Celebrating the Feast of San Carlo Borromeo in Downtown Brooklyn

Viva San Carlo!

Monday afternoon I made a mini pilgrimage to St. Charles Borromeo Church (19 Sidney Pl.) in Brooklyn Heights for its Patronal Feast (Nov. 4th). Starting off at The Oratory Church of St. Boniface (109 Willoughby St.), my usual haunt in Downtown Brooklyn, I made a few intercessory prayers to St. Boniface and St. John Henry Newman before heading over to the other church.

After a short walk through the crowded streets, I discovered the old Neo-Gothic church covered with scaffolding and some homeless camped outside. Inside, I settled in one of the pews near the portrait St. Charles Borromeo to say my daily prayers and the Holy Rosary. Unfortunately, the murals and central stained glass window over the high altar were obstructed by the restoration work.

Icon of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Afterward, I circled the nave to ponder the Stations of the Cross and admire the high quality Munich- and Tyrolean-style stained glass windows. Pausing by the baptistry, I prayed beneath the window of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sadly, I noticed a lot of peeling paint and dingy paintings throughout.  

In addition to the windows, the church also boasts a handful of marble statues (e.g. Santa Rita da Cascia) in the sanctuary, a modern icon of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by the front entrance, and a magnificent Odell tracker organ dating from 1880 in the choir loft.

Before leaving, I met a friendly parishioner who gave me a brief history of the church and an uplifting update on the progress of the renovations. Though it may be awhile before they’re realized, I was happy to learn the Parish has great plans for the church. Viva San Carlo!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, November 6, Feast of the Bl. Martyrs of Astoria during the Spanish Civil War

Stained glass window above the baptistry depicting
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart of Jesus