The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help 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 ...

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and Marian shrine in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, United States. The shrine is dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

under the title of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour.

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

raised the shrine to the status of

Minor Basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

via the

Pontifical Decree A is the official measure with which the Holy See grants to institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life the recognition of ecclesiastical institution of pontifical right. When the decree of praise is issued in the form of an ...

''Quamquam Christianus'' on 15 September 1969.

History

The parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell in November 1892 to serve the residents of the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. It was formed from the parishes of Our Lady of Angels and St. Michael. The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) purchased land, bordered by 59th and 60th Streets and by Fifth and Sixth Avenues in what was then a relatively rural area. The first Mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1893, in the Morse family house on 54th Street and 4th Avenue. A wooden frame church on Fifth Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets was dedicated by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell on January 14, 1894.Giossi, Marie Elena. "Alumni Reunion Helps OLPH Celebrate Its 125th Anniversary", ''The Tablet'', November 9, 2017
/ref> The Redemptorists hold a particular regard for Mary, under the title

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Mother of Perpetual Succour (), colloquially known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine art, Byzantine ico ...

. On May 6, 1894, they established the devotion in the parish, distributing prayer cards. The following December a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, brought from Rome, was installed in the new church. The perpetual

novena A novena (from , "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, when the ...

to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help continues."Our History", Our Lady of Perpetual Help
/ref> Construction on the current church began in 1907. The lower level was opened for services two years later, with the upper church completed in 1928. The church was decreed a minor basilica on 15 September 1969 by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

. The public inauguration ceremony was held on 1 November 1969. "Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help", nycago.com
/ref> At the time of its completion, the parish was largely Irish in character (as evidenced by the inscriptions on the memorial windows). It was built on what was known as Irish Hill. Some of the family names include Collins, Brennan, Wade, Connors, Burns, McCaffrey, Healy, and Coffey. There is still an Irish presence, but today it is predominantly Hispanic and Chinese. The basilica enjoys large attendance, particularly on holidays such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Christmas. The parish offers immigration services in its Juan Neumann Center, operates a food pantry, hosts a Chinese senior citizen group and leases space to benefit the community to a pre-k program and Lutheran Medical Center.

Description

The

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, founded and still staffed by the

Redemptorist The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...

s, is a

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 ...

of the Diocese of Brooklyn. It is dedicated to

, and serves as a

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

. The architect was Franz Joseph Untersee of Boston. The granite church is Romanesque with a limestone exterior. As a '' double chapel'', the basilica has two floors of worship, like the

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi (; ) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor Conventual in Assisi, a town in the Umbria region in central Italy, where Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis was born and died. It is a pa ...

. The upstairs church was commonly only used to host weddings and special group services such as confirmation and communion, but has come back into more frequent use. For many years, mass in Spanish was held upstairs because of the large number of parishioners in attendance. Masses are also celebrated in Chinese and Vietnamese. The lower level is for smaller services. The first floor has been renovated many times in recent years. Because of its size, the basilica hosts major diocesan services (e.g.,

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

s) that would otherwise be held at Brooklyn's other, considerably smaller basilica, the Cathedral Basilica of St. James. For the same reason, it also hosts more somber events; it is a venue-of-choice for the larger funerals of those who have fallen in the line of duty while in the service of the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

and the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

Surroundings

The parish has an elementary school down the block on 6th Avenue and 59th and 60th Street. OLPH elementary school opened September 9, 1903 and was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood. The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003. From 1956 until 1999 there was an OLPH Commercial High School for girls. Students at both were taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose convent is on 59th Street and 6th Avenue. A rectory for the Redemptorist priests is on 59th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. In 2012, the not-for-profit Regina Opera Company moved to the auditorium of OLPH Catholic Academy.New York Opera Fest
/ref> The basilica is served by the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

BMT Fourth Avenue Line The BMT Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. The line is served by the D, N, and R at all times; the R typically runs local, while the D and N run express dur ...

at the 59th Street subway station ().

Notable people

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played in both Majo ...

, of ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', grew up in the neighborhood and served as an

altar boy An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helping bring up the gifts, and bringing up ...

at OLPH.

References

External links

*
Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Basilica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady Of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, Basilica of Redemptorist churches in the United States Sunset Park, Brooklyn Double chapels