View source for St. Mary's Church (Albany, New York)

{{Short description|Church in Albany, New York, US}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name         = St. Mary's Church
| image                 = StMarysChurchAlbany.jpg
| image_size            = 300px
| alt                   = A brick church with elaborate stone decoration, greenish roofs and a tall square open tower at the front.
| caption               = West elevation and south profile, 2009
| map_type              = 
| map_size              = 
| map_caption           = 
| location              = [[Albany, New York|10 Lodge Street<br />Albany]], [[New York (state)|NY]], USA
| geo                   = {{coord|42|39|6|N|73|45|10|W}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Roman Catholic]]
| consecration_year     = 1870
| status                = 
| functional_status     = Active
| heritage_designation  = 
| leadership            = '''Pastor:''' Rev. David Wm. Mickiewicz<br />'''Pastor Emeritus:''' Rev. John T. Provost<br /> '''Deacon:''' Walter Ayres<br />'''Deacon:''' Aaron Tremblay
| website               = [http://www.hist-stmarys.org/ Historic St. Mary's Church]
| architecture          = yes
| architect             = Charles C. Nichols, Frederick Brown<ref name="nrhptext">{{cite web |last=Ralph |first=Elizabeth K. |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: St. Mary's Church |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316346 |publisher=[[U.S. National Archives]] |date=February 1977 |access-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810061729/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316346 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|4}}
| architecture_type     = 
| architecture_style    = Italian [[Romanesque Revival]] (exterior); [[Mannerism|Mannerist]]/French [[Gothic Revival]] (interior)
| founded_by            = 
| funded_by             = 
| general_contractor    = 
| facade_direction      = west
| groundbreaking        = 1867
| year_completed        = 1867
| construction_cost     = $100,000
| specifications        = yes
| capacity              = 
| length                = 
| width                 = 
| width_nave            = 
| height_max            = {{convert|175|ft}}
| spire_quantity        = 1
| spire_height          = 
| materials             = brick and stone
| nrhp                  = yes
| added                 = July 14, 1977
| refnum                = 77000933<ref name="nris">{{cite web|title=St. Mary's Church|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c2ceacc4-843b-4df4-9082-7a856d9bd652|publisher=[[U.S. National Park Service]]|access-date=September 22, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927174814/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c2ceacc4-843b-4df4-9082-7a856d9bd652|url-status=live}}</ref>
| designated            = 
}}
'''St. Mary's Church''' is a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] house of worship on Lodge Street in downtown [[Albany, New York|Albany]], New York, United States. It is a brick structure with an Italian [[Romanesque Revival]] exterior. Built in the 1860s, it is the third church to house the oldest Catholic congregation not only in the city, but in all of [[upstate New York]]. In 1977, St. Mary's Church was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]; it is also a [[contributing property]] to the [[Downtown Albany Historic District|Downtown Albany]] [[Historic district (United States)|Historic District]], listed several years later.

The congregation of St. Mary's was established in the late 18th century. Early in the next century, the first church was built on the present location when the city donated the land, supposedly on the property where [[St. Isaac Jogues]] took shelter after escaping from captivity in the early 17th century. The current building, designed by local architects Nichols & Brown, is the third on the site; its tower was added in 1895. In the late 20th century, the interior and exterior were extensively renovated.

Some important figures in [[Catholic Church in the United States|the American Church]] have visited or been associated with the church. [[John McCloskey]], the first [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany|Bishop of Albany]] and later the first American-born [[cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], made St. Mary's his [[procathedral]] briefly. [[John Neumann]], later a saint, celebrated a [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] there as a newly ordained priest. [[Clarence A. Walworth]], a convert from [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalianism]], who was the first advocate for the sainthood of [[Kateri Tekakwitha]], among other contributions to the Church, was pastor of St. Mary's for most of the late 19th century and was responsible for much of the look of the current building, inside and out.

The church's interior incorporates a combination of the [[Mannerist architecture|Mannerist]] and French Gothic [[architectural style|styles]], in contrast to its exterior. Upon completion of the tower in 1894, the church was wired, making it the first church in Albany to have electric lighting. In 1912, the original [[stained glass]] windows were replaced. Beyond these developments, there have been no significant changes to the building since its construction.

