When Father Walter A. Kerwin arrived from St. Sebastian’s in Woodside, he was determined to complete the dream of Father Brophy with the church and creation of the parish campus on the twenty-six lots acquired by Father Brophy in 1901. In 1925, the doors were opened for the first Sunday Mass in the breatakingly beautiful house of God that parishioners had awaited since the parish’s founding in 1900. By this time, the church was officially the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace, having been blessed as a Shrine by Pope Pius X in 1905. Although it was never the official parish name, the title chiseled above the main door, however, reads “OUR LADY OF SOLACE SHRINE CHURCH.” This was decided upon since the official name was too long to inscribe under the bas relief mural in the archway and still be readable. Unlike so many churches that are locked after morning Masses, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace remains open for meditation and prayer until 3:00 p.m. weekdays, after the 5:00 p.m. Mass Saturdays, and after the 12:30 p.m. Mass most Sundays (it is sometimes opened later for baptisms).
This was once the Palm Garden dance hall on Neptune Avenue where Father Joseph Brophy established the parish in 1900. This picture was fourteen years after its metamorphosis into Our Lady of Solace Church. Here it is shown at is second location on Railroad Avenue. During the course of its move to West 17th Street and Mermaid Lane (now Mermaid Avenue), one of the rollers on which the building was mounted stuck and it was placed on this lot instead. This is where the church would be located until 1925. The church steeple and cupola were added sometime in 1905. A charming addition was its small bell tower donated by George C. Tilyou of Steeplechase Park fame. It was constructed of timbers from the Flip-Flop Railway, a loop-the-loop coaster that destroyed by high winds during the off-season. Much of the success of Our Lady of Solace was due to the great devotion and endless generosity of the Tilyou family to the parish that continued decades after George’s death, most notably their sponsorship of the annual “Catholic Day.” A memorial plaque dedicated to George Tilyou and his wife by their family was installed in the church lobby when, through their benevolence, the original chimes (located in the now-razed tower belfry) were revived for 1964’s Catholic Day. (Ironically, it was the year that that the Tilyous’ great Steeplechase Park was forced out of business.) Even though the Meneely chimes are long gone, the memory of the Tilyous’ kindness, devotion, generosity, and love for the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace remains in perpetuity.
