The Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens is proud to honor 72 religious sisters and brothers who have collectively given 3,315 years of service to the Church and the people of God.
While the world has changed much since they first heard God’s call in their lives, these women and men have learned to move, change and adapt to serve God and God’s people in new, unexpected and radical ways, as they witness to the Gospel message in a world aching for their compassion, love, wisdom and strength.
Brief bios of the jubilarian brothers and photos of the jubilarian sisters are highlights in this special section of The Tablet.
“You are here to change the world” – Sister Patricia Mahoney, C.S.J
These were the inspiring words echoing through our minds as we intently listened to our keynote speaker, Sister Patricia Mahoney, C.S.J. For three days in July, girls from each Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ) high school in the diocese attended the “CSJ It Forward” retreat at the St. Joseph’s Villa in Hampton Bays, N.Y.
This was a leadership workshop and retreat, led by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, that taught us how to bring forward elements of change in our communities, school and on a global scale. On behalf of all the girls who attended, I can honestly say that this leadership workshop was truly an unforgettable experience. It taught me how to carry out the CSJ mission of unity, reconciliation and all-inclusive love in everything that I do. As a group, we were met with thought-provoking questions as to what mark we wanted to put in the world and how we, as CSJ leaders, were going to create change, sparking solidarity among our peers and our community.
During the first day of the leadership workshop, a key theme that was promoted throughout the whole day was that of female empowerment and how we as women should always strive to come together for the greater good. We had such great and insightful conversations such as how to promote change, how we should uphold the rights and freedoms that we have and how to use them as a platform to advocate for those who do not have the freedoms to do so. Although women here in the U.S. have full rights and freedoms, it is unfortunate to know that there are many women outside of our own country who do not even have half of the rights that we are privileged to have.
Sitting down and having this very important discussion with young women from each CSJ school really inspired me to continue to use my voice and the rights that I have in order to support, commit and strive to promote opportunities for women, making their own voices eventually heard for all to hear.
Whether it was the inspiring talks or nature walks, students from the dioceses’s high schools that are under the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ) network enjoyed the summer sunshine and fellowship together. (Photos courtesy of Saramarie Wade)
Wade, right, and Sister Patricia Lucas, C.S.J.
All smiles and selfies during the three-day retreat in the Hampton Bays.
We are all God’s children. To serve and be used by Him is not only a gift, but a privilege. By being God’s children, it is not only a service, but a duty to be a leader, even if you are the only one standing. That was a very important lesson learned at this retreat. Service and being in communion with others are principles that represent the Sisters of St. Joseph and what they stand for.
Another principle that was continually stressed during this retreat was the value of creation and how we should deepen our awareness concerning the needs of our environment. Guest speaker, Sister Karen Burke, who is the Coordinator of Land Initiatives, presented a wonderful and eye-opening presentation in which she explained in detail the CSJ Land Ethic. She shared how it is our responsibility and duty to not only understand the needs of our environment, but to also take action on the concerns of the world today. We were all able to converse with one another, discussing the world’s concerns, as well as what gives us hope.
Afterwards, we all went on a nature walk on the St. Joseph’s Villa grounds in which we were all able to fully appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. Some walked along the bay, some sat among the trees and others sat on the deck, just looking at the sky. It was such a great experience to just take the time out to appreciate what God has freely given us. Sometimes it is so easy to get distracted by what needs to be planned in the future, work that needs to be completed, or a deadline that has to be met. Taking just a few minutes to marvel at the world around us, whether it be on our way to school or work, could give us a calm and serene peace of mind. This is always a good thing, especially in the summertime.
The group as a whole, felt such an urge to go out and start creating change. The presentation, the nature walk, and our group discussions all aided in our inspiration to take on more environmental causes. We can somehow bring more awareness to our own schools whether it be stressing the need for recycling or doing some planting on our school grounds. As CSJ school communities, it would be a great idea to come together and create more fundraisers, more drives and more foundations for change.
On behalf of all of the girls who attended, I can sincerely say that this “CSJ It Forward” retreat was definitely one of the highlights of my summer and I will never forget the relationships I made there with all of the girls, as well as the Sisters.
Thank you to the Sisters who cooked the delicious food, as well as Sisters Patricia Mahoney and Karen Burke for inspiring us with your stories and presentations. I also would like to give a huge thank you to Sister Patricia Lucas for making this retreat possible, whether it was coordinating the events, leading us to the next activity, being a listening ear, or giving the warmest hugs.
Thank you to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph for all that you do. Your tireless work, keeping Christ at the center of it all is an inspiration and your legacy will never be forgotten. We will continue to make you all proud, being the creators of change and leaders of a better tomorrow!
Wade is a rising senior at The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates, and attends Our Lady of Light parish, St. Albans.
In 2017, Maria Regina Residence, a fully accredited and licensed residential health care facility located on the campus of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. As part of the planned celebratory events, a one-day conference, “Women, Faith and Finance,” will be offered there on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Snow date: Jan. 25.) To register or for more information, contact Carrie Behlen in the mission advancement office at 631-273-1187 ext. 125 or behlen@csjbrentwood.org.
More than 250 people enjoyed hearing The Long Island Choral Society, directed by Meredith E. Baker, present Handel’s “Messiah,” the Christmas portion, and “Hallelujah Chorus” at St. Mary’s Church, Long Island City, Dec. 4. Parishioners and children joined in the singing of carols. In addition to a free-will offering, months of fundraising for this event was spearheaded by Robert Vogel, former director of music and organist. (Photo: George Pandelakis)
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The Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York will perform a concert of Christmas carols in English and Ukrainian at St. Mark Church, Sheepshead Bay, this Saturday, Dec. 17 after the 5 p.m. Mass. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students. Children under age 14 are admitted for free.