==Building==
{{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=right|frame-width=310|frame-height=250|zoom=14|type=point|marker=|title=St. Mary's Church}}
The church and neighboring [[rectory]], on its north, occupy the [[city block|block]] between Steuben Street on the north, Chapel Street on the east, Pine Street on the south and Lodge on the west.<ref name="Google Maps">{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/42%C2%B039'06.0%22N+73%C2%B045'10.0%22W/@42.6520103,-73.7527458,345m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d42.651667!4d-73.752778?hl=en|title=St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church|access-date=August 10, 2021}}</ref> It is on the western edge of the [[Downtown Albany Historic District]].<ref name="Downtown Albany HD nom">{{cite web |author=John F. Harwood and Austin O'Brien |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtown Albany Historic District |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316217 |date=September 7, 1979 |access-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107043853/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316217 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|33}} The terrain rises gently to the west, and descends to the level ground adjacent to the [[Hudson River]], a half-mile (1&nbsp;km) to the east.<ref name="Topo map">{{cite map|title=Albany Quadrangle – New York – Albany, Rensselaer Cos.; Troy South Quadrangle – New York – Albany, Rensselaer Cos.|url=https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=42.651667,-73.752778&z=15&t=T|scale=1:24,000|series=USGS 7 1/2 minute quadrangle maps|publisher=ACME Laboratories|cartography=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=August 10, 2021|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810184635/https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=42.651667,-73.752778&z=15&t=T|url-status=live}}</ref> The surrounding neighborhood is heavily developed and urban, with a mix of government, commercial and other institutional buildings.<ref name="Google Maps" />

A parking lot across Lodge separates the church from [[New York Court of Appeals Building|the home of]] the [[New York State Court of Appeals]], the state's highest court.<ref name="Google Maps" /> It, too, is listed on the Register, like [[Albany City Hall]] to its south,<ref name="FR NRHP listing">{{cite journal |title=National Register of Historic Places – Annual Listing of Historic Properties |journal=Federal Register |date=February 6, 1979 |volume=44 |issue=26 |page=7534 |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf |access-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831203930/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> just past some other older buildings. On the northwest is the main [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]] courts building. A [[parking garage]] is to the south, across Pine, while commercial buildings are on the north and east.<ref name="Google Maps" />

Two other listed buildings are within two blocks. The [[Young Men's Christian Association Building (Albany, New York)|old YMCA building]] is on Steuben at North Pearl Street ([[New York State Route 32]]) and to the southwest at Lodge and State Street ([[New York State Route 5]]) is [[St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York)|St. Peter's Episcopal Church]],<ref name="FR NRHP listing" /> a [[National Historic Landmark]]<ref name="NPS NHL list">{{cite web|title=List of NHLs by State|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm|publisher=[[U.S. National Park Service]]|date=December 2016|access-date=August 10, 2021|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114011601/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> (NHL) designed by [[Richard Upjohn]] and [[Richard M. Upjohn|his son]].<ref name="St. Patrick's NRHP listing">{{Cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: St. Peter's Episcopal Church|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315629|format=pdf|date=March 1979|author=New York State Historic Trust and Carolyn Pitts|publisher=[[U.S. National Archives]]|access-date=2021-08-11|archive-date=2021-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811051613/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315629|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|3}} Another NHL, the [[New York State Capitol]],<ref name="NPS NHL list" /> is across [[Lafayette Park Historic District|Lafayette Park]] from the Court of Appeals and City Hall.<ref name="Google Maps" />

===Exterior===

The church is a two-and-a-half-story, three-by-six-[[bay (architecture)|bay]] brick structure with marble trim on a cut [[bluestone]] [[foundation (architecture)|foundation]],<ref name="Church exterior page">{{cite web|title=The Exterior|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Exterior.htm|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105025811/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Exterior.htm|archive-date=November 5, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref> gradually exposed towards the rear by the slope of the underlying land. The middle bay on the west (front) [[facade]] projects slightly, forming the lower stages of the {{convert|175|ft|adj=on}} [[bell tower]]. Atop the main block is a steeply [[roof pitch|pitched]] [[gable]]d roof. A five-section semicircular [[apse]] is attached to the rear.<ref name=nrhptext />

