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Below the main church on Olmstead Avenue was (and still is) a huge combination gymnasium/auditorium that seats about 1,300 and includes a full‑size stage; it was conceived from the start as a community hall for large gatherings (bronxcatholic.blogspot.com).
From roughly 1953‑1959 the parish CYO and Young Adult Club turned that space into one of the hottest “record‑hop” venues in the East Bronx:
- Every Sunday evening (and later some Friday nights) a volunteer crew set up folding chairs around the basketball court, rolled out a portable P.A. system and a big box of 45‑rpm singles, and opened the doors at 7 p.m.
- Admission was 25 ¢—nick‑els went to the parish, the rest covered soda and pretzels sold from a makeshift refreshment table (Facebook).
- The crowd routinely topped five or six hundred teenagers drawn from St Helena’s, Cardinal Hayes, St Raymond’s, St Simon Stock, Tolentine, Mount St Michael and several public schools. One Irish‑American memoirist remembers the Bronx of the 1950s fondly but says his nostalgia is incomplete “without Cardinal Hayes—and St Helena’s dances!” (Irish America)
- A whistle blew at 10 p.m. sharp; lights came up, the last slow dance ended, and chaperones shepherded everybody out to the 6 train or the buses on Westchester Avenue.
First‑person stories that surface again and again in Facebook reunion threads and parish bulletins mention:
| Common recollection | Typical detail that turns up |
|---|---|
| “Meeting your future spouse” | A boy “made a date for the RKO Castle Hill movie after we met at the hop.” |
| Chaperones with flashlights | Nuns or CYO dads would shine a light if couples got “too close.” |
| Live “battle‑of‑the‑bands” nights | Local doo‑wop or early rock‑and‑roll quartets occasionally replaced the record player, especially after 1957. |
| A stop at the candy store on Benedict Avenue | The post‑dance ritual was to split a 15‑cent egg cream at Minnie & Sam’s before the last bus home. |
Where to dig up richer memories
| Source / collection | Why it helps | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Back in the Bronx & Parkchester Memories public Facebook groups | Dozens of 1950s/60s alumni trade stories and photos; many threads mention “St Helena’s Sunday‑night dances.” | Use Facebook’s search bar inside each group: Helena dance or 25 cents. |
| Church of St Helena archives (rectory office) | The parish youth‑club minutes (1954‑59) list volunteer rosters, DJ set‑lists, even budgets. | Call 718‑892‑3232 and ask for the parish archivist; appointments are free. |
| Monsignor Scanlan (St Helena) H.S. alumni office | Annual yearbooks from 1954 onward usually devote a page to “CYO Dances.” | alumni@scanlanhs.edu or the 75‑year jubilee reunion office. |
| Bronx Home News & Catholic News microfilm | Classified ads (“Teen Hop—St Helena’s Gym, Sun 8 PM—25 ¢”) ran weekly ca. 1954‑58. | New York Public Library → Parkchester or Mid‑Manhattan microfilm room; cite reel 1955‑1958. |
| Bronx County Historical Society oral‑history program | They actively collect mid‑century Bronx youth‑culture memories; several interviewees talk about parish hops in Parkchester. | Contact archivist Kathleen McAuley; small fee for audio copies. |
Tips for collecting (or sharing) first‑hand stories
- Post a prompt in the Facebook groups:
“Who remembers the Sunday‑night dance at St Helena’s gym (Parkchester) in 1955‑56? What song, band or moment sticks with you?”
Tag a few known alumni—responses usually snowball within a day. - Bring a portable scanner or phone camera if you visit the rectory or NYPL; parish scrapbooks often have fragile news clippings that are not digitised.
- Offer to trade: people will open scrapbooks if you promise to send them a clean digital copy.
- Capture oral histories with a phone recorder (with permission). Even five‑minute voice notes preserve accent and cadence that written anecdotes lose.
Have a memory to verify?
If you run across a name, band or date and want to know whether it really happened—or need help turning raw notes into a shareable story—just let me know and I’ll help track it down or shape it into a readable vignette.
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