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This week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to some people in Queens and Brooklyn who made the Thanksgiving holiday special for their neighbors in need.
The Msgr. Dillon Knights of Columbus Council No. 5872 in Whitestone, in cooperation with College Point’s St. Ambrose Council No. 1463, co-hosted a food drive for the needy.
Knights collected an amazing 750 pounds of food for local food pantries, $300 in donations for families and $350 to purchase holiday turkeys for the needy. These two councils have been hosting this charitable drive for the last two years.
And in Gravesend, Our Lady of Grace Church has good-hearted parishioners who helped feed a group of homeless men and women on Thanksgiving Day.
This effort included transportation, which was donated by Cadillac Bus Company, and coordinated by parishioners Mimi Camera and Tony Datilo. Some turkeys and trays of food were donated by A & S Pork Store.
More turkeys were donated by Ann Cianci and Fern Rossi, with food also coming from the Sister Jane Talbot Pastoral Ministry Office.
The project was spearheaded by Jaime McFarland.
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Good news from the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I.: On #GivingTuesday, they received nearly $4,000 in donations to help fund an upcoming convent renovation.
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Still looking for something fun to do on Dec. 31?
Ring in the new year over a hot buffet dinner and dessert with Holy Name of Jesus parish, Park Slope, starting at 8 p.m.
Make some noise and enjoy a Champagne toast while wearing party hats and tiaras and music to take you from 2016 to 2017. Games, crafts and indoor basketball are available for children.
Tickets are $55 per adult and $15 per child. Free child ticket for every paid adult. Reserve seats by Dec. 28. Call 347-383-2179.
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New Altar Servers in Astoria
On the second Sunday of Advent at St. Francis of Assisi, Astoria, five boys and girls were installed as altar servers by Msgr. Ralph Maresca, pastor, far right, along with Deacon Nick Scarlatto, at left. Congratulations to the new servers: Allison, Giulia, Gianna, Denis and Andrew. (Photo courtesy of St. Francis of Assisi Church)
People of diverse faiths gathered on Sunday, Jan. 22 at Sacred Heart Chapel, on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, L.I., to pray for the U.S. government to accelerate its response to climate change.
The vigil was linked with over 50 similar vigils and dozens of other actions nationwide under the banner of the People’s Climate Movement, a coalition of environmental, labor, environmental and racial justice, faith, student and other organizations.
Joining the Sisters were representatives of their academy and their families; St. Joseph College; CSJ associates; co-ministers and neighbors.
“We stand at the threshold of a new era for our planet and in the climate movement; a time that will require courage, resilience and faith,” said Sister Joan Gallagher, C.S.J., a member of the vigil planning committee.
“At the start of this new era, we need to join together as one, grounded in our faith traditions that help us process our grief, our anger, our fear, and equip us with the hope and strength that will sustain us as we bear witness to the needs of the world and its people.
“In the first 100 hours of our country’s new administration it is important for us to be united with others and join in prayer and action for our planet, for good jobs in a clean energy economy and for the protection of vulnerable communities.”
Those gathered prayed to reconcile any harm done to one another, to living creatures and to Earth. Prayers were offered for politicians and leaders so they may act in the best interests of all nations, and all peoples in the future, in order to avoid catastrophic changes that would make all life vulnerable.
All in attendance then recommitted themselves to bring peace to those who suffer harm, to bring love to those who suffer hate and to bring justice to those who suffer need.
Diverse Voices Speaking Out
Sister Helen Kearney, C.S.J., congregational president, said, “I was in awe of the chorus of diverse voices who called upon God, the source and sustainer of all life, to empower all of us to work as one to sustain our planet, protect vulnerable communities and speak out for justice for all.”
The vigils were coordinated nationally by GreenFaith, Interfaith Power and Light, the Franciscan Action Network, and other religious-environmental networks. Local faith partners will now turn their sights and work to participate in an April 29 People’s Climate Movement mobilization which will take place in Washington, D.C., and around the country.
“What’s happening with the Earth’s climate is not okay,” said Sister Joan. “We want to make sure that our leaders know that we want and expect them to act on behalf of all life.”
“WHETHER WE GAZE with longing into the garden or with fear and trembling into the desert, of this we can be sure – God walked there first!” – James Healy
With new ashes upon our heads and a mandate to “return to God with all our hearts,” we come to this Lent 2017. We pray God walks ahead and alongside us as we begin this journey of repentance and mercy.
Last December, I attended morning Mass at my motherhouse in Brentwood, L.I. In the homily, Father Brian likened Advent and Lent to “sprint” times in the Church’s year. I must admit that viewing Olympic races from an easy chair or relays and practices from a school bleacher are my only experiences of sprinting. I do walk more than I used to, but I don’t ever run, not even slowly!
The “sprint” image became meaningful again as I prepared for these reflections. Seeking to expand my “sprint” understanding, I spoke to Meagan, who is a track coach, and with one of my parish co-ministers, Father John, who runs very early in the morning. I have not begun running (I am sure I never will), but I did get the picture. A sprint is a shorter, faster run in which all energy systems and increased oxygen are combined and exercised to increase endurance, speed and strength necessary to reach a goal faster.
Journey From Temptation
Last Wednesday, our foreheads were marked for this Lenten “sprint” of 40 days. In it, we’re challenged to exercise all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our spirit and every fiber of our being as we journey with Jesus. The Church offers rich symbolism, vivid Scriptures, powerful practices and merciful hope to “oxygenate” and motivate our hearts, souls, minds, spirits and beings. We’re reminded by the ashen cross that the journey (the run, the race) is for all of us (“blow the trumpet, call an assembly, gather the people”) and that God is with us, constantly loving, forgiving, slow to anger and rich in kindness.