A stone [[water table (architecture)|water table]] sets off the foundation. Small barred windows are located in every bay along the basement. At the corners are slightly projecting stone columns. They are echoed by stone [[quoin (architecture)|quoins]] on the tower. A stone cornice also divides the first and second stories on the west facade.<ref name="See photos">See accompanying photos</ref>

All three bays of the first floor have entrances in quoined triple-recessed round arches. On the outer two bays, narrow smooth round columns rise to the springline. Above the heavy wooden recessed-paneled door is a decorative [[transom (architecture)|transom]] with circular lights. On the second story, fenestration consists of round-arched [[stained glass]] windows, less recessed but flanked by more ornate columns.<ref name="See photos" />

On the side elevations, stone columns form round arches around all but the easternmost bay. Within their slight recesses are narrow four-paned stained glass. The rear bay is set off by columns like those on the corners and has no arch, but is otherwise similarly treated. At the roofline, a denticulated cornice is below the overhanging [[eave]]. A small [[vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]] connects the church to its [[rectory]] on the north.<ref name=nrhptext />

====Bell tower====

There are four stages to the tower. On the first is the deeply recessed main entrance, with a treatment otherwise similar to the side entrances. The corners are quoined. A single narrow window with a round segmental arch in brick sits in the center of both side faces. Above them, and flanking a brass light fixture over the main entrance, are stone crosses with recessed middles set into the brick.<ref name="See photos" />

A sloped cornice, at a higher level than that on the main facade, sets off the next stage. It has the bottom of a two-stage recessed arch on both sides. Its sole fenestration is the ornate narrow double window on the east. Another cornice sets off the third stage, which has a four-part window topped by a small [[rosette (decoration)|rosette]]-shaped window under an arch that becomes stone at the springline. The rosette becomes a semicircle on the sides, just above the gable apex.<ref name="See photos" />

Above the third stage, a [[frieze]] of [[Rustication (architecture)|rusticated]] stone blocks and another cornice sets off the fourth stage. On all sides, stone-topped arches, rising from foliate [[stonecarving]]s at the springline, open into the belfry. They are supported by stone columns with a small [[balustrade]] at the base. At the top, brick [[corbel]]s on stone bases support the broad overhanging eave of the pyramidal roof, clad in green tile.<ref name="See photos" /> It is crowned by an [[Gabriel|Angel of Judgment]] blowing a trumpet.<ref name="nrhptext" />{{rp|2}}

===Interior===
[[File:Interior of St Mary's Church, Albany, NY.jpg|right|thumb|Church interior|alt=A green-carpeted aisle between two sets of wooden pews with a golden-colored decorated ceiling, arches over the side galleries and an arched, painted nave at the rear]]
In the church [[vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]] is a [[baptismal font]], made of white [[Carrara marble]] with a [[pewter]] upper covering and silver basin.<ref name="Baptistry">{{cite web|title=The Baptistry|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Baptistry.htm|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726152032/https://www.hist-stmarys.org/Baptistry.htm|archive-date=July 26, 2011|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref> Inside, a [[Long gallery|gallery]] runs around the sides and back on the upper story, supported by clustered columns in a [[French Gothic architecture|French Gothic]] style. It ends near the [[chancel]], creating the illusion of [[transept]] arms on either side. Near the altar, the arches are styled in the fashion of the [[Renaissance architecture|Italian Renaissance]].<ref name=nrhptext />

The pews are crafted from pine and painted to look [[graining|grained]] in order to resemble oak, capped with [[black walnut]]. It is complemented by the [[Altar rails#Roman Catholic churches|communion rail]], made of black walnut with oak spindles.<ref name="Church interior page">{{cite web|title=Interior Architecture|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Interior.htm|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104081248/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Interior.htm|archive-date=November 4, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref> The [[Stations of the Cross]] around the side are [[woodcarving|carved]] painted [[relief]]s set in wooden frames. Brown metal plaques, covering the original German text, describe each one.<ref name="Stations of the Cross page">{{cite web|title=Stations of the Cross|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Stations.htm|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105025842/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Stations.htm|archive-date=November 5, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref> Around the church are four separate altars, most in white with [[gilding|gilded]] trim. Atop one altar are carved wooden statues of four saints—[[Isaac Jogues]], [[Elizabeth Ann Seton]], [[John Neumann]] and [[Kateri Tekakwitha]]—all of whom had at least a tangential connection to the church during their lives.<ref name="Altars page">{{cite web|title=The Altars of St. Mary's|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Altars.htm|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105025344/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Altars.htm|archive-date=November 5, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

