The Church of Holy Cross is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

under the authority of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the count ...

, located at 600 Soundview Avenue,

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York 10473. The rectory address is the same.

Buildings

The church is located on the east side of Soundview Avenue at the intersection with Taylor Avenue. The church was designed by Brother

Cajetan Baumann Brother Cajetan J. B. Baumann (3 August 1899 – 9 May 1969) was a Franciscan friar and a noted American architect.Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

concrete and stained-glass shell, reminiscent of Hugh Stubbins Jr.'s 1957

Haus der Kulturen der Welt The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), in English House of World Cultures, in Berlin is Germany's national center for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, with a special focus on non-European cultures and societi ...

, the former ''Kongresshalle'' (nicknamed the "Pregnant Oyster") in Berlin. The school is a typical mid-20th-century

Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

three-storey concrete and glazed block.

Parish history

The parish was established in 1921. The

Franciscan Friars The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

administered the parish for nearly 90 years, but withdrew from the parish in 2008 and were replaced by archdiocesan clergy. Archbishop Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nieves, OFM (archbishop of San Juan Puerto Rico since 1999) was the Pastor of this community when he was elected auxiliary bishop of Boston in 1988.

Holy Cross School

The school address is 1846 Randall Avenue, Bronx, New York 10473. The school was established in 1923, and for much of its history was staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny.Parish School Official Website
/ref> The school has around 419 students in grades from prekindergarten to 8th grade. According to the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

, "Holy Cross demonstrated that it is effectively advancing the quality of educational experiences it offers to its students, meets its responsibilities to the public and the profession of education, and complies with the standards of accreditation that are established by the Commission on Elementary Schools."

Notable alumni

The musician Leon Heyward attended Holy Cross School. As "MC Sundance", he was a member of the "

Jazzy Five Jazzy Five was a hip hop group founded in the mid-1970s. History The group was initially formed in South Bronx as the Jazzy Four by Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Master Ice, and MC Sundance, with Jazzy Jay as the group's DJ. Prior to the group's for ...

", one of the first

rap group Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

s to form in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

during the 1970s. He was a survivor of the attacks of 9/11 at the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

, but later died from exposure to the various air-borne

pollutant A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effect, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oi ...

s released in the destruction of the buildings, and was officially recorded as a victim of the terrorist attack.

References

Notes

External links

Official Parish WebsiteOfficial School Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Cross Church (Bronx, New York) Christian organizations established in 1921 Roman Catholic churches in the Bronx Private middle schools in the Bronx 1921 establishments in New York City Soundview, Bronx Catholic elementary schools in the Bronx