Today’s readings bring us to the garden where evil begins that cunning invitation to power, control, self-concerned desire and the blaming of the other for our own weakness or sin. It is from this place that we’re invited during this Lenten season to journey from temptation to transformation. This Sunday reminds us that the way and route must be through an honest look at our lives, and those drier deserts where we continue to face the tempter. The Gospel shows how the spirit of evil tells Jesus – and us – “You can have it all.”
Sin is a choice. In our lives and in our journeys, we will find those smaller or larger obstacles that could deter our spirits from the right choice and final goal. The more we choose sin, the more difficult it is to see and choose the grace (oxygenation) that enlivens our hearts, souls, minds and spirits. Jesus chose God.
In church today we are given another vivid image. Through the RCIA, men and women throughout the world are being “chosen” for initiation and full communion. These brothers and sisters have chosen – and have been chosen – to turn their lives to God. You and I are called and chosen, over and over, to return our lives to God. Jesus, God’s Own and Chosen One, shows us the path, the route, the stamina, the resistance needed to follow the mission.
A Personal Transformation
We are invited to enter into this Paschal Mystery with Him. Lent recalls salvation history and encourages a personal response and participation in bringing that history and Mystery forward. The grace (oxygenation and life force) that makes any such choice possible is that we are never alone. Our God – Who was there in the garden, Who continually reminded our ancestors in the faith, Who was there in the desert with Jesus – is with us always.
Sadly, the world today bears much resemblance to the world of our ancestors. We see and hear terror, war, violence, hunger for food and hunger for power, exclusion, oppression and negative “isms” of every kind. Our call is to choose with every fiber of our being to change that. It’s a scary and difficult call. We trust that God – Who assumed our nature, became like us and knows our fears and desires – is with us always, moves with us and is “the wind beneath our wings.”
Happy sprinting!
“… And when we who have sinned and despoiled the garden are challenged now to face the desert, we do not face it alone; Jesus has gone there before us to struggle with every demon that has ever plagued a human heart. Face the desert we must if we would reach the garden, but Jesus has gone there before us.” – James Healy
Readings for the First Sunday of Lent
Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7
Psalm 51: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Romans 5: 12-19 or
Romans 5: 12, 17-19
Matthew 4: 1-11
Sister Karen Cavanagh, C.S.J., a trained spiritual director and retreat facilitator, is a pastoral associate/family minister at St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish, Jamaica.
College women from the University of Southern California spent a week in New York working with and learning from religious sisters. Their spring break home was the former convent at The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates. (Photo: Antonina Zielinska)
As an alternative to a traditional spring break, 12 college women from California came to New York to live, work, pray and speak freely with religious sisters.
The University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, students stayed at the old convent at The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates, March 10-17, as part of an outreach project originating from the university’s Caruso Catholic Center.
The week overlapped with National Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, and had a vocation theme, but was not intended specifically for those seriously discerning a religious vocation.
“I would say they are discerning life,” said Sister Jeanette Kong, V.D.M.F., a campus minister at UCLA, who joined the USC group as part of a joint ministry effort. The two universities have different spring break weeks so her students could not join in this trip. “Our work is not to spoon-feed them. It is to walk with them… to accompany them.”
Broad View of Religious Life
The women on the trip – ranging from freshmen in college to a law student in her early 30s – met religious sisters in varying roles at different stages of life, fulfilling various ministries.
On Monday, March 12, they spent the day at the St. John’s Bread and Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The next day, they drove out to the Brentwood Motherhouse where they learned about how the sisters tackle environmental issues and care for the elders in their community.
On Wednesday, they visited Hour Children, an organization ministering to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children run by Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, C.S.J. On Thursday, they visited the United Nations and met with religious who serve in NGOs working for the betterment of the world.
The group started and ended each day with prayer. In the evenings the ladies shared a meal with sisters who came to speak to them about their own vocation stories including Sister Maryann Seton Lopiccolo, S.C., diocesan episcopal delegate for religious and Sister Joan Dawber, S.C., founder and executive director of LifeWay Network.
College students serve meals alongside religious sisters at St. John’s Bread and Life soup kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant. (Photo: Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J.)
Sisters with Global Impact
Sister Jeanette said it was important for students to see sisters exhibiting strength in their everyday lives as they tackle the problems of the world.
“They saw religious taking the bull by the horns,” she said. “It is important for them to know that we look at and address problems concerning human dignity.”
Political science and pre-law students Paola Morales, freshman, and Mikaella Ahn, sophomore, both said their favorite day during the trip was visiting the UN.
Morales said she had scholastic knowledge of the UN from her studies, but being in the building changed her whole perspective on the organization.
“It’s not what the UN does, but what the people in the UN do,” she said. She added that she was amazed that so many religious sisters work with NGOs at the UN tackling issues that ultimately concern world peace.
Ahn said seeing nuns in these roles made her realize that ultimately humanitarian work is a glory for God because God created all of humanity. She said offering her good works to God brings her service to a new level in a way that she did not experience in previous humanitarian projects in which she was involved.
“It does not invalidate my previous service,” she said. “It enhances the experience.”
More Realistic Perspective
Having time to reflect on religion and theology allowed her own relationship with God to grow. She was also thankful to be able to ask frank questions to the sisters without fear of judgment.
“I was always loyal to the church because my family is Catholic, but there was a naiveté to it before this trip,” she said. “Now it is more realistic as to what the Catholic faith is.”
Sister Jenny Zimmerman, S.N.D., the campus minister at USC who organized and came on the trip with her students, said the most surprising aspect was how many questions the students had, ranging from do all nuns wear habits and the difference between a sister and a nun, to why God allows suffering in the world.