Above the gallery are statues and paintings of other architectural elements. Combined, they create the impression of a [[clerestory]]. On the ceiling is painted a further ''[[trompe-l'œil]]''.<ref name=nrhptext />

==History==

St. Mary's traces its heritage to the earliest days of Catholic [[missionary]] work in the [[New World]]. After formally becoming a church late in the 18th century, it went through two buildings in the 19th century to accommodate a population increased by immigration before the construction of the current building.<ref name="nrhptext" />{{rp|4}}

===1643–1797: Establishment of Catholicism in Albany===

In 1643, Albany was still the small [[Dutch colonization of the Americas|Dutch colonial]] outpost of [[Fort Orange (New Netherland)|Fort Orange]]. That year, visiting [[Mohawk people|Mohawks]] brought a [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] captive along on one of their visits. He was a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] priest, [[St. Isaac Jogues|Isaac Jogues]], who had come to them earlier as a [[missionary]]. Anticipating that Jogues would likely be killed by his captors, [[Arent van Curler]] helped the priest to escape, hiding him in his barn until a deal could be reached and the Frenchman put on a ship to take him downriver to New Amsterdam. This event is the earliest recorded presence of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]] in Albany. Jogues would later return to the [[Mohawk Valley]], and three years later, he and two other missionaries were killed by the Mohawks at [[Auriesville, New York|Auriesville]]. They were all later [[canonization|canonized]] by the church as three of the [[North American Martyrs]].<ref name="Church timeline page">{{cite web|title=Historic Highlights|url=http://www.hist-stmarys.org/history.html|publisher=St. Mary's Church|year=2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018021637/https://www.hist-stmarys.org/history.html|archive-date=October 18, 2019|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

Later in the century, Fort Orange became the [[English colonization of the Americas|English]] city of Albany. Its citizens, reflecting the city's Dutch and English background, were predominantly [[Protestant]], but among them were a small group of Catholics. By 1794, almost two decades after [[American independence]], there were enough Catholics to ask the [[Holy See|Vatican]] for permission to buy land to build a church. Two years later, the congregation formally [[incorporation (business)|incorporated]], becoming the second Catholic church in the state, after [[St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, New York|St. Peter's]] in New York.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

The parishioners had been celebrating [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] at the homes of their prosperous members. The first order of business for the new church's board of trustees was to find land and build a church. Plans for a modest building were drawn up, but land had not been found. In 1797, the city donated to the church the property where Jogues had hidden on his escape, and where the parish has been located ever since. The [[cornerstone]] was laid shortly thereafter.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

===1798–1828: First church===

The first St. Mary's Church building opened for services in late 1798. It was a plain brick building {{convert|50|ft}} square with no [[bell tower|belfry]] and a pyramidal roof with a cross. Above the main door, the [[entablature]] contained a plaque with the name of the builders and a skull and crossbones. Inside were two galleries, one of which contained what is believed to be the first organ installed in a church in Albany. It was the first church dedicated to the [[Virgin Mary]] in the state of New York, and the second permanent Catholic church built in the state.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

At the time, the church's [[Parish (Catholic Church)|parish]] covered almost all of [[upstate New York]], south to [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]] and north to what is today the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–US border]] (when the northern country was still known as [[British North America]]), and west as far as [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]. Its second pastor, Matthew O'Brien, helped establish St. Mary's within Albany society by giving [[homily|homilies]] of such quality that they attracted Protestant leaders from Albany and elsewhere in the state.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

