There was a long established church, St. Paul, in the same area but it was an Irish parish.

In September 2009, the Bishop of Sourozh paid a visit to the Irish parishes of his diocese.

Once a flourishing Irish parish, by 1916 Annunciation parish numbered only 150 families.

That left St. Irenaeus a predominately Irish parish.

But also, like many priests in the poorer Irish parishes, he was forced to work for his living as well.

His first parish, largely Irish and Italian when he arrived, turned mostly black by the late 1950's, following the flight of whites from the South Bronx.

Once a primarily Irish parish, the congregation has learned to share space and God.

In its embryonic years, St Mary's was an overwhelming Irish Australian parish.

The third church, St. Mary's, while always considered the Irish parish, was not established as an ethnic church and kept few cultural traditions.

In some Irish and Italian parishes, he said, the Maronites were forced to sit in the rear of the churches.