The Church of St. Joseph

Irish culture and Irish customs have spread across the planet in the past century almost like a giant breeze. It has assimilated into all sorts of cultures, even to the point where Irish religious customs have become widely accepted in Roman Catholic Churches. An example of this would be Saint Joseph’s Church of Rosebank, in Staten Island, New York.

In the 16th century, England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope in a dispute known as the English or Protestant Revolution. They became the Church of England under the leadership of King Henry VIII. Eventually, Ireland came to be under English rule and eventually, both religions could be found on the island.
Unfortunately, religious strife ensued in the 20th century. There was a conflict in Ireland in which Northern parties and Southern parties were spliced into Protestant and Catholic and fought for religious dominance. (There were already other political and economic issues between these two sides, but this merely added onto the problems.) The problem was the Southern Irish Catholics did not want to be under British rule any longer, while the Northern Protestants feared living in a place ruled by
a Catholic majority. The ill feelings between the two religions pervaded the country and though measures were taken to repair the damage (such as a separation of Northern and Southern Ireland, as shown by the map to the right), these differences are still an issue today. In fact, many Catholics left Ireland to go to places like America in search of religious tolerance.

St. Joseph’s  is a traditional Roman Catholic Church, established in 1901, when Father Paulo Iacomino was sent by the archdiocese to lay groundwork for a new parish. It was a predominantly mixed European church, with many Italians, Spaniards, and Irish living in the neighborhood. The church is a sort of melting pot of all of the different cultures, and each one plays a vital role in its activity in the community today. Popular Irish festivals are held annually at Saint Joseph’s of Rosebank, such as the Saint Patrick’s day festival, complete with fun and games and traditional Irish cuisines, such as corned beef, cabbage, and a variety of potatoes. Granted, it is a more Americanized version of Saint Patrick’s day, it is still a nice way for the church to pay homage to one of their major cultural components. They even have a statue of Saint Patrick!

Although Ireland is predominantly Christian (about 45%), the number of Roman
Catholics have been increasing greatly over the past few decades. It has become the largest, single church in Ireland, as of the 2011 census. Similarly, over the course of the years, St. Joseph grew from a small building of worship, to the much larger center of religion it is now. It even has a school and a recreational center with a basketball court!