Morales said the trips helped her debunk a lot of myths she believed about her own religion, especially regarding religious sisters. For example, she did not realize that many religious sisters did not wear habits and that there are many different religious congregations.
“I think I got to know myself a lot better on this trip,” she said. “It helped me understand where my relationship with God has been. It helped me grow.”
She said she gained an appreciation of all the important work religious sisters do and the beauty of living in community.
“I might even just become a nun,” she said.
College students spend time at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse in Brentwood, L.I., and see the religious sisters’ firsthand commitment to ecology and creation. (Photo: Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J.)
Junior Manika Tolentino, a communications major, said she most enjoyed visiting the Motherhouse in Brentwood, where she was amazed at the breadth of the issues that religious women tackle there.
They not only take care of their elders, but also address important issues such as environmental care of the earth, even discerning a balance between dignity of the human body after death and a natural burial for the good of the earth.
“This is not front-page news,” she said, “but it is what is important.”
Tolentino said she has more of an appreciation for these women for humbly tackling these issues that are often forgotten by the larger society.
Sister Jenny said it is always a danger on these kind of trips that the focus is on travel, not spiritual growth. However, in listening to her students, she has seen that there has been much fruit from this effort and hopes to follow up with each student in the weeks and months to come.
She is also thankful to Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J., who arranged everything for the trip in New York. She sent an email to the sister, whom she knows from the National Religion Vocation Conference, and Sister Marie made sure the ladies were well taken care of on their trip.
Strong Support Network
Sister Marie said the project was a bit more complicated than she first anticipated, but so many people donated time and resources that the college ladies were able to visit without any major problems.
The first challenge was to find a place for the students to sleep. After not having too much luck elsewhere, Sister Marie said she realized the students could sleep in the old convent at The Mary Louis Academy. The building was maintained and freshly painted, but had no beds. The sisters from the convent at Bishop Kearney H.S. in Bensonhurst, helped supply some permanent beds and the rest were air mattresses.
Sisters from The Mary Louis Academy helped provide transportation and other logistical support. The National Religion Vocation Conference also provided financial support as part of its outreach during National Catholic Sisters Week.
Sister Marie said she is excited to have used the space in Jamaica to its full potential and is open to extending an invitation to future service groups.
Jeffrey Smith, left, started volunteering with Hour Children, founded by Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, in the 1990s. When he met the families, he was hooked. He has worked there for seven years. (Photo: Andrew Pugliese)
LONG ISLAND CITY — Hour Children, a not-for-profit agency that serves women prisoners and former prisoners and their families, is the exception not the rule when it comes to charitable giving.
The organization, which is run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, has seen a steady increase in donations over the last seven years, according to Jeffrey Smith, a development associate at the agency, countering a national trend of less charitable giving. Donations to Hour Children rose 19 percent during a three-year period ended June 2018, the charity said.
But overall giving is down. According to a report from Giving USA, giving by individuals dropped 1.1 percent in 2018 from 2017, in large part because of a new federal tax policy that doubled the standard deduction. That resulted in fewer households itemizing their deductions, taking away the tax advantage of giving to charity.
In 2018, 16 million to 20 million households itemized their deductions, compared with 45 million in 2016, the report said, citing multiple studies.
Longer term, 53 percent of U.S households were giving as of 2016, compared with 66 percent in 2000, according to an Indiana University study.
Researchers at IU’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Vanguard Charitable attribute the drop to the recession of 2008-2009 and a lack of extra money among millennials. They also cite the rise of “nones,” those who have no religious affiliation.
“Attending services is correlated with giving to religious organizations, but it’s also correlated with giving to secular groups,” said Una Osili, co-author of the IU study.
In Long Island City, Smith said one reason people give to Hour Children is that when they meet the beneficiaries, they feel compelled to help. Volunteers at the agency, for example, spread the word about Hour Children, attracting donations.
Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, C.S.J., founder and executive director of Hour Children, said financial giving is crucial to the organization, as are volunteers. Adults mentor and tutor the children and their parents. Hundreds of college and high school students from across the diocese and the country come annually to serve, she said.
She remembers one senior from The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates, who started coming for school-mandated volunteering. After 50 required hours, the student kept coming back, even in college. Today, she is a social worker.
“It’s life-changing because it’s one-on-one and it really makes a difference in the life of that person,” Sister Tesa said.
Kaylee Konczal, a 2019 graduate of Canisius College, a Jesuit college in Buffalo, is volunteering at Hour Children’s food pantry for a year under a St. Joseph Worker volunteer program for young adults.
“We’re all people and everybody has a hard time, everybody struggles, and to be able to build other people up. Why wouldn’t you do it?” Konczal said
Another aid to Hour Children are donations of old furniture, clothes and toys to the thrift store, as well as food to the pantry.
“We teach the families how to make the most of their food pantry allotments,” Smith said. “Someone giving $15 is feeding a family for a week.”
Students from St. Joseph H.S., Downtown Brooklyn, participated in the final Women’s Professional Day, Nov. 22. After 115 years, the all-girls Catholic school will close its doors after the 2019-2020 school year. (Photo: Melissa Enaje)
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Less than a year before St. Joseph H.S. will close its doors in Downtown Brooklyn for good, alumnae, faculty and students participated in the final Women’s Professional Day, Nov. 22, encouraging one another as a community rooted in the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph, the order that runs the school.
Posters that hang in the classrooms portray the motto for the school’s final academic year, 2019-2020: The Legacy Lives on in Us. “To know that I’m part of the last class of St. Joseph High Schoool feels good that I’m actually achieving my goal, but also I’m keeping the legacy that our [former] principal [Caroline Latham] gave to us,” senior Jadira Bermudez said.]
