Christ Church Riverdale dates its founding to 1866, which makes 2026 the parish's 160th year. The Episcopal parish at 5040 Henry Hudson Parkway East counts a mayor, a Yankees legend and a celebrated painter among the people tied to its history, and it still opens its doors every Sunday morning.

How it started

The parish traces its beginning to the fall of 1864, when a group of Riverdale residents met and agreed to build a church for the neighborhood, one suited to its setting and to the families who lived there, and to name it Christ Church, Riverdale. The congregation dates its founding to 1866. In the 160 years since, it has been led by twelve rectors, along with assisting clergy over the years.

LaGuardia, Gehrig and Ruth

Several of the names connected to the parish are ones New Yorkers still carry around.

  • Fiorello LaGuardia. The church holds two stained-glass windows given in memory of the former mayor.
  • Lou Gehrig. The Yankees first baseman's funeral was held at Christ Church Riverdale.
  • Babe Ruth. Gehrig's teammate gave the church's side altar rail in Gehrig's memory.
  • Isabel Bishop. The painter and printmaker, known in the parish as Isabel Bishop Wolf, was also part of the congregation.

The parish's history page includes a gallery devoted to those connections.

A neighbor to other congregations

Christ Church has long shared its space and its calendar with the congregations around it. It has held joint worship with Riverdale Presbyterian Church, especially in July and August. In the early 1950s, it hosted Riverdale Temple while that congregation's own building was under construction.

Today the parish describes its members as coming from many countries and many faith traditions. Its ministries include a food justice program, an ELLIS volunteer program, 12-step and community groups that meet in the building, children's ministries and adult faith formation classes.

Music in the church

The parish also runs the Forde Concert Series, named for longtime parishioners Dr. Kenneth and Kay Forde, which resumed in May 2023. This season opened on October 4 with the West Village Quartet, an African American string quartet. The rest of the 2026-27 season:

  • Sunday, December 20: a Christmas concert.
  • Saturday, January 9, 2027, at 7:30 p.m.: art songs with tenor Marc Molomot and pianist Alex Ruvenstein.
  • Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 3 p.m.: jazz sitar and guitar with Daniel Garbin and his group.

How to visit

Christ Church Riverdale is at 5040 Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Bronx. Sunday services are a Holy Eucharist at 8:30 a.m. and a Holy Eucharist with music at 11 a.m., with adult faith formation at 10 a.m. between them, and the parish offers online evening prayer on Mondays and Thursdays. The office can be reached at 718-543-1011 or office@christchurchriverdale.org, and the church calendar and concert schedule are at christchurchriverdale.org.

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