Parishioners, Catholic school alumni and locals gathered at St. Angela Merici Roman Catholic Church to celebrate its remarkable 125th anniversary in Mott Haven.

Many gathered at St. Angela Merici Roman Catholic Church on Sunday to not only celebrate its milestone anniversary, but also to be reminded of its rich history. This comes after the church's Catholic school shut its doors in February 2023.

Students and residents in the area were taken aback by the closing of St. Angela Merici, including alumni like Jason Mendez, who attended the school in 2015.

"I think it's important to bring some of the alumni back together now that the school has sadly closed," said Mendez. "We appreciate the alumni coming back, we would like more alumni to come and we are trying to celebrate 125 years of such a great institution. We think that it's important to recognize the Bronx and recognize our parish and hopefully for the next 125 years we will be here and still be a Bronx beacon."

Other famous alumni weighed in on the school's closing, like Class of 1950 alumnus John D. Feerick - a dean of Fordham Law School, creator of the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution and a former student of St. Angela Merici.

"I loved being here as a student in the years 1942 to 1950, I loved being an alter boy here, I loved my teachers," says Feerick. "It's a difficult moment when one's school has closed and that's this moment, but the parish is still very much alive and I'm happy about that."

While the school is no longer a part of St. Angela Merici Church, the building itself is still an integral part of the community, with many of its fixtures having been donated by the Yankees.

"I feel very proud and very grateful to be a part of this celebration," says Denise Cabrera, a parishioner of the church. "This is a poor community, but we worked hard to try to keep our doors open and we are proud that we are still open and that we can celebrate!"

Those unable to attend the church's 125th anniversary can look forward to an upcoming mass on September 28th, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.