Latham, the first lay principal of St. Joseph, died in February. Earlier this year, the school announced it was closing because of declining enrollment and increasing expenses. St. Joseph, an all-girls school that opened in 1904, was the second Catholic high school in the Brooklyn Diocese this year to announce it was closing.
Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, closed in August. Kearney was also administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In St. Joseph’s gym, alumnae from the 1970s and 1980s served as panelists for Women’s Professional Day, each speaking about her path in life. One panelist opened up about her struggles to afford college and how it challenged her to refine her skills in computer programming.
Another panelist spoke about how the Air Force affected her life. When the day wrapped up after small-group discussions and networking, one student passed a handwritten note to panelist and 1980 graduate, Paula Curci.
The former school counselor and media professional was taken aback by what the student wrote: thanking Curci for sharing how she overcame gang violence.
For Curci, that was how the school’s legacy will live on — by helping each student find her place in the world. “It’s bittersweet because these young ladies are leaving an awesome, unique program that allows them to grow as women,” Curci said.
The young volunteers made new friends at Stella Maris Convent, the assisted living facility in Rockaway Park, that houses retired members of the Sisters of St. Joseph. (Photos: courtesy of The ROCK Youth Group)
By Kathleen Woods
The ROCK Youth Group at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Belle Harbor spends quality time once a month visiting the retired Sisters of St. Joseph at the Stella Maris Convent in Rockaway Park.
The teenagers enjoy building relationships with the sisters and learning from their faith.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do with the ROCK Youth Group,” said Grace Carlin, an eighth grade youth group member. “I love putting a smile on their faces.”
The ROCK Group visited the sisters in December and sang Christmas carols and spread holiday cheer.
We’re blessed to learn from these women of faith and spread the message of Christ to others.
Woods is a youth minister at St. Francis de Sales Parish, Belle Harbor.
Deacon Edward Albert Smolinski, a retired deacon who served at the parish of Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills, died on Oct. 24. He was 92.
Deacon Edward Albert Smolinski
Born on Jan. 6, 1928, he was an accountant, a lawyer, a business executive, and the comptroller for Grow Chemical Company. He authored several books on corporate law and finance.
Deacon Smolinski was part of the first class of the newly restored order of permanent deacons in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. He was ordained on Dec. 3, 1977, at age 50, and spent his entire ministry in his home parish. During these 43 years, he baptized hundreds of children, including all five of his grandchildren, and officiated the wedding vows for his youngest daughter, Donna.
“Ed had been a no-nonsense businessman and lawyer and he carried that business and financial acumen into his ministry. For years he functioned as the notary public of the parish and he diligently served as a member of the Parish Finance Board, Parish Council, and as a parish trustee. He and his late wife, Joan, also raised four children, one of whom predeceased him. “Ed took great delight and pride in his grandchildren,” said Msgr. John A. McGuirl, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Mercy.
“I was raised in this parish and after my ordination in 1972, I never dreamed that I would return here. Yet when I was assigned here by Bishop DiMarzio in 2007, one of the first people I met was Deacon Ed, who remembered me as a child who played in a neighboring yard,” he recalled.
“His presence here will be greatly missed and my prayer is that he has a safe and happy repose with his wife and son and that if he is already in the ranks of the saints that he remembers those who walked the journey of faith with him at Our Lady of Mercy,” said Msgr. McGuirl.
His funeral Mass was held on Oct. 27 at Our Lady of Mercy. The celebrant and homilist was Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sánchez, with Father Frank Schwarz, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, and Msgr. John McGuirl as concelebrants. His burial was at St. John Cemetery.
Sister Pearl McGivney, S.L., a former Loretto President, who worked for more than half a century with farmworkers in Florida and California, where she assisted civil rights leader César Chávez, died Oct. 11 at Loretto Motherhouse Infirmary. She was 78.
Sister Pearl McGivney, S.L.
Sister Pearl was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y. After entering the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, she made her first vows Aug. 29, 1962, and her final vows Aug. 29, 1965. Upon transferring to Loretto in 1980, she made her definitive commitment on Aug. 12, 1982. She earned a bachelor’s in education in 1959 from St. Joseph’s College in Brentwood and a master’s in theology in 1970 from Manhattan College in New York.
As a Sister of St. Joseph, Sister Pearl taught elementary and high school students for eight years. She said viewing the documentary film “Harvest of Shame” in 1971 changed her life. Sister Pearl went to La Paz, Calif., at the invitation of the director of organizing for the United Farm Workers (UFW) and joined the UFW staff in 1972. She and Loretto co-member Mary Jean Friel were among those who worked closely with César Chávez.
In 1978, Sister Pearl began to help organize the farmworkers in Florida. She worked in Winter Haven, Fla., where she was part of the Farm Worker Ministry from 1981 to 1983 and with the Haitian Farm Worker Ministry in 1983. From 1984 to 1987, she served as an organizer with the Centro Campesino in Winter Haven. From 1987 through 2012 Sister Pearl was co-director of the Farm Worker Ministry Inc. in Auburndale, Fla., with Sister Alicia Zapata, R.S.M. They helped the workers to organize for better wages and living conditions and assisted them and their families with immigration visas.
In 2006 and again in 2009, she was elected to Loretto’s Executive Committee and Community Forum, serving in this capacity through 2012, when she was elected to serve as Loretto’s president through 2018.
Sister Pearl was buried in Our Lady of Sorrows Cemetery on the grounds of Loretto Motherhouse.
Sister Lucy Mary Blyskal, C.S.J., a Sister of St. Joseph for 61 years, died on June 23.
She entered the congregation in 1959 from Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, Sunset Park.
Sister Lucy obtained an MA in Biblical Studies from Providence College in 1973; a JCL in Canon Law from Catholic University in 1986 and a JCD in 1987.
