Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish History

Originally, the Catholic Church in Ardsley was a mission chuch under Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Dobbs Ferry. A storefront on the southwest side of Ashford Avenue, just beyond Saw Mill River Park served as the first in Ardsley. In 1929, Ardsley was granted its own independent parish, which was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. An old town hall in Ardsley Square, adjacent to the Ostergard property on one side and the Buck property on the other, was rented for church purposes.

The first resident pastor, Father Gregory Mullen, came from St. Mary’s Church in Yonkers. He rented a house as a rectory. In a short time, Father Mullen was succeeded by Father John Dougherty of St. Joseph’s Church on 125^th Street in Manhattan. At the time of the depression, it became difficult to maintain the new parish and, because of financial circumstances, the parish was closed at the suggestion of the Board of Consulters. The people were asked to return to their former parish, Our Lady of Pompeii.

After having an independent ecclesiastical existence, the parishioners found this situation difficult. One parishioner wrote to the Vatican explaining to the Holy Father that people were not attending Mass and that the children’s religious needs were being neglected. Through the Office of the Apostolic Delegate, His Eminence Patrick Cardinal Hayes was asked to discuss the matter with the Board of Consulters.

Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlon, then the Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, and Msgr. John S. Middleton came to Ardsley on Sundays and Holy Days from September 1934 to June 1935 to celebrate Mass. Msgr. Scanlon then arranged with Cardinal Hayes to have Father Gustav Schultheiss assigned to OLPH Parish for the summer of 1935 during his vacation from graduate studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. When that summer ended, Msgr. Scanlon requested that Cardinal Hayes extend Father Schultheiss’ assignment to OLPH permanently. His Eminence agreed.

With the dynamic Msgr. Scanlon as their inspirational leader, the parishioners of OLPH rallied around their church. There were two Masses on Sunday, one at 8 AM and the other at 10 AM. Collections from both these Masses totaled $44.50 and the monthly rent for the old, neglected town hall building was $22.50.

Using volunteer workers, Msgr. Scanlon supervised the digging out of the hall’s cellar to create a parish hall for meetings, socials and religious education classes. The Franciscan Sisters of Mount Hope in Hastings volunteered their services to prepare the children to receive the sacraments. Seminarians from Dunwoodie conducted summer religious classes along with outdoor recreational activities. The young seminarians, John Byrne, Joseph Raimondo, Henry Vier, Harold Hicks and James Cockerill, were all eventually ordained priests.

Little OLPH Parish had a full life, both spiritually and socially. Some of the early parishioners who were active in building OLPH were Hal & Kay Baker, Arthur & Freda Contant, Renato & Teresa Crisi, Frances De Mauro, Alphonse Geisel, Francis & Margaret McCormack, Ben & Mary Recca, along with the Cassadonte, DeNardo, Frischman, Homan, Kaiser, Peterson, Paolucci and Strachan families.

In 1940, Msgr. Scanlon was assigned to St. Helena’s Parish in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. He invited Father Schultheiss to join his staff, along with the newly ordained Father Henry Vier. The three priests continued to administer to the parishioners of OLPH Parish and to be chaplains for the Catholic youth at Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry.

In the spring of 1941, Father John J. Dalton became the resident pastor of OLPH and was assisted on Sundays by Father Francis Reh, a professor at St. Joseph’s Seminary.
Father Dalton was succeeded in January of 1948 by Father Andrew F. Carney. It was during Father Carney’s administration in 1951 that the church and rectory on Ashford Avenue were built. Father Carney was succeeded by Msgr. William T. Greene in December of 1956.

Msgr. Greene was assisted by Father Gerald Boyle who had come to OLPH Parish in 1955. Father Boyle was very active in both the parish and the village. This made him well-liked by all who came in contact with him. Father Boyle was also instrumental in starting the Catholic Family Movement and the CCD Religious Education Program.

The parish school on Cross Road was built in 1960 during Msgr. Greene’s administration, with enthusiastic support from Father Boyle during the fundraising drive and construction. Father Boyle left OLPH in 1961 for a parish in Goshen, New York. The OLPH Parish School closed in 1973. The building is currently rented to a private school and serves as a religious education center and hosts CYO basketball games for the parish.

Msgr. Greene was succeeded in December of 1976 by Father Richard Leo Fallon who served until his untimely death in December of 1984. In February of 1985, Father Hugh D. Keenan from Holy Family Parish in New Rochelle was appointed pastor. Father Keenan was joined in July of 1989 by Father Robert J. Duane from St. Gregory Barbarigo Parish in Garnerville, New York. After Father Keenan’s death in March of 1993, Father Duane became pastor.

During is administration, Father Duane implemented a very successful RENEW program to revitalize our parish spiritually. This program ranged from small family group meetings to larger events meant to include all our parish families, such as the annual parish picnic. Father Duane was assisted in his efforts by Father Emeka Amanchukwa, a native of Nigeria, who joined the parish in 1994.

In the 1990s, OLPH Parish embarked on a movement heavily focused on our youth. Monthly youth nights sponsored by volunteers like Lois Logigan and Catholic youth group activities organized by Mary Perillo, Mary Sheerin and Rosemarie Marcus spearheaded this drive. These efforts, coupled with a very successful CYO basketball program started by Jack McArdle, helped our children grow within the parish.

When Father Duane retired in July of 1997, a new pastor, Father Philip Gagliano, was assigned to OLPH Parish. Father Emeka continued the RENEW program started by Father Duane, hosting Bible study classes and remaining active with our parish youth groups. In 1999, Father Emeka was transferred to Immaculate Conception Parish in Amenia, New York.

As of 2003, OLPH Parish was comprised of approximately 540 registered families, with 400 of those families actively involved in the CCD Religious Education Program. Under the leadership of Father Gagliano, the parish undertook numerous restoration projects to both the church and school buildings. A new roof was installed on the church building, new skylights were installed in the school gym and thermal doors and windows were added to the school building.

Aesthetic modifications in the parish were also addressed at this time. A shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help was designed and installed in the back of the church. A new choir loft was built and an electronic bell system was installed. The lower church was renovated, the pews were redone, the kneelers replaced, new carpeting installed and the church was repainted.

During Father Gagliano’s pastorate, the Religious Education Program continued to expand and the number of children volunteering as altar servers reached an all-time high. In 2013, Father Gagliano announced his retirement. With no resident pastor available to be assigned to OLPH Parish by the Archdiocese, Father Matthew Fernan of St. Matthew’s Church in Hastings-on-Hudson was assigned as administrator. This arrangement continued until 2015, when both churches were officially merged and the parish became St. Matthew and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.

Information taken from the parish history written in 2003 for the 75th Anniversary celebration by Tom Lyons.