THE CHURCH OF THE MAGDALENE
In 1892 Catholics in Pocantico Hills and East
View asked Archbishop Corrigan to arrange for services to be held for them. As a result,
beginning that year priests from St. Teresa of Avila in North Tarrytown began to conduct
services in the Lyceum Building in Pocantico Hills.
In 1894 Rev. Joseph Egan, pastor of St. Teresa's, asked Archbishop Corrigan to create two additional parishes from his parish, one in Pocantico Hills. At the same time he resigned as pastor of St. Teresa's, bought the house south of the Lyceum (the present rectory) and gave it to the parish debt-free. He asked to be named pastor of the parish in Pocantico Hills. Fr. Egan's physician, however, advised him to travel to Europe to regain his health. Before leaving for Europe, Fr. Egan had the Church of the Magdalene officially incorporated and said the first Mass in the Lyceum Building on June 3, 1894. Fr. Joseph Sheahan from Manhattan became the new pastor.
In 1894 the cornerstone for the Church of the Magdalene was laid by Archbishop Corrigan. A church hall, used as a temporary church, was constructed at the rear of the parish house.
The forty families of the parish contributed funds and labor but still incurred a substantial debt, which was subsequently paid off, largely through the generosity of Mr. James Butler of East View. The Butler family also donated many of the Church's remarkable stained glass windows. The first services in the new church were held on Christmas Day in 1894. On October 6, 1895, Archbishop Corrigan blessed the church building.
The parish continued to grow slowly until 1906. In that year, the Christian Brothers opened St. Joseph's Normal College. Here, young men were prepared for the brotherhood. The Brothers were parishioners at the Church of the Magdalene. The many visitors to the school attended services at the Church. The parish flourished and was important for the social lives of the people until about 1930.
The parish experienced a setback when the Putnam Division (NYCRR) railroad right-of-way was relocated from Pocantico Hills to East View. Commuters moved out of the parish and the village of East View disappeared. At almost the same time, the Rockefeller family purchased the Christian Brothers property and the Brothers moved their facilities to Barrytown, New York.
The Great Depression of the 1930's also contributed to the decline of parish membership. To give some help to the parish, chaplains at the Old Folks Home, the penitentiary at Grasslands, and the Margaret Howard Home in North Tarrytown were assigned to the parish.
After World War II a building boom within the towns of Mt. Pleasant and Greenburgh began to swell the parish rolls at the Church of the Magdalene. The parish was fortunate to have Msgr. Stephen Fitzgerald serve as pastor during this period of growth. An extensive religious education program was instituted. Msgr. Donald Pryor continues to work hard to help the parish grow. He will lead the Church of the Magdalene into the twenty- first century.
by Aileen Brown
House Built by:
Aileen Brown
Brian Brown
Tyais Cunningham
Jordan Eshet
Andrew Kakos