Her ministries included: St. Frances de Chantal, Wantagh (1963-67); Bishop McDonnell HS, Brooklyn (1967-69); Sisters of St. Joseph (clerical) (1969- 70); Principal of St. Pascal Baylon HS, St. Albans (1970-76); Director of Postulants, Brentwood (1976-78); Director of Novitiate, Brentwood (1978-84); Diocese of Rockville Centre, Tribunal Judge/Exec. Sec’y/Due Process (1995); RVC Vice Chancellor (1995); Sisters of St. Joseph, General Councillor (2000-11); RVC, Co-Chancellor (2011-14).
She was a Canon Law lecturer at Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, and adjunct professor of Theology at St. Joseph College, Clinton Hill. She was also a member of the Permanent Diaconate Board of Rockville Centre Diocese.
Sister Lucy was a member of the Canon Law Society of America (CLSA) for 34 years. She co-authored the 1995 CLSA book “The Canonical Implications of Ordaining Women to the Permanent Diaconate.” She is also the author of “The Current Canon Law and Diaconate for Women,” delivered at the International Conference in Germany, April 1-4, 1997.
She was Canon Lawyer, teacher, Tribunal Judge and Vice-Chancellor for the Rockville Center Diocese and served on the Leadership Team as councillor from 2000-2011.
Sister Claire Veronica Kobe, C.S.J.
Sister Claire Veronica Kobe, C.S.J., a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 74 years, died on July 27.
She was an outstanding educator, initially teaching elementary grades in Our Lady of Sorrows, Holy Name and our Lady of Snows.
Sister Claire earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from St. John’s University and a Master’s degree in Sacred Scripture and History of Modern Russia Literature from St. Bonaventure. She taught Religion in St. Joseph HS, Downtown Brooklyn, Stella Maris HS, Far Rockaway, and her beloved Sacred Heart Academy HS, Hempstead.
She spent time outside of the classroom ministering in pastoral care at the Neponsit Nursing Home and Peninsula Hospital.
Her funeral Mass was held in the Joan de Lourdes Room on July 31 followed by her interment in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Sister Dolores Jean McLaughlin, C.S.J.
Sister Dolores Jean McLaughlin, C.S.J., a Sister of St. Joseph for 68 years, died on Sept. 17.
Sister Dolores entered the Congregation in 1952 from St. Martin of Tours Parish, Bushwick. She earned a BA from St. John’s University in 1966 followed by her ministerial work.
Her ministries included:Holy Name, Windsor Terrace (1954-61); Visitation, Red Hook (1961-64); St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands (1964-65); St. Michael, Flushing (1966-69); St. Christopher, Baldwin, Principal (1969-80, 1980-2004); Parish Associate, St. Christopher (2004-05).
Her funeral Mass was held in St. Christopher Church. She was interred in Calvary Cemetery in Brentwood.
Sister Elaine Margaret Roulet, C.S.J.
Sister Elaine Margaret Roulet, C.S.J., formerly Sister Jeanne Margarite, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 71 years, died on Aug. 13 at Stella Maris Convent.
Sister Elaine earned a BA from St. Joseph’s College in 1966 and an MS in Counseling from Bank Street College of Education in 1973. She was the recipient of Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Joseph’s College, Fordham University, Niagara University and St. Francis College. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.
Her ministries included: St. Angela Hall Academy, Clinton Hill(1951-55); St. Robert Bellarmine, Bayside (1955-57); Our Lady of Victory, Bedford-Stuyvesant (1957-65); St. Matthew, Crown Heights, and St. Ambrose, Bedford Stuyvesant (1966-68); St. Gabriel, East New York, Principal (1968-73); Bedford Hills Correction Facility (1973-99); Providence House Director (1999-2005); Bedford Hills Correction Facility, Prison Chaplain, Bedford Hills (2005) .
Her wake and funeral Mass were live streamed to all the Congregational houses followed by her interment in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Sister Florence Symes, C.S.J.
Sister Florence Symes, C.S.J., a Sister of St. Joseph for 70 years, died on May 19. She entered the congregation in 1950.
She earned a BA degree in English from St. Joseph College in 1966; an MA in Theology from St. John’s University in 1969 followed by an MS in 1977. In 1988 she completed her post-graduate work in Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary followed by studies in Spirituality at Fordham University, 1999.
Her ministries included: Mary’s Nativity, Flushing (1952-56); St. Augustine, Park Slope (1956-58); St. John the Evangelist, Sunset Park (1958-62); Epiphany, Williamsburg (1962-64); St. Joseph, Prospect Heights (1964-66); Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park DRE (1966-69); St. Pascal Baylon, St. Albans (1969-70); St. Brendan HS, Midwood (1970-75) ; Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park DRE (1975-85); St Aidan, Williston Park, DRE (1985-92); SS Philip & James, St. James DRE (1992-95); St. Mark, Sheepshead Bay DRE (1995-97); Our Lady of the Cenacle, Richmond Hill (1997-2001).
Sister Patricia Maris Tully, C.S.J.
Sister Patricia Maris Tully, C.S.J, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 74 years, died on Nov. 13.
She entered the Congregation in 1946 from St. Thomas Aquinas , Flatlands.
She earned a BA degree in Business from St. John’s University in 1956 and an MA degree from Hunter College in 1968.
Her ministries included: St. Francis Xavier, Brooklyn (1948-49); St. Rose of Lima, Brooklyn (1949-51); Immaculate Conception, Jamaica (1951-1952); St. Joseph, Pacific Street, Brooklyn (1952-1953); Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Brooklyn (1953-1957); St. Augustine, Brooklyn (1957- 59); St. Frances de Chantal, Wantagh (1959-63); St. Thomas Aquinas, Brooklyn (1963-66); St. Teresa of Avila, Brooklyn (1966-68); St. Clare, Rosedale (1968-69); St. Joseph HS, Brooklyn (1969-77); Bishop Kearney HS, Brooklyn (1977-2004). She retired in 2004.