St. Mary's was part of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore|Diocese of Baltimore]], but only for three years. Pope [[Pius VII]] created the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|Diocese of New York]] in 1801. It took another 15 years to seat a bishop. The church's congregation continued to grow slowly, reaching 300 by 1820. Newer parishes were established in other cities in the [[Capital District, New York|Capital District]] and [[Mohawk Valley]].<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Church lore holds that [[Marquis de Lafayette]], French hero of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], attended Mass on one or both of his visits to Albany during his 1824–25 American tour, but no contemporary newspaper records that he did. Later in 1825, the church was among the many that took part in official ceremonies marking the opening of the [[Erie Canal]], which had a great impact on St. Mary's, as the canal and the industrialization that it spurred brought many Catholic immigrants, particularly [[Irish American|from Ireland]], to the city and the region. In Albany, St. Mary's was initially enough for them, but in other cities, they established their own churches, and the parishes with them, diminishing St. Mary's to Albany and its immediate vicinity in the process.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

In 1828 the church established its first [[Sunday school]], taught in part by a Protestant volunteer. Later that year, the congregation asked Bishop [[John Dubois]] for assistance in recruiting nuns to run the school and take care of the parish's orphans. The [[Sisters of Charity]] of [[Emmitsburg, Maryland|Emmitsburg]] answered the bishop's call and were soon running not only the Sunday school and an [[orphanage]], but a separate [[parochial school]] as well.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

===1829–1866: Second church===

This growth was straining the church's available space, and plans were made to replace the 1798 building. [[Philip Hooker]] was commissioned to design a new building, one of his last non-residential structures. His [[Federal style]] structure had brick walls and columns, faced in [[stucco]], with a three-stage bell tower.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Among the many contributors to the $12,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|12000|1829|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) construction cost were [[Stephen Van Rensselaer III]], a former [[Lieutenant Governor of New York|lieutenant governor]] descended from the Dutch family that had owned and governed most of the Albany area as ''[[patroon]]s'' during the colonial era, and another former lieutenant governor of Dutch extraction, [[Martin Van Buren]], later elected President of the United States. Services continued at a nearby school while the new church was under construction. To support the larger building, it was necessary to cut into the hillside and extend Steuben Street past Chapel Street.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

The new church was completed and opened within a year. A few years later, the church was able to acquire a {{convert|1300|lb|adj=on}} bell, its first, for the tower. In 1836 the new church's space served both it and the city well when Albany was struck by the first of several [[cholera]] epidemics it experienced in the 19th century. Father Charles Smith, the pastor, devoted great time and effort to tending to the victims. With his assistance, the nuns opened a separate orphanage for the children of victims.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Later in 1836, the church received some important figures in the history of American Catholicism. In June, a newly ordained priest, [[John Neumann]], celebrated a Mass at St. Mary's on the way to his first assignment in [[Western New York]]; he would later serve as the first Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Philadelphia]] and was [[canonization|canonized]] in 1977. Less than a week later, Bishop Dubois visited to [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|confirm]] 150 people, including some adults. Accompanying him was Father [[Charles Constantine Pise]], the only Catholic priest to ever serve as [[United States Senate Chaplain]].<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Immigration to Albany continued, bringing more Catholics, including some [[German American|from Germany]], to the city. In 1837, the city's second Catholic church, St. John's, was founded in the [[South End–Groesbeckville Historic District|South End]]. St. Mary's parish, which still included the entire city, was divided to accommodate the new congregation. The 1843 establishment of [[Saint Joseph's Church (Albany, New York)|St. Joseph's]] in the [[Arbor Hill Historic District–Ten Broeck Triangle|Ten Broeck Triangle]] led to another reduction in parish territory. A parish that had occupied most of the state 20 years earlier was now limited to a single Albany neighborhood.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

