All Can Come Home to New Church at St. Joseph’s, Somers

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You could say they really knocked one out of the ballpark in building the new St. Joseph’s Church in Somers.

That’s because the stately, 30,000 square foot facility—which includes an 800-seat church in pews of red oak, a daily Mass chapel and rectory, as well as a parish center with a kitchen, meeting rooms and offices—was built on what was once the baseball field of John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.

Not only is the Gothic-style church at 95 Plum Brook Road a home run for St. Joseph’s, it’s also a homecoming of sorts, as the parish is now united under one roof.

The former church in Croton Falls, about three-and-a-half miles away, accommodated 200 worshipers. As a result, 10 Masses were celebrated each weekend in that church, the now former parochial school auditorium and in two chapels, St. John’s Chapel in North Salem and St. Michael’s Chapel in Goldens Bridge.

The considerable size of the new $17 million church has, consequently, halved the number of liturgies necessary, with five weekend Masses now offered.

St. Joseph’s has approximately 3,300 registered families on its roster.

Cardinal Dolan dedicated the new church June 22, three years to the month of its groundbreaking. The first Mass was celebrated in November 2013.

The new church also has a new parish administrator, Father John Lagiovane, who arrived July 1. He had served as principal of Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie since 2006. He succeeds Msgr. James Moore, who retired as pastor June 30.

The tabernacle in the main church and the stained glass windows and liturgical furnishings in the daily Mass chapel are from the original church of St. Joseph’s in Croton Falls.

The stained glass windows in the new church were originally from the former St. Ann’s Church on East 12th Street in Manhattan. The marble of the altar, ambo and baptismal font also came from St. Ann’s. The pipe organ was purchased from the Third Church of Christ, Scientist in Washington, D.C., and refurbished.

The Stations of the Cross in the main church are new from Italy. The sanctuary floor is marble. The flooring throughout the other areas is fashioned of ceramic tile.

The building’s exterior is constructed of HardiePlank. The panels exhibit the appearance of wood but are cement composite.

A statue of St. Joseph is planned for the grass oval at the church’s entrance.

According to Richard Casterella, the parish business manager, the property at the former parish site, which includes the former church, rectory and school, will be sold and the proceeds will be applied to the mortgage of the new church. Additionally, the two chapels have since closed and will be sold, he said. Although the parish school closed in 2011, its auditorium has remained open for the parish religious education and CYO programs.

Established in 1845, St. Joseph’s is the second oldest parish in Westchester County, behind St. Patrick’s parish in Verplanck, which opened in 1843.