Her wake and funeral Mass were held in St. Ephrem’s, Brooklyn, followed by her interment in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Gabrielle Pelicci spent some of her summer working at the garden site on the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Brentwood campus. (Photos: Erin DeGregorio)
Seven ecology interns and Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms volunteers focused on land ecology, garden ministry, or farming during their summer stays at the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Brentwood campus. (Photo: Courtesy of the Sisters of St. Joseph)
Christina Carroll (left) was one of the four summer interns who helped remove invasive plants and planted native tree species on the campus. (Photo: Courtesy of the Sisters of St. Joseph)
Gabrielle Pelicci feeding Josephine the goat who was named after St. Joseph.
Josephina Starr, a volunteer with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), worked on the parcel of land that is overseen by the Island Harvest Food Bank.
The parcel of land that is overseen by the Island Harvest Food Bank flourished between April and August 2021. (Top photo: Courtesy of Cassidy Kirch)
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Muddy boots, sap-speckled shirts, and wide-brimmed hats were the unofficial, everyday uniform for the young people who spent their summer focusing on ecology work at the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Brentwood campus.
They toiled in three separate categories: land ecology, garden ministry, and farming.
A staggered group of seven ecology interns and Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) volunteers lived on the 212-acre Brentwood property between the end of May and the beginning of August — pursuing their passions and making the Earth a greener place, one row of plants at a time.
It was not the first time, however, the religious order had focused its attention on environmental programming. Among numerous previous initiatives, the sisters affirmed their land ethic statement in 2015, added five acres of solar panels in 2018 — becoming the largest privately-owned solar array on Long Island — and have leased 28 acres of land to local organic farmers and gardeners since 2016.
“It’s important to let people know who we are today as sisters, the things we’re doing, especially in our relationship with the earth, universe, and lands that we hold in sacred trust,” said Sister Karen Burke, CSJ, coordinator of land initiatives with the Sisters of St. Joseph.
“The summertime opportunities offer the opportunity for people to experience community, while at the same time, be in relation with Earth and the ecosystems around us.”
The sisters began inviting people to work with them and their programs two summers ago. This summer proved to be critical in bringing the community back together again during the pandemic and working towards a more sustainable future.
“One thing I love about my job is I get to experiment,” said on-campus landscape ecologist Amanda Furcall, who oversaw four interns this summer. “And I have all these wonderful people — who are just out of school or in the middle of school and are kind of steeped in all this knowledge — who can provide other perspectives and ideas of what restoration ecology is and can be.”
Christina Carroll was one of the interns who worked directly with Furcall from June 14 to August 6. She majored in environmental engineering in college and worked in that field for several years before deciding to pursue a master’s in ecology.
“I just went back to grad school [at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill] in the spring and was looking for a hands-on summer internship where I could see what an ecologist does in the real world,” Carroll explained. “This campus is exactly what I was looking for.”
Carroll and her colleagues, who focused on restoration ecology, removed invasive plants that were harming and killing trees, planted native tree species like white pines, and surveyed the regenerating, 100-year-old forest that stands on the sisters’ property. They discovered that little cherry, Holly, and oak trees were sprouting nearby due to natural seed dispersal.
By early August, WWOOFer Gabrielle Pelicci was already halfway done with her time in the sisters’ garden ministry program. She arrived in Long Island after doing 18 months of work related to farming and permaculture and natural sustainable building in Puerto Rico, Southern California, Florida, and New Mexico.
“I came to this farm specifically because of the mission and because I’m really passionate about caring for the land and caring for people,” Pelicci said. “The values, the land ethics statement and the values of the sisters were most interesting to me.”
Next month, Pelicci will continue her adventure in the U.S. Virgin Islands and plans to look into buying her own land that could be used to help people better connect with nature.
On the other side of campus, WWOOFer Josephina Starr stepped off rowed-off farmland, taking a swig of water after harvesting 105 pounds of lettuce with two other volunteers from the Island Harvest Food Bank. She wanted more hands-on experience in seeing how an organic farm is built from the ground up.
“Organic farming is really important for the future of the economy,” Starr said on August 6, her second-to-last day on the property. “It’s super important to have the knowledge of how to have an organic farm because it’s being seen as one of the most important potential ways to feed America for the future.”
“I feel this farm in particular has an underlying acknowledgement of spirituality,” she continued. “And the fact that the nuns own this land and how they acknowledge the importance of climate change and green methods of energy, I think, is a good example for people.”
Though summer is quickly coming to a close, the next major project on the sisters’ radar is constructing a waste treatment wetland site with native plants.
“We’re putting in two waste treatment systems in order to clean wastewater before it goes back into the aquifers,” said Sister Karen, explaining that they hope to complete the project in the fall.
“There’s lots of other things besides farming and land ecology that are all about sustainable living.”
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CNS) — The topic of racism can be a source of conflict. But when Sister Melinda Pellerin found herself in a conversation with a woman who denied the existence of systemic racism in the U.S., she let her faith lead her response.
Sister Melinda Pellerin, a Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield, Mass., participates in a “Standing for Hope” event Aug. 4, 2020, sponsored by her religious community. (Photo: CNS/courtesy Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield via Diocese of Springfield)
“And so I had to come to the point where I can go many ways with this, but I’m going to go the way of Jesus,” she said. “I’m going to still look at this woman, as I try to look at everyone, as beloved, a child of God.”
Sister Pellerin, who professed her final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield in 2019, was the first, and is still the only, African American sister in her congregation.
