The Depression Years. Pastorate of Fr. John Dyer
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash on "Black Tuesday" in October, 1929. It lasted until the end of the 1930's and had a profound effect on the American people. In !933 newly elected President Franklin Roosevelt began the New Deal which had lasting consequences for the people of Yonkers, not least of which were Social Security, Federal and State subsidized public housing projects and Labor's right to organize. The radio became an essential part of every home.
A month after the death of Fr. Murphy, Fr. John Dyer was named pastor on Nov.23,1933. He had been ordained in St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1901 and was pastor of St. John Evangelist in Pawling since 1919. He served at St. Mary's for less than three years. Citing illness as the cause, he voluntarily resigned as pastor in the summer of 1936. He returned to his previous assignment in Pauling and remained there until his death in 1951 at the age of seventy five. It may not be fair to speculate but the burden of
administrating a large parish in Yonkers in the middle of the Depression was probably too much for him.
What did he have to face? Decrease in Baptisms: 139 in 1929, 72 in 1933. Church door collections : $12, 090 in 1923, $ 7,870 in 1934. Church savings in Yonker banks lost 70%of their value.The school was in need of repair. The population in Yonkers increased only 5.9%in the 1930's after decades of significant growth. 1910-!910: 66.5% 1910 -1920: 25% 1920- 1930: 34%.
Newspapers reported the following statistic s in September of 1932. 20%of the population needed public aid. 5,340 families were on the charity rolls. Dependent on City Charity 4,200 families; Receiving aid from Catholic Charities (Minnie Costello was the county agent at the time: 125 families, Salvation Army: 325, Jewish Relief: 50. Homeless in the Armory North Broadway: 90 men. The number of people waiting on line to receive food supplies at the supply station at Washington Stand Jefferson St. was so great in 1934 that the station was moved to a larger facility: a warehouse at the National Sugar Refining company at 45 Buena Vista. Ave.
Despite all this Fr. Dyer managed to find enough resources to install steel staircases and concrete floors in the school, making the school fireproof. He may have had no choice- there was a fire in the school in 1934.The church and rectory were also rewired. Again he may have had no choice after witnessing a horrific explosion in February of 1934 that was caused by faulty electrical wiring in front of the Proctor's Theatre at South Broadway and Prospect. Patrick Whalen, a motorcycle policeman and Michael Gruber, a taxicab driver, were both killed trying to rescue a trapped girl.
He also witnessed the end of Prohibition in 1933 that had made Yonkers famous with its many attempts to escape the law. One of today's parishioners, Vincent Nowak. remembers his grandmother brewing her own beer and selling it from her home.The best true story was the system of hoses that followed besides the sewer system of Yonkers. The local State Cereal and Beverage company was a front for the Underhill's Brewery. The Brewery made real but illegal beer at night and delivered its products through this underground system to various collection points throughout the city.
The pattern of parish life continued on. Sunday Masses were celebrated at7,8,9,10,11(High Mass) and 12:15. Pew rents were still collected qua rterly.Families could reserve the same places in the pew for a particular Mass. Prices ranged depending on the popularity of the Mass All our pews in church today still have numbers, reminding us of our past.. Marriages could be arranged three weeks in advance. Baptisms were every Sunday at 4 pm and on Wednesday at 7 pm. Graves for the cemetery could be purchased at the sexton's residence at 16 St. Mary's St. There were ten church societies who met at least once a month. Together they also sponsored a Minstrel Show and Dance on October 31 and November 1, 1935 in the Parish Hall. The Dramatic Guild of St. Mary's Junior League presented a Three Act Farce Entitled "Stop Thief" on June 7, 1935. In addition to these. St. Mary's School used the Hall for their own productions and athletic events. The church and its many activities were a source of great comfort and enjoyment during these Depression years.