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Life and Faith
This section is dedicated to the people
that,
through whose determination, hard work,
contributions and faith and ministries,
built a parish that has
grown and, even after
a century and a half, is
still a force for good in Ossining and beyond.
A History
In 1853 a group of Irish immigrants decided to build
a church in their new hometown. Ossining, New
York is situated among the hills and valleys of
the beautiful, lower
Hudson River Valley.
They had come to Ossining to work,
and their work, like the parish they founded, has served the region from
that time to this.
Their work was the building
of an aqueduct; an aqueduct that would carry water from the Croton Reservoir to New York City.
One of the signature
structures in Ossining is the an arched bridge that houses the aqueduct
as it makes its way over a valley (The Hollow) and then through downtown
Ossining.
Romanesque in design, this outstanding structure is functional beyond
its purpose of carrying the water tunnel.
The parents of a well known son of Ossining, Peter
Falk, had a store for many years on Main Street. Just a few stores
east of "Falks" is
a picturesque mall,
which is
the south end of the famous bridge.
Ironically,
the river that was dammed to build the reservoir that
supplies the
water for the aqueduct these faithful people built,
had created a delta
that is now called Eagle Bay. Towering
above this bay is Eagle Park,
which, 125 years later
would house the parish they founded.
Prior to the establishment of the St. Augustine
Parish, the nearest Catholic church
for Ossining residents was a 10-mile trip north to Verplanc.
One can only imagine the difference in the landscape along the
eastern
shore of the Hudson River in the mid-19th century. With vast
rolling hills, farmland and forests, Ossining and environs
would have
been an even more beautiful and peaceful place to live.
But surely the
10 mile walk to Sunday Mass
was in itself an act of worship to God.
We will probably never know the personal stories
of any of the people who established and attended St. Augustine parish
in its early days, but there are those today, and those
of a generation or two ago, whose stories are known and remembered.
We wish
to record the stories of these people so that when visitors come to see
our magnificent church with its beautiful grounds and vistas, they may
not just appreciate the combination of the brick and mortar, wood and
glass, or natures placement of the rocks, water, animals and vegetation,
but also the souls who were here before them, whose lives were better
for it and who helped make it what it is today, all for the Glory of
God.
You
can help us with our project, by recommending people for us to
interview, or even by writing theirs stories yourself. We would
also like stories of entire families. history@EaglePark.org |