| The Church of St. Malachy (The Actors' Chapel) | |
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 Interactive map of The Church of St. Malachy (The Actors' Chapel) | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Location | 239 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019, USA |
| Coordinates | 40°45′41″N73°59′08″W / 40.761484°N 73.985602°W /40.761484; -73.985602 |
| Construction started | 1910[2] |
| Completed | 1920[2] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Joseph Hubert McGuire,Thomas J. Duff,Robert J. Reiley[1] |
| Website | |
| actorschapel | |
St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church is aparish church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located inManhattan on West 49th Street, betweenBroadway andEighth Avenue. The parish has served the theatre community in a special way since 1920, and its parishioners have included many actors, such asBob Hope andGregory Peck.[3]
Due to an influx of Irish immigrants to the nearbyHell's Kitchen neighborhood,Sacred Heart Church was unable to accommodate the need and a second parish was established. St. Malachy's was founded in 1902 byArchbishop Farley, with William Daly named as the firstpastor.[2][4] Services were soon being held in a basement sanctuary. The church was designed by prolific ecclesiastical architect,Joseph Hubert McGuire, and built the following year.[5]
Around 1920 theTheater District started tomove uptown into this area, and actors, dancers, and musicians became prominent worshipers at the church, replacing the traditional,working class congregants. To answer their needs, thepastor,Monsignor Edward F. Leonard, had the Chapel of St.Genesius, thepatron saint of actors – commonly called the "Actors' Chapel" – constructed below the main church in 1920. It was designed by architectThomas J. Duff.[1]
Leonard sought the special permission of theArchbishop of New York forMasses to be celebrated there at 4 A.M. (which was banned bycanon law at the time) to accommodate the non-standard schedules of theater workers and thus make worship convenient for them.
St. Malachy soon became a primary place of worship for the entertainment community.[2] It gained worldwide attention when the church was the setting for the funeral ofRudolph Valentino, as well as of the wedding ofDouglas Fairbanks Jr. toJoan Crawford.[2] Celebrity worshipers were often in attendance, as well as theater goers, and the nearby location ofMadison Square Garden during that time helped to provide a steady stream of visitors.Robert J. Reiley designed an additional wing on the west side of the church in 1930.[1] Until the late 1960s average monthly attendance at Sunday services totaled some 16,000 people.[6] The church's chimes would play "There's No Business Like Show Business."[2] "It is a Broadway tradition to light a candle at the Actors' Chapel for the success of a show on opening night."[1]
By 1968, the neighborhood was undergoing a drastic change as the theatre community started to move out and the area became home to a community plagued by poverty and drugs. Madison Square Garden moved away. Most who stayed were elderly and poor. Many were held virtually under siege in decayingsingle room occupancy hotels or intenements with a tub in the kitchen and a shared bathroom in the hallway.[7]
Thomas J. O'Brien was brought from a parish in theSouth Bronx to help deal with the new realities of the neighborhood. He was succeeded by George W. Moore in 1976, who created a new model of pastoral outreach.[8] Under his pastorate, the church "expanded its mission to the elderly, poor, homeless, and home-bound."[2] In 1991, after 25 years as pastor, Moore was awarded aTony Honors for Excellence in Theatre for his service to the elderly of the theater district.[2] He received it shortly before his death from cancer.[9]
Its fame may be eclipsed by the Actors' Chapel, a Roman Catholic church a few blocks away that was attended by Gregory Peck and Bob Hope, among others.
The Rev. Lawrence E. Murray III, Two Weeks of Pneumonia
Theatrical celebrities will participate in a testimonial dinner to be given in honor of Mgr. Edward F. Leonard, pastor of St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church, known as the Actors Church, next Sunday evening in the Hotel Astor.
Pastor of St. Malachy's for 20 Years Revered by Stage Folk
