The 1970s
In a big parish, it can be hard to get to know people, but Father McMonagle had a great gift for drawing the parishioners closer together and providing opportunities for friendships to form. One of his last acts as pastor was to divide the parish into six districts in 1971-2. Each district in turn was invited to attend a weekday evening "community Mass," followed by refreshments in the hall. Over 1500 people attended. Fr. McMonagle thought it was very successful in promoting a good parish spirit.
Keeping people informed is another challenging task for a parish. In 1972, the Holy Cross Parish News began publication. The Parish News was a monthly newsletter to update the community with all the current events going on in the parish.
In July of 1972, Father McMonagle retired and moved into a home next door to the school at 145 East 200th St. The parish had purchased the property in 1962 to be used as a custodian's residence. He planned to keep busy by filling in for ill or vacationing priests in the neighboring parishes. Even in retirement, he remained a vital part of the life of this parish; he continued to celebrate Masses in church and hear confessions until his death in 1986.
A New Pastor
Father Martin Scully was the pastor of Holy Cross Church between 1972 and 1989. Father Scully was born on November 22, 1918 and ordained by Archbishop Hoban on September 23, 1944. He had many appointments before coming to Holy Cross, with the most recent ones being Chaplain of St. John Hospital on Detroit Avenue from 1966-69 and Administrator of St. Colman Church on West 65th Street from 1969-72. Under his leadership Holy Cross celebrated some important milestones, but also suffered a few growing pains and grappled with questions of how to find a constant faith in a changing world.
Fr. McMonagle's 50th Jubilee was in February of 1973. The weekend-long celebration started with a school Mass on Friday the 23rd . The whole congregation was invited to the Jubilee Mass at 2:30 on Sunday the 25th. Father's family and close friends joined him for a special dinner, then accompanied him to a reception at St. Joseph High School at 7:30 that evening. At the reception, groups in the parish made presentations to Fr. McMonagle: Parish Council, Holy Name Society, Court of Mary, PTO, ushers, Legion of Mary, athletic committee, St Vincent de Paul, Married Couples' Club, school faculty, and choir. The parish youth organizations- CCD, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and CYO- celebrated a Youth Mass on Monday the 27th, then hosted a social in the church hall.
50th Anniversary
In 1974, Holy Cross celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Jubilee Mass at 2:30 on Sunday, October 20th. The homilist was Father John Carroll Clines, who had been the first baby baptized at Holy Cross back in 1924. The Mass was concelebrated by Father Clines, Father Scully, Father McMonagle, and the associate pastors, Father Jenkins and Father Sciarotta. The Mass was followed by a reception in the hall, co-sponsored by the Court of Mary, the PTO, and the Legion of Mary. Later that evening, a formal dinner-dance was held at Casa DiBorally. The theme for the day's festivites was "50 Years of Christian Service."
Beginning in 1975, Holy Cross parishioners were given the opportunity to deepen their spirituality through weekend renewals based on the popular Christ Renews His Parish program. In the first year alone, a total of 125 parishioners participated in the two men's and three women's renewals that were offered.
The parish held a week-long Lenten mission March 21-26 in 1976. It was an instructional and inspirational program given by missionaries Fr. Emil Womack, C.P., and Fr. Leo P. Brady, C.P. The issues discussed included: Christian Morality; the Paschal Mystery; Death and Resurrection; the Sacrament of Reconciliation; Marriage and the Household Church; and the Passover and Eucharist.
The parish credit union was formed in 1976. The credit union was a great help to families who otherwise would have had a hard time getting mortgages, car loans, and money for college tuition. It was in the rectory until it merged with GIC Credit Union in 1988.
Restoring the Organ
On Sunday, October 31, 1976, James E. Hawkins, the choir director at Holy Cross and an accomplished organist, performed a free, public recital to showcase the newly refurbished pipe organ. When Father McMonagle was pastor, he had objected to the installation of the organ on the main floor of the church and had it removed. The organ was dismantled and stored in pieces in the church basement and the basements of several choir members for nearly seven years, until Hawkins was hired. He immediately made restoration of the organ a high priority. With the help of Father Scully, he got the organ cleaned and assembled, only to find that the years of neglect had taken their toll and expensive repairs would be required to bring the organ back into prime playing condition. Bill Ellenberger, who had designed and built the organ, gladly oversaw the renovation and worked throughout the summer to complete the installation. Choir members, parishioners, and the Court of Mary all donated money to the project, and a memorial plaque honoring their contributions was dedicated along with the organ.
The PTO
The school was in a period of transition during this time. Declining enrollment and a shift in the faculty toward more lay teachers and fewer sisters caused financial pressures that had forced the parish to start charging tuition. Nonetheless, the school was the center of parish life. The PTO did a lot of fundraising and started the Santa workshop and music program in the school. They had Friday night programs once a month with guest speakers or entertainment that was interesting and relevant to the times. On April 21, 1976, the hall was packed for Dorothy Fuldheim's presentation, The World at the Moment. Another night, the hall was transformed into a zoo with real wild animals- snakes, birds, even a llama. The traveling zookeepers told stories about the animals.
