Immaculate Conception Church
Immaculate Conception Church is a Catholic church that is representative of Dominican American culture. It boasts a significant number of Dominican parishioners as well as other Hispanic parishioners. It is located at 128 Targee Street in Staten Island, New York. We were fortunate to be able to speak with the pastor and deacon of the church as well as attend a Mass service in Spanish to help us better understand the church and the community it serves.
The pastor of Immaculate Conception Church is Rev. Peter J. Byrne. He was very enthusiastic about the church, which recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. Rev. Byrne is not of Hispanic descent, but he learned to speak Spanish fluently while spending summers in the Dominican Republic. He attended the elementary school associated with the church as a child, which is unfortunately slated to close in June 2013. Rev. Byrne utilized his Spanish skills in other churches where he served, especially in the Bronx. He relayed to us the history of Immaculate Conception Church, which was founded by Irish and German immigrants. Over time, the neighborhood became populated with Hispanic immigrants, most notably Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans. Rev. Byrne estimated that Hispanics make up about three-quarters of the parishioners today. These newcomers brought their own customs and culture to the church. To better administer to the parishioners, the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays is said in Spanish, as are the 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Masses on Holy Days and Vigils.
The deacon of Immaculate Conception Church is Hector R. Espinal. Deacon Espinal is from the Dominican Republic. He spoke about the importance of the holiest feast day for Dominicans both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic: El Día de la Altragracia. This is in honor of Our Lady of High Grace, the protector of Dominicans and the diocese of Higuey. It is celebrated on January 21 each year and is marked with nation-wide festivities for which the businesses in that country close. Deacon Espinal said that this holiday is eagerly awaited each year as a day of reflection and prayer as well as a time for family, friends, and good food.
After speaking with Rev. Byrne and Deacon Espinal, we attended the Mass that was said in Spanish. The interior of the church looked very similar to most Catholic churches, but there were more images of Mary, perhaps due to her importance to the Dominican people. The Mass was very similar to those said in English, but there were some differences that contributed to a more hospitable atmosphere. The Mass featured more music than expected. Instead of the usual church organ, guitars were played to the beat of the religious songs. The parishioners were very pleasant even though we were strangers to them. They were happy to shake our hands during the Sign of Peace. During this time, they not only communicated their good will towards those standing closest to them, but to everyone present by raising their forefinger and middle finger in a peace sign while swaying to the music. Not all of them spoke English, but they cooperated with each other to overcome the language barrier. At one point, a car parked outside the church needed to be moved and a woman who did not speak Spanish was attempting to communicate with the parishioners. Another woman could see she was having difficulties and translated for her so that the problem could be resolved.
Immaculate Conception Church was very helpful in establishing a better understanding of the culture of people from the Dominican Republic. By speaking to a native Dominican as well as the pastor who has been adopted into their culture, it was made clear that Dominican history and traditions are still alive here. Rev. Byrne said that the community has been stable over the past several years and while he mentioned that there are now more and more elderly parishioners, there were many children and young people to be found who were sharing and practicing their faith as well as their culture.