The new bishop, [[John Hughes (archbishop of New York)|John Hughes]], came into conflict with the trustees of St. Mary's and some of the other new churches upstate over their poor financial management and large debts. "What should belong to the present and the future is already mortgaged to the past!" he complained, predicting that "[s]ooner or later, the trustee system as it exists will destroy or be destroyed by the Catholic religion."<ref name="Farley McCloskey bio">{{cite book|last=Farley|first=John|title=The life of John, Cardinal McCloskey: First Prince of the Church in America, 1810-1885|year=1918|publisher=Longmans, Green & Co.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/TheLifeOfJohnCardinalMcCloskey/page/n190 165]–66|url=https://archive.org/details/TheLifeOfJohnCardinalMcCloskey|access-date=December 2, 2012}}</ref> The church hierarchy was also disturbed by rumors that the St. Mary's trustees had used some [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] rites, contrary to Catholic doctrine, when they blessed the new church in 1829.<ref name="Worker and Community">{{cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Brian|title=Worker and Community: Response to Industrialization in a Nineteenth Century American City, Albany, New York, 1850-1884|year=1985|publisher=[[State University of New York Press]]|isbn=9780887060465|pages=129–30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Egrab9bw3yMC&pg=PA129|access-date=December 2, 2012|archive-date=August 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826022344/https://books.google.com/books?id=Egrab9bw3yMC&pg=PA129|url-status=live}}</ref> Hughes later sent his [[coadjutor bishop]], [[John McCloskey]], to Albany to resolve the issues. He moved to dissolve the trustees and place the churches under direct diocesan supervision.<ref name="Farley McCloskey bio" /> The trustees at first resisted, but in 1845 formally voted to [[Dissolution (law)|dissolve]] themselves. Two years later, at Hughes' request, Pope [[Pius IX]] subdivided the upstate portion of the diocese into the new dioceses of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany|Albany]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo|Buffalo]].

McCloskey was installed as the first bishop of the new diocese. For a time, he utilized St. Mary's as his [[procathedral]]. However, he felt it inadequate to the task, and soon began raising money for a proper [[cathedral]]. In 1848, construction began one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) to the south on the [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Albany, New York)|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]], designed by Irish immigrant [[Patrick Keely]]. McCloskey moved his seat to the new cathedral when it was complete in 1852. St. Mary's primacy among Albany's Catholic churches has since then been purely historical.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

The years before and after 1850 posed many challenges to the city. In 1848 a fire destroyed 600 buildings, and two more cholera epidemics struck Albany in 1849 and 1854. An assistant priest at St. Mary's founded the local chapter of the [[Society of Saint Vincent de Paul]] after the fire to help the victims. The church was also threatened by the rise of the [[nativism (politics)|nativist]], [[Anti-Catholicism in the United States|anti-Catholic]] [[Know Nothing]] Party, which polled very well in Albany's 1855 municipal elections. Several members of the congregation who had become prominent in the community spoke out against the Know Nothings, and in 1859 the exiled [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalist]] leader [[William Smith O'Brien]], a Protestant, broke a self-imposed pledge of neutrality to condemn them while speaking at St. Mary's.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

That same year another new parish, St. Patrick's, was created from territory formerly part of St. Mary's. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] in the early 1860s, structural defects in the church, possibly a result of its speedy construction three decades earlier, became apparent. [[Clarence A. Walworth]], a converted [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] priest who took over as St. Mary's pastor after the war, made the construction of a new church his priority. Before that, he invited a friend and fellow Episcopalian convert, [[Isaac Hecker]], founder of the [[Paulist Fathers]], to the church to give a lecture.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

===1867–1900: Third church and Walworth===

New York had amended its laws on the organization of nonprofit institutions during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], and Walworth took advantage of this to reincorporate the church in a way more amenable to Catholic governance.<ref name="2021 church highlights page">{{cite web|title=Highlights|url=https://www.hist-stmarys.org/highlights|publisher=St. Mary's Church|date=2021|access-date=October 12, 2021}}</ref> The new board of trustees consisted of the bishop, [[vicar general#Roman Catholic dioceses|Vicar General]], and two lay members. The cornerstone of the new structure was laid in 1867 before a crowd that included Governor [[Reuben Fenton]]. The [[pew]]s were removed, and a fair was held to raise money in the empty 1829 church.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Money came from many different sources. Prominent state and local politicians, some of them Protestants, made contributions. As with the second church, the architect, the firm of Nichols & Brown, was local; their design used the [[Romanesque Revival]] mode with an emphasis on the Italian interpretation of that style, reflecting the influence of another group of immigrants coming to Albany's parishes, [[Italian American|Italians]]. It recalls the churches of [[Central Italy]], particularly in the cities of [[Assisi]] and [[Perugia]], many of which are similarly built into sloping hillsides.<ref name=nrhptext />

