site Saturday, May 29, 2010. It was designed,
built and operated by world-renowned Zamperla of Italy and its American unit, Central
Amusement International (CAI), which also operates the renowned Victorian Gardens
summer amusement park on the Wollman Rink site in Manhattan’s Central Park. Its
brilliant entrance facade of crescent moon logos, ornate towers and lights recreate
the original entrance that once stood on north side of Surf Avenue directly across.
Many of its new thrill rides are unique to Coney Island; the Air Race ride is making
its world debut in Luna Park and a Coney Island classic, the Tickler switchback coaster,
has been recreated. Over 14 million visitors came to Coney Island, making the summer
of 2010 its most successful summer in decades. In 2011, another new theme park,
Scream Zone, opened and stretches along the Boardwalk from Deno’s Wonder Wheel to
the former Tornado site. The beach itself is still greets millions of sunbathing
visitors every summer. Pavilions, reminiscent of the buildings that once stood prior
to the 1960s, have been built along the Boardwalk and the old classic ornate cast-iron
street lamps (some mothballed originals and others perfect replicas) made their return
to the Boardwalk after an absence of nearly five decades. At the end of the 2010
season, former Astroland owner and operator Carol Hill Albert and family retired
from the management of the city-owned Cyclone rollercoaster after a nearly 40-year
run. CAI took over its operation starting with the 2011 season.
All throughout the continuing evolution of Coney Island, the Shrine Church of Our
Lady of Solace continues to stand proudly as it serves its parishioners and community.
An impressive digital carillon emulates the great chimes of the past and emits from
the church tower. A newly-installed (2004) Rodgers digital organ adds to the glory
and spirit of the Mass. Two adult choirs (English and Spanish) and a youth choir
serve as the foundation of a growing, energetic devotional music ministry. The 11:00
A.M. Sunday Mass brings the beauty of the Spanish language and customs of our newest
citizens and parishioners to worship. The many prayerful and occasionally festive
processions through Coney Island started by Father Brophy continue today. The Pastoral
Planning Council and Liturgical Committee promote parishioner involvement in all
aspects of the parish’s mission. The Our Lady of Solace Baseball League reaches out
to the youth of the community through the pride of team spirit and athletic competition
on the athletic grounds of Steeplechase Park and the ballfields of Kaiser Park. A
parish hymn to our Blessed Mother petitions her to help the least fortunate among
us, to aid in the growth of the parish and its ministries; it has become an additional
source of pride for its parishioners. More and more visitors who once simply “passed
by” on the way to the shore are stopping to come in and discover (or rediscover)
the beautiful church and stop in to pray or attend Mass. The annual Palm Sunday Passion
Play, staged by the youth of the parish, draws people from all over the region to
be moved by its profound beauty each Palm Sunday. Like Coney Island itself, and through
the tireless efforts of its pastor from 2001 through the start of 2012, Rev. Patrick
J. West, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace has rediscovered its vitality and
looks to a promising future in our Lord’s service. From the day of his arrival from
Colombia in 2007, parochial vicar Rev. Giovani Romero greatly expanded the outreach
of evangelization to the Spanish-speaking members of the parish and united them with
all their diverse cultures and traditions into one group of parishioners that quickly
united itself with the English-speaking parishioners into the body of a single great
parish family.
A new chapter in the history of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace opened January
31, 2012, as Father West departed for a new assignment as administrator of Corpus
Christi R. C. Church in Woodside, Queens. Father Romero was also reassigned as parochial
of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Woodhaven, and Saint Elizabeth, Ozone Park; both are
located in Queens, New York. For the first time since its founding, the parish is
administered by a religious order, the Society of Divine Vocations (Vocationist Fathers),
founded in Italy by Blessed Justin Russolillo, S.D.V. (beatified by Pope Benedict
XVI on May 7, 2011). Since the Society was founded on October 18, 1920, the ministry
of the Vocationist Fathers has quickly spread throughout Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina,
and the United States. Most recently, their ministry has expanded to Nigeria, India,
Philippines, Madagascar, Columbia and Ecuador. Rev. Armando M. Palmieri, S.D.V,
pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Palisades Park, NJ , will be arrived January 9,
2012 and officially took over as pastor of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace
on January 31, 2012.
One hundred and eleven years since its founding by Father Brophy in abandoned dance
hall, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace continues to grow and thrive, and it
serves as an important focal point in a reviving community. Also, in keeping with
Dr. Brophy’s dream and the words of Pope Pius X, the souls in Purgatory are not forgotten.
On the third Sunday of every month, a special Purgatorial Mass is offered for all
enrolled in the Purgatorial Society of Our Lady of Solace.
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