St. Benedict parish was established in 1853 as a German national parish in "New Brooklyn". The parish was attended from Holy Trinity church from 1851 to 1853, at which time Rev. Maurus Ramsauer, O.S.B., named pastor. The first church was on Flushing Avenue1.
The current church was constructed in 1874, to the designs of William Schickel. The cornerstone for the church was laid on May 14, 1874.2 The decorative windows were made by "Mr. Mittermaier of Williamsburgh, a celebrated manufacturer of ecclesiastical and other glass material for windows &c."; among the donors for the windows was Schickel himself.3
- 1
“St. Benedict’s Church (German),” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, N.Y.), April 1877.
- 2
“St. Benedict - The Cornerstone of the New German Catholic Church Laid Yesterday,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, N.Y.), May 15, 1874. This article refers to the architect as "Mr. William Schimmel, of Nos. 346 and 348 Broadway, New York"; William Schickel's offices were at this address in 1875 - see Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. "New York City directory, 1875-1876" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed December 6, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4b4b2b90-317a-0134-6800-00505….
- 3
“St. Benedict’s Church,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, N.Y.), November 8, 1874. The Keely Society website mistakenly attributes "St. Benedict the Moor" church in Brooklyn to Keely; there is no St. Benedict the Moor church in Brooklyn.
1916 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11233
United States