An evolved St. Eugene Chapel halts daily services

By Yolanda Romero
Staff Reporter

St. Eugene Chapel, one of Highbridge’s few remaining landmarks, stands as it did over 100 years ago and servers much of the same purpose. It has evolved from a house of worship to a multi-service community-based organization, never losing its mission of serving its community.

Highbridge residents have gone to St. Eugene’s to pray since its days as an Episcopal Church built on farmland. Much has changed since 1900, but until recently, one thing has not. A faithful group of residents would go to the chapel every morning to pray, even when the cavernous church was reduced to a tiny chapel.

That tradition ended in late March. After Easter, the chapel reduced its schedule to just Mondays and Fridays.

“I was so heartbroken when I was told the chapel was been removed,” Kay Morrissey said. Ms. Morrissey moved out of Highbridge almost 20 years ago, but lived here for 30 years before that. “I remember when my children participated in the May Day Procession at St. Eugene’s like it was yesterday.”

“It was hard to see it go,” said Antonia Diaz, who still attends mass there.

“I didn’t like it at all,” said Aurea Rodriquez, another long-time resident. “So many people worshipped there for so many years. [But,] progress needs to go on and Highbridge Community Life Center is doing a real great job helping people.”

Arrangements have been made for worshippers to attend mass on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at Sacred Heart.

The church is right on the hill of Highbridge, built with stones, the front gate lays on Ogden Avenue and ends on Summit Avenue, overlooking H.W. Wilson Publishing Company.

From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, the Highbridge section of the Bronx bloomed into a wonderful place to live. The area from Yankee Stadium to 165th Street was heavily populated.

Monsignor William C. Humphrey, the pastor of Sacred Heart Church from 1934 to 1965, purchased St. Eugene’s in 1943 and moved the first and second grades from his school on Nelson Avenue.

One daily Mass and three Sunday Masses were held, and in the early 1960’s a Spanish Mass was added.

When the church was bought, it was during the hard times of World War II and like many other churches, St. Eugene’s was a great place of comfort. Many got married, Baptized and in May came the procession of the Blessed Mary. The children who attended school in St. Eugene’s would have a parade in her honor called May Day Procession.

Time hasn’t changed much – people still come and honor her with flowers and candles positioned around the same statue that stood in the chapel more than 50 years ago.

The school moved back to Sacred Heart in 1970. For the next nine years, the only function of St. Eugene’s Chapel was a daily mass. In 1979, two Dominican Sisters from Rockland County came to Highbridge to do community outreach. The agency they founded a year later – Highbridge Community Life Center – now uses the chapel as its base of operations.

Just a few years ago the chapel was scaled down to make room for training space for the Life Center. The chapel now occupies a small space at the end of the large room.