The new church was completed in 1869, at a cost of $100,000 (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|100000|1869|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}). Walworth himself designed the original altar,<ref name="Altars page" /> now the Altar of Reservation, and its [[baptismal font]].<ref name="Baptistry" /> The [[Stations of the Cross]] had been purchased from a church in Germany five years earlier; bronze plaques with their English names cover the original German.<ref name="Stations of the Cross page" />  Bishop [[John J. Conroy]] presided over the church's [[consecration]] that year. A year later, his Vicar General, [[Edgar Philip Prindle Wadhams|Edgar Wadhams]], another longtime friend of Walworth's, presided over the consecration of a new marble altar, donated by state historian Edmund O'Callaghan, a parishioner.<ref name=nrhptext />

Wadhams returned to St. Mary's in 1872, along with John McCloskey, now Archbishop of New York, for another consecration. This time, McCloskey consecrated Wadhams as the first bishop of the newly created [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg|Diocese of Ogdensburg]], split off from the Albany diocese's northern reaches. Three years later the church joined others in Albany and New York in celebrating McCloskey's elevation to [[cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]], the first American-born priest to attain that rank. For St. Mary's, where McCloskey had briefly presided upon his arrival in Albany, there was the added element of a personal role in his success.<ref name=nrhptext />

Ten years later, the church celebrated again when [[Daniel Manning]], once one of its former [[altar boy]]s, was appointed [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]] by President [[Grover Cleveland]]. Walworth, an advocate for the converted Mohawk populations of the state, argued for the sainthood of [[Kateri Tekakwitha]], informally known as Lilly of the Mohawks, before the [[Plenary Councils of Baltimore#Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884)|Third Plenary Council of Baltimore]] in 1884; the council voted to open the case for sainthood, leading to her eventual canonization by Pope [[Benedict XVI]] in 2012, the first [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] to be so honored.<ref name="NYT canonization article">{{cite news|last=Donadio|first=Rachel|title=Pope Canonizes 7 Saints, Including 2 Women With New York Ties|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/nyregion/pope-canonizes-kateri-tekewitha-and-marianne-cope.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022111745/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/nyregion/pope-canonizes-kateri-tekewitha-and-marianne-cope.html|archive-date=October 22, 2012|access-date=September 24, 2021}}</ref>

In 1886 Walworth's research and historical knowledge were put to work for the city of Albany when he served on its bicentennial committee. As part of the celebrations, plaques were placed on the church and over 40 other buildings. At a special Mass attended by Catholic Mohawks, Walworth traced the history of the Church in Albany from Isaac Jogues' escape on the site of St. Mary's to the present. He served a single two-year term. In 1892, Walworth told Bishop [[Francis McNeirny]] that his failing health and increasing blindness made it impossible for him to carry on his pastoral duties alone. He continued as the church's [[Rector (ecclesiastical)#Roman Catholic hierarchies|rector]]; his assistant John Dillon was named parish administrator and vice rector.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

Walworth's influence continued after he left active ministry. The two towers originally planned for the church were not built during the initial construction, owing to a shortage of funds at the time. On one of his trips to Germany, Walworth had seen a church with a single open-belfry tower capped by an angel supporting a weathervane; he believed the design would be perfect for St. Mary's and paid for an architect to design one during the 1870s. A renovation project that began in 1891 ended with the new {{convert|175|ft|adj=on}} tower in 1895.<ref name="Church exterior page" />

Walworth paid for the statue of the angel [[Gabriel]] on the top of the tower himself. Electricity and lighting were also installed, making St. Mary's the first church in Albany with that amenity, and the new bishop, [[Thomas Martin Aloysius Burke|Thomas Burke]], presided over the reopening service. The church's interior decorator hired an Italian painter to do the works on the ceiling and walls since they could now be seen more easily.<ref name="Church interior page" />

Burke returned two years later for the church's 1897 centennial celebration. He was joined by Archbishop [[Sebastiano Martinelli]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the United States|Apostolic Delegate]], or ambassador, of the Holy See to the United States, in celebrating a [[Pontifical High Mass#Celebration by a Bishop other than the Pope|Pontifical Mass]]. A parade in front of the church culminated in fireworks in the evening. It was called "the greatest religious demonstration held thus far in Albany's history."<ref name="Church timeline page" />

