Harris Park

Paul Ave. - Goulden Ave. bet. Bedford Par

Bronx, 10468

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Father John Joseph Harris (1884-1937) dedicated much of his life to working with youth. A native of Yonkers, Father Harris first entered the novitiate in 1911 at Villanova, Pennsylvania and was ordained to the priesthood seven years later. From 1919 to 1935 he was stationed at St. Rita’s High School in Chicago where he served as Prior, President, and Procurator. Father Harris joined St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church on University Avenue in 1935. He served as Prior there until his death from a heart attack on June 8, 1937 while on field trip with a group of children at Bear Mountain State Park. Though Harris’s sojourn in the borough was brief, he left such a strong impression in the Bronx that the City Council named this park in his honor in 1940.