St. Patrick's Church - Bayshore, NY
N 40° 43.155 W 073° 15.157
18T E 647582 N 4509060
The beautiful St. Patrick's Church is an institution and landmark on the corner of Main Street and Clinton Avenue in Bayshore, Long Island, NY.
Waymark Code: WM5JCX
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 01/13/2009
Views: 16
Although the original land for the area presently known as Bayshore was first purchased in 1695, it wasn't until the early 1800's that this area began to be widely settled. Catholics here were served only by missionary priests, and the first Mass wasn't said in Bayshore until 1858.
The first church building in 1863 was located on Fifth Avenue and had been a carpenter's shop. This served local Catholics as a mission church of St. Patrick's in Huntington, NY, until St. Patrick's in Bayshore was made a parish on its own in 1883. A rectory and graveyard were also established here.
By 1904, the parish had grown serving many of the immigrant families who worked on the estates and in the renowned country inns of this area for the wealthy of New York City. In 1915, the present day property on the corner of Main Street and Clinton Avenue was purchased. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on July 4, 1916, and the church itself was dedicated on September 7, 1919.
The parish properties continued to grow with the addition of the school and convent building in 1938, the rectory in 1960 and Msgr. Purick Hall in 1968.
St. Patrick's continues to be an active parish with considerable impact on the spiritual and civic life of the Bayshore community.
The rectory and parish office are located at 9 North Clinton Avenue, Bayshore, immediately behind the church.
The parish supports an elementary school - St. Patrick's School established in 1921 - across Clinton Avenue from the church.
In 1894, property was purchased for a cemetery across town on Brentwood Road. In 1920, remains in the graveyard on the church property were re-interred to the Brentwood Road cemetery when the former Fifth Avenue church properties were disposed of. The present St. Patrick's parish cemetery is about a 5 minute drive away on Brentwood Rd, just south of Sunrise Hwy. The Cemetery is shared by the nearby St. Mary's Parish in East Islip. Visiting hours are (November-April) 8:00 AM-4:00 PM and (May-October) 8:00 AM-6:00 PM. Further information is available at the parish office.
Cemetery entrance: N 40° 44.139 W 73° 14.254
Reference: St Patrick Parochial School history website - (
visit link)