A leaky roof that hasn't been repaired in at least 25 years is forcing St. Angela Merici Church in the Bronx's Melrose neighborhood into a $2 million restoration fight, and the parish is largely footing the bill itself. The 1923 brick sanctuary, where Babe Ruth once worshipped and helped pay for construction, sits a few blocks east of Yankee Stadium at 917 Morris Ave. School alumni and parishioners have already put up $375,000 apiece toward the first phase alone.
The St. Angela Merici Alumni Association has launched a major capital campaign to restore and preserve the historic church building, according to the Bronx Times. The restoration project has received no discretionary funding, leaving the parish dependent on public donations. About 50 parishioners and about 50 school alumni had donated to the church restoration campaign, for roughly 100 donors in total. The church roof is described as being in poor condition and is considered a top priority and absolute necessity, permitting leaks through the ceiling that have gone unaddressed for a quarter century.
Four Phases, Little Outside Help
The restoration plan includes four phases meant to improve structural necessities and add amenities to the church and former school area. Phase one, expected to cost $500,000, covers installation of a new church roof. Phase two, likely to cost more than $650,000, includes leveling uneven pavement outside the facility along with improvements to the church facade and exterior.
Phase three, expected to cost about $650,000, includes replacement of multiple windows and doors, installation of a new air conditioning system, and ramps and other accessories for ADA compliance. Phase four, anticipated to cost $200,000, would support catechism, church ministry, children's religious education, food pantries and other community services. The entire restoration project is estimated to take three years, according to the alumni association, as reported by the same outlet's coverage.
That funding gap is not unique to St. Angela Merici. Under the Sacred Sites Program run by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, historic houses of worship can apply for matching grants for exterior repairs like roof replacements, but the program explicitly excludes interior renovations, routine maintenance, and ADA compliance features like wheelchair ramps. That leaves parishes like St. Angela Merici to cover much of phase three's accessibility work through grassroots giving alone.
From Ballplayers to a School Closure
The parish's roots stretch back to 1899, when it was founded at its current location, with the parochial school established in 1907 and originally located at 163rd Street and Grant Avenue before later relocating to 10 Bonner Place. The school served grades 1 through 8 until it closed at the end of the 2022–2023 academic year, a closure that coincided with the parish's 125th anniversary. That shutdown was part of a broader wave: the Archdiocese of New York announced in February 2023 that it would close 12 Catholic schools, including St. Angela Merici School and five other Bronx elementary schools, citing post-pandemic enrollment declines and financial challenges, according to CBS News.
That closure became the catalyst for the alumni-led preservation drive now underway. The church restoration committee is intent on restoring the church so it can continue serving the community, and the parish today serves individuals and families from South American and African countries after historically serving Irish, German and Italian immigrants.
Sports Legends and a Fordham Dean
The church's ties to baseball history run deep. Babe Ruth was a regular parishioner and a financial benefactor toward the church's construction before his death in 1948, and Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron were also associated with St. Angela Merici, per the Bronx Times report. Comedian and singer Dolores Hope attended the parochial school as well.
Former Fordham Law dean John Feerick, who graduated from the parochial school in 1950 and later served as dean of Fordham University School of Law from 1982 to 2002, recalled that college football players from Notre Dame and Army would visit the church to pray before games at nearby Yankee Stadium in the 1940s. Feerick was responsible for curation of the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which sets rules for presidential succession when a president cannot perform the job. Louis Haffen and Henry Bruckner both served as Bronx Borough President.
A Parish Still Serving, Still Growing
St. Angela Merici Church, which operates under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and is named after Saint Angela Merici, remains active despite its funding challenges. Saint Angela Merici founded the Order of Saint Ursula, known as the Ursulines, in Brescia, Italy, in 1535. The parish's motto is Serviam, or “I will serve.”
Father Nestorio Agirembabazi, who was born in Uganda, has served as pastor for 16 years. The parish has been administered since 2000 by the Apostles of Jesus, an international missionary congregation founded in Uganda in 1968. The parish now offers weekly services in English and Spanish along with a twice-monthly Mass in Igbo, a Nigerian language, reflecting its growing West African and Latin American congregation.
Jason Mendez described the restoration as part of a stronger revitalization taking hold in the South Bronx. In September 2024, Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a bilingual Mass marking the parish's 125th anniversary, praising its enduring role in the South Bronx community. With no discretionary funding on the table, the alumni association's campaign will continue to rest on the shoulders of hundreds of people determined to keep the century-old sanctuary standing.
