St. Francis of Assisi Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.).

From the mid-19th century to the present day, Catholics have staked claim as the largest religious denomination in New York City. Catholic mass was first held in Manhattan in 1683, though parishes and churches were not established until the end of English persecution of Catholics, and after the American Revolution, in the late 18th century. In the then-village of Brooklyn, a Roman Catholic Society was founded in 1822, which oversaw the establishment of St. James' Roman Catholic Church in 1823. St. James', located on Jay Street in present-day Downtown Brooklyn, was the first Catholic church built on Long Island. The influx of European immigrants--especially Irish, German, and later Italian--lead to rapid growth of the Catholic church in New York City. To address needs of an increasing number of churches in Brooklyn, the Diocese of Brooklyn was established in 1853. It remains as of 2010 one of the most populous Catholic diocese in the United States.