History

Early Catholic residents of Rye and Harrison attended services presided over by missionary priests until the founding of Our Lady of Mercy in 1854 in Port Chester. Following the arrival of Irish, German, and Italian immigrants in the mid-19th century, the Rye community began to sponsor a movement for a church of its own. In 1880, the Church of the Resurrection was established as the parish for Rye and Harrison by John Cardinal McCloskey of the Archdiocese of New York. 

On June 6, 1880, the first Mass at Resurrection was offered by Father John McEvoy at Morrison’s Hall, located at the northeast corner of Cedar and Purchase Streets. Services were held in this rented hall and subsequently in the William Smith house, purchased in 1881, at the juncture of Purchase Street and Boston Post Road. On January 29, 1886, the Church of the Resurrection was incorporated under New York State law, and the title was transferred from the Archdiocese to the parish. The parish raised funds and began work on a new church on Purchase Street, completed in 1889. The vacated church was converted into a rectory.

In the ensuing years, parishioners worked to create a parochial school. Construction began on Boston Post Road in 1906, and the school building was completed in 1908. The parish continued to grow and additional property was purchased in 1927, which is the site of today’s church, rectory, and Resurrection School. Ground was broken in 1927, and the church was erected at an estimated cost of $400,000. The first Mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday, 1931.

In 2005 Resurrection celebrated its 125th Anniversary. In tribute to our founding families and faithful parishioners, a commemorative booklet was created. Please click on the image below to view and enjoy this 100-page historical book online.