St. Mark the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church

Central Harlem

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Pastor: Fr. Freddy Washington, CSSp.

Founded on April 25, 1907 in Harlem, NY.

St. Mark the Evangelist Church was started in 1907 as one of the parishes of the
Archdiocese of New York and was staffed by diocesan priests. In light of the
expanding Black and dwindling White populations, John Cardinal Farley,
Archbishop of New York, requested the services of the Holy Ghost Fathers
(an order called to serve Black people). Father Christopher Plunkett, in 1912,
was appointed pastor of St. Mark, the first Catholic Church in Harlem to welcome
Black people. In its first years, the church listed 10,000 communicants, more than
one sixth of the population in Harlem during that time. Many other significant
advances were made during Fr. Plunkett's nineteen-year term (1912-1931) as pastor.
Over 4,000 converts were brought into the church. In addition, a social hall and a
playground were constructed with money he raised.

E-mail: stmark138@yahoo.com
Fr. Freddy Washington

Sites & Attractions: Churches Sites & Attractions Central Harlem