4. Our Lady of Good Counsel (Now Our Lady of Good Counsel-St. Thomas More)

NOTE: In 2015 this church merged with St. Thomas More as part of the Archdiocese of New York's great closings & mergers of 2015. Both churches will remain open for regular Masses and other events. This new combined parish is called Our Lady of Good Counsel-Saint. Thomas More.

(mass times & church info last updated 03/24/2016)
Address: 230 E. 90th St. (Between 2nd & 3rd Ave.)
Phone: 212.289.1742
Email: olgcoffice@verizon.net
Weekend Mass Times:
Sat: 5:30pm (English, in church)
Sun: 9am (English), 10:15am (Spanish), 11:15am (English, Choir), 6pm (English)

Weekday Mass Times: 

M-F: 9am, 6pm (English, all in the chapel)
Sat: 9am, 12pm (English, both in the chapel)
Confession:
Sat: 4:30pm-5:15pm (in the church)
Adoration: First Fridays after 9am Mass until 12pm
Post-Church Activity: Watching the New York Marathon runners enter Central Park (once a year!) and/or stopping by the Guggenheim
Links:
Official Website
About the Organ
About the Image of Our Lady of Good Counsel
About the Painting of Our Lady of Good Counsel
About the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Wikipedia about Our Lady of Good Counsel


"I've been talkin' drunken jibberish. Fallin' in and out of bars. Tryin' to get some explanation here. For the way some people are." - David Gray

On the first Saturday of each month, Catholic Underground holds a big free entertainment event in the basement of this church. Catholic Underground is a gathering of young New York Catholics coming together to have some fun, share their faith and praise the way one would typically witness and expect those ever-more active Protestant religious to practice. I realize this immediately comes across as kind of an anti-Protestant remark, but it's not. I just mean to say that when I discovered Catholic Underground, I was surprised that such a great many young Catholics were taking the time out of their Saturday nights to go to church. The events typically consist of live music and prayer - but both in moderation and high value. Last month a wonderful Celtic group performed. Last night a film was shown that was produced by Grassroots Films. Having attended these events twice I must say they are not intrusive into one's private faith or worship; allow one to maintain an intense one-on-one peace with God; and are certainly not detractive from everything solemn and holy about Catholicism - and absolutely not annoying or over the top. These events are brought together in part by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, a monastic order broken off from the Capuchin order. I have spent some time speaking with the brothers and priests of this order and they are amazing. Their alternative ascetic lifestyle at first reminded me of my time in the hippie households of Austin, Texas' university co-op apartments, where young men and women live in seeming harmony with each other, a vegetarian diet and the nature of the world - except I soon realized these brothers practice it for real and for life, as opposed to four years of coming of age (or rather coming to terms with "the real world".) These Friars of the Renewal live in nothing but the real world, caring for the poor and homeless, begging for everything they have, sleeping on mats and resisting the temptations this world thrusts into each of our faces. If any of this sounds interesting you should definately check them out. This order and the Underground are both strong supporters of the new award and critically-acclaimed film Bella, which you should definately go and see.

Living on the West side of the island, it's a great walk through Central Park or around it to get to this great church. Just refer to the above links for better pics or history - I enjoyed the Mass, but obviously other things are running through my mind this week.

Will my dreams ever be reality?

"People always told me, that bars are dark and lonely and talk is all cheap and filled with air."- My Morning Jacket

(10/09/10)
additional photos...