Christ Church Riverdale celebrates 160 years of worship and community service

Christ Church Riverdale was created in 1864 by a group of Riverdale residents, and established in 1866.

Christ Church Riverdale, at 5040 Henry Hudson Parkway E., celebrated its 160th anniversary with an Oct. 18 gathering, honoring more than a century and a half of community involvement and service as a place of worship.

The church also received ceremonial proclamations from Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council member Eric Dinowitz and the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Over the years, the church’s members have included former New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia — memorialized by two stained glass windows from the LaGuardia Memorial Foundation — and Yankees legend Lou Gehrig, whose funeral was held at the church. Fellow Yankee Babe Ruth later donated a communion railing to the church in Gehrig’s honor. It has been a gathering space for Alcoholics Anonymous, nonprofit Our Bronx and the Riverdale Choral Society, among others, according to the church.

The church also made its own history five years ago, when it welcomed Mother Emily Lukanich as its first female rector. Lukanich said there are just over 250 members of the congregation.

Clotilde Stenson, a member for nearly 60 years, regarded the congregation as loving and supportive of the community. People come hurting, and the church welcomes them with open arms, Stenson said. She feels the church is a part of her.

“My spirit will be in this church when physically I’m not here,” Stenson said.

Warden Jeremy Greenfield, a member for 15 years, said as the Bronx changes and the needs of the community evolve, so does the church.

He pointed to Christ Church Riverdale’s Social Justice Ministry, which is a group of parishioners who aim to target racial injustice through book discussions and forums, as well as classes on the history of racism in the Episcopal Church and how to move forward. Greenfield also mentioned the church’s weekly food pantry, and advocacy work with ELLIS Preparatory Academy, a high school for recent immigrants and English language learners.

Christ Church Riverdale also has a note on its front door prohibiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering. Greenfield called the Oct. 8 ICE shooting of Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill horrific, and said it opposes the values of both the church and the broader community.

Christ Church Riverdale’s story started in 1864, when a group of residents aimed to create a place of worship that was “appropriate to the surrounding circumstances, and to the wealth of the neighborhood,” according to the church. The “surrounding circumstances” referred to the area’s countryside feel, according to Lehman College, as it was built on a wooded part of banker Samuel Babcock’s estate. The Gothic Revival-style church was designed by architect Richard Upjohn. It was officially established in 1866, the church said, and became a New York City landmark in 1967, according to the nonprofit Historic Districts Council.

Debora Allen, a member for a decade, said the biggest shift she’s seen in the church was during the Covid-19 pandemic. It made the church stronger, she said, and opened it up to other ways to involve the community through technology. Vestry member Sarah Stevenson said that, like at other institutions, there are members who didn’t return once the church reopened, but community engagement still feels consistent.

The tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic’s peak is when Mother Lukanich started at the church, moving with her family from Colorado to Riverdale. There are challenges being a woman in a predominantly male field, she said, as well as a struggle to balance work and family life. As opposed to Catholic clergy members, Episcopal clergy members are permitted to marry and have kids, which the congregation doesn’t always realize, she said.

There’s always room to grow, Lukanich said. Being in a historic role isn’t something she thinks about regularly, except when certain moments bring it to her attention — a little girl who has never seen a woman preach, her sons never considering her job as unusual, a congregation member who develops a new perspective after hearing a sermon from a woman’s view.

“It’s surprising, and a very humbling honor,” Lukanich said. “Particularly if they hear something good and they hear the voice of God’s love come through me. That’s extraordinary.”

Reflecting on 160 years, Stevenson said she feels a sense of history and unity being inside Christ Church Riverdale. The community is continuously evolving, but doing so together, always maintaining an openness to new ways of thinking, she said.

“We’re 160 years old,” Stevenson said. “But we’re not in any way stuck in the past.”