===1900–1937: 20th century===

Walworth died in 1900. He was buried in his family plot in [[Saratoga Springs, New York|Saratoga Springs]], but the next year a well-attended secular memorial to him was held at the local [[International Order of Odd Fellows|Odd Fellows]]' hall. In 1912, the church's original [[stained glass]] windows were removed and put in storage.<ref name=nrhptext />

Pope [[Benedict XV]] appointed [[Edmund Gibbons]] bishop of Albany in 1919. The St. Mary's community took pride in this accomplishment, as Gibbons had been an altar boy at the church and been confirmed there. Accordingly, he chose St. Mary's for his first confirmation Mass as bishop.<ref name="Church timeline page" /> In 1924, the church celebrated The Rev. John Dillon's 50 years of service to it with an altar to St. John the Baptist, his [[patron saint]].<ref name="Altars page" />

In 1929, Dillon established the Church of St. Philip the Apostle on Sheridan Avenue as a mission church within the parish. Two years later, he opened a school in a building nearby, operated by members of the [[Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate]], dedicated to the education of the [[African American]] community. In its first year, 40 students were enrolled.<ref name="2021 church highlights page" />

Dillon died three years later, in 1934. He was replaced by Thomas Loughlin. In 1937, a new [[rectory]] was built north of the church; at some point later, a garage was added to its rear. Brick was used for both structures so they would be [[wikt:sympathetic#Adjective|sympathetic]] with the church.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

===1938–present===

In 1955, Pope [[Pius XII]] named Loughlin a domestic prelate, being granted the title of "[[monsignor]]"; he was the first pastor of St. Mary's named as such. Four years later, the first annual [[Red Mass]] for lawyers and judges was held at St. Mary's due to its proximity to the state, county, and city government buildings of downtown Albany. When it was held in the following years, [[Fulton Sheen]], Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester|Rochester]], gave the [[homily]].<ref name="2021 church highlights page" />

By the early 1960s, the parish's numbers had declined. St. Philip's school, along with the parish's St. Mary's School, were closed in 1962 due to the enrollment difficulties that created, which were expected to worsen due to proposed [[urban renewal]]. The latter's building, Centennial Hall, was sold to [[Albany County, New York|the county]] in 1964.<ref name="Church timeline page" />

The latter years of the 20th century were devoted to renovating the church. In 1978, a freestanding altar, made in Venezuela, was added.<ref name="Altars page" /> The church's bells were reactivated in 1980; six years later, an electrical system replaced the rebuilt wheel as the bell ringer due to the vibrations it created. In 1982, the paintings inside were [[Art restoration|restored]].<ref name="Church interior page" />  Outdoor spotlights were installed the following year to illuminate the tower and statue of Gabriel atop it.<ref name="Church exterior page" /> The pews and communion rails were restored seven years later, removing the black [[wood stain|stain]] that had built up on them over time. For the church's bicentennial in 1997, an electronic organ capable of playing the long-dormant chimes was installed.<ref name="Church exterior page" /> Inside, the interior walls were refinished, and the columns and altar re[[gilding|gilded]].<ref name="Church interior page" />

==Services==

[[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] is currently celebrated daily at 12:05pm, and on the weekend at 4:00pm Saturday, 8:00am and 10:30 am on Sunday. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Mass Times |url=https://www.hist-stmarys.org/mass-times |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Historic St. Mary's Church on Capital Hill |language=en}}</ref> 

Confessions are heard on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30 until 11:50, and Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:45pm. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Mass Times |url=https://www.hist-stmarys.org/mass-times |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Historic St. Mary's Church on Capital Hill |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New York]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.hist-stmarys.org/ St. Mary's Church Official Website]

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Albany, New York}}
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1867]]
[[Category:19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Albany, New York]]
[[Category:Italianate architecture in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1796]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic parishes of Diocese of Albany]]
[[Category:Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New York (state)]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Albany, New York]]
[[Category:1796 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Italianate church buildings in the United States]]