Sacred Hearts-St. Stephens today
Josephine and Michael's wedding at Sacred Hearts
292 Court Street
Former Parus Palace
(Now, Amico Day Care Center)
Last week, I had the great pleasure of taking a look at the archives of Sacred Hearts - St. Stephen's Church with John Heyer, the parish historian who has tirelessly worked to collect and preserve the fragile documents pertaining to the oldest Italian parish in Brooklyn.
And what wonderful documentation, not of the church's past, but of the entire South Brooklyn neighborhood. John is an incredible source of information and I was very thankful that he took the time to share this treasure trove with me.
Amongst all the archived papers, there was a lovely wedding photo and invitation. The newlyweds are Josephine and Michael. They got married at St. Stevens on Sunday September 27, 1936. The reception was held at the Parus Palace, 292-294 Court Street (today's Amico Child Care)
Though the Parus was an old movie theatre, John Heyer explained that there was a big open space on the second floor which was used for such celebrations. He also pointed out that it was unusual to have two mothers invite to the event, but Josephine and Michael's fathers had passed away.
I love the fact that the bride's residence is included: 412 Henry Street. And after the wedding?
The happy couple moved to 16 4th Place.
Thanks for sharing, John.
John Heyer is a Special Assistant to Borough President Marty Markowitz and a 39th Council District candidate.
*** Did you know that Sacred Hearts- St. Stephen Parish has its own Facebook page?
To join, click here.
.JPG)
6 comments:
I don't think that it's on Hicks and DeGraw, as the invitation says. It's a few blocks farther south, isn't it?
Thanks to John Heyer sharing such a wonderful story. Does anyone know what happened to Josephine and Michael? Did they have children and are any relatives still in the neighborhood? I hope their hearts had a long and happy life together.
well, the paris court, as i knew it was a affair to remember, if you will. Come saturday, it was mom packing lunch for me and my brother, we would meet the gang outside and for 1/400th of my dad's pay, we would "live" at the paris court for the day.
the, curtain opened, the movie began and we nestled in our seat the adventure of our lives, not a peep during the movie, then the intermission, the lobby was a buzz, it was all like family, friends, then we got back in our seats, the announcer would go on stage to raffle off 3 or 4 prizes, games, you know the ticket thing, i won more than once, a game, a set of some kind, etc., then weekly cliffhanger serial, "sheba", "tiger lady", an offbeat tarzan, etc and then another movie, quiet please, when the movie was over, the lights came on as i looked back, what a great day, and me and my brother ventured home in the dark,
nokidding, for 1/400th of dad's pay, it was a 12 to 6 p.m. deal, as in a quarter, 25 cents
the paris court, as i knew it, those were the days, my friend
well, the paris court, as i knew it was a affair to remember, if you will. Come saturday, it was mom packing lunch for me and my brother, we would meet the gang outside and for 1/400th of my dad's pay, we would "live" at the paris court for the day.
the, curtain opened, the movie began and we nestled in our seat the adventure of our lives, not a peep during the movie, then the intermission, the lobby was a buzz, it was all like family, friends, then we got back in our seats, the announcer would go on stage to raffle off 3 or 4 prizes, games, you know the ticket thing, i won more than once, a game, a set of some kind, etc., then weekly cliffhanger serial, "sheba", "tiger lady", an offbeat tarzan, etc and then another movie, quiet please, when the movie was over, the lights came on as i looked back, what a great day, and me and my brother ventured home in the dark,
nokidding, for 1/400th of dad's pay, it was a 12 to 6 p.m. deal, as in a quarter, 25 cents
the paris court, as i knew it, those were the days, my friend
It's nice to see this photo online - thank you for posting it! Just to clarify - the wedding took place at Sacred Hearts church, not St. Stephen's. In 1936, those were 2 different churches. Neither building is still in existence. Sacred Hearts (Sacri Cuori) was indeed at the corner of Hicks & DeGraw. It was demolished in the 1940s to make room for the BQE, which is there now. The congregation was merged with St. Stephen's (a few blocks south), and the combined church "Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen" began worshipping at the current address of Hicks & Summit in 1941. However, even that building doesn't exist today - it was largely destroyed by fire in 1951, and the current church is a 1952 re-build in the style of the old church.
Thank you so much for the clarification.
The church has a fascinating history.
Post a Comment