When I met Reverend Donald Baker at the end of 2015, he had been the pastor at St. Monica’s for only four months. He already, however, had formed a deep sense of adoration for the church and its community, especially its emphasis on family and education. It was clear that he wasted no time delving into life at the church, since he met me having just come from coaching the new altar boys and was about to lead the mass for World AIDS day directly after our interview.
Reverend Baker is pleased to be affiliated with a church that is connected to an education center. The Caedmon School, named for the man who was allegedly England’s earliest sacred poet, became associated with St. Monica’s after the church merged with the Saint Stephen of Hungary parish and the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The school is non-denominational, but because it began as a Catholic site, any Catholic child is entitled to a religious education. Many of the families that attend St. Monica’s are asking how they can apply to Caedmon – “The school is really bursting at the seams,” Reverend Baker proudly told me. Though the relationship with Caedmon is new, St. Monica’s is used to having a school under its wing. Between 1881 and 1974, there was an all-girls school attached to St. Monica’s.
Built in June of 1879, the church has stayed in the same neighborhood since its inception. The original building stood at 404 East 78th Street, but in 1906, a new church was built at the current site. “This was the Irish church,” the reverend explained. The religious community was divided along cultural and linguistic lines. For example, St. Elizabeth was the Hungarian church and St. Joseph was the German church. Reverend Baker informed me that the older generation at St. Monica’s is still primarily Irish.
Having spent two decades on the Lower East Side, first at St. Theresa’s on Henry Street and then at the Church of the Nativity, the Upper East Side is proving to be a new experience for Reverend Baker. Downtown was far more multicultural. Daily masses were said in Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, and English. Reverend Baker had to be able to function in Spanish as a priest. “That was a real challenge, but I loved it,” he said. He also joked that the demographic in the neighborhood was very different: “If I went to a restaurant, I was the oldest guy there. Up here, it’s all families.” Often referred to as “Pizza Mass,” a special family service is held on the first Saturday of the month, allowing young children who cannot always sit quietly to attend with their parents. Afterwards, everyone is invited to have pizza.
The Reverend led me to the dormitory, pointing out, “This is where we live: it’s a short commute,” and on into the main sanctuary. A statue of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, stood at the altar. The first thing that caught my eye was the enormous organ. Music is a large part of the community and the Reverend mentioned that people are constantly singing. Since it was December, he was anticipating that it would be standing room only for the Christmas mass, with over six hundred people in attendance. “‘Catholic’ means ‘Universal,’ and I take that very seriously,” he told me before I left, and then added warmly, “Everyone is welcome – you already have a home here.”
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