She was interviewed as part of a television series on Black Catholics produced by the Catholic Communications ministry of the Springfield Diocese. She currently is a pastoral minister at Holy Name Parish in Springfield.
In responding to the Gospel call to seek racial justice, Sister Pellerin said Catholics are well-equipped for the challenge.
“Think of Catholicism and what that word means,” she said. “We are family and if the members of our family are suffering, are in pain, or being persecuted, we are obligated to do something about it. And our obligation means to start an educational experience by teaching people about it.”
She said the first step in this educational experience is to do something that Jesus did very well: listen.
“But I want you to hear with your ears and with your heart, what this issue is all about,” she said to the interviewer, “and, as a white woman, you have not experienced it, but walk with me because I can tell you how I experience it.”
Like other Black Catholics interviewed for the series, Sister Pellerin’s roots are in Broussard, Louisiana, where the shadow of racism loomed over the most sacred moment of the Catholic liturgy: the reception of the Eucharist.
“And my grandmother and great-grandmother would tell me stories about, ‘Oh, and we went into church, Blacks had to sit in the back, and white Catholics sat in the front, and then Father would give Communion to the white Catholics first and then put on gloves and give Communion to us.”
But when Sister Pellerin asked her great-grandmother why she chose to remain in a segregated church, this was her answer: “And she said, ‘It’s not about where I sit in that church, it’s about looking up at that cross. And I have dedicated my life to Jesus and what Jesus wants to do. And I’m going to fight so that things will not always be this way.'”
Growing up as a Catholic at the former Holy Family Parish in Springfield, Sister Pellerin still wondered why her family was in “the white church” — until the Springfield Diocese ordained its first African American priest, Father Warren Savage, in 1979.
“And I really learned the history of my church, which is part of the Catholic Church,” she said. “Very few Catholics know the rich history we have contributed to the Catholic Church.”
Sister Melinda Pellerin, a Sister of St. Joseph, is pictured professing her final vows at Holy Name Church in Springfield, Mass., Oct. 13, 2019. (Photo: CNS/courtesy Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield via Diocese of Springfield)
But since becoming a Sister of St. Joseph, this former award-winning teacher has used her educational skills to share the history of Black Catholics, including working with the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph to create a “Juneteenth Calendar.”
“But we didn’t just do the fifteenth of June,” she said. “Every (day) in June I highlighted a different person from Africa who was a Christian in the early Catholic Church and African American Catholics.”
And while studying the history of Black Catholics reveals racism in the church, Sister Pellerin said Black Catholics can lead the way to healing and reconciliation.
“Black Catholics have dealt with this division in the church since Black Catholics started going to the church and I always say to myself, ‘We know how, with no way, we found a way.’ And so within this church, and within the segregation of the Catholic Church, our spirituality can come; we can celebrate that.”
Suggesting a way to begin the healing process, she cited the example of Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne, who soon after his December 2020 ordination and installation, held a Holy Hour and eucharistic adoration to pray for healing for clergy abuse victims.
“I loved the bishop when he got together and there was a prayer service over people who have been hurt by priests, and when he was in front of the Eucharist, I kept saying to myself, ‘We’ve got to do this for, not only those instances, but for racism in this country: Go before the Eucharist and pray about it.'”
It is the closeness to Christ in the Eucharist, she said, that has provided strength to Black Catholics who have faced discrimination both inside and outside the church.
“African American Catholics understand it through the racism and separation and Jim Crow: They still went into that church and sat in the back and received Communion, whether that priest put on a glove, it wasn’t about that glove,” she said. “It was about that, the Eucharist, the body of Christ. It’s what I will take inside of me and what I will take with me.”
The Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates, Queens, formally dedicated the newly renovated Chapel of St. Joseph on its campus on March 8. More than 40 Sisters of St. Joseph returned for the celebration.
The dedication of the chapel, which was originally constructed in 1937, was in honor of all the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood who …
The rest of this article can be found exclusively in the April 9 printed version of The Tablet. You can buy it at church for $1, or you can receive future editions of the paper in your mailbox at a discounted rate by subscribing here. Thank you for supporting Catholic journalism.
Father Paul Anel, pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Carroll Gardens, snips the ribbon at the rain-soaked but joyous grand opening of the new Marian Garden. (Photo: Bill Miller)
CARROLL GARDENS — The grand opening of the new Marian Garden at St. Agnes Parish on Saturday, May 20, was an event four decades in the making, and the pouring rain did not delay it.
About two dozen parishioners huddled beneath umbrellas to see Father Paul Anel, the pastor, cut the ribbon for the Marian Garden at the historic church and then sprinkle it with holy water.
The garden’s centerpiece is a statue of the Blessed Mother. It replaces an earlier statue that memorialized Victor Grant, a teen from the parish who drowned at a Boy Scout summer camp.
His distraught mother, having lost her only child, purchased the original statue to show appreciation to the Sisters of St. Joseph at the parish, who helped her grieve.
The Marian Garden’s centerpiece is a statue of the Blessed Mother (shown here), which replaces an earlier statue purchased by the mother of Victor Grant, a teen from the parish who drowned in 1967. Mrs. Grant purchased the original statue (below) as a gift to the Sisters of St. Joseph at the parish, who lovingly helped her endure the tragedy. (Photo: Bill Miller)
“We found it last summer,” Gorman said. “It had been a long search.”
Victor and Gorman were taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Agnes Catholic School.
Gorman also became a teacher. He retired in 2021 from Xaverian High School, where he taught history for 30 years.
Victor came from one of the three African American families that belonged to St. Agnes Parish in the mid-1960s, Gorman said.
After Victor’s death, the sisters helped Mrs. Grant, by then a single mother, mourn her son. They also helped her enroll in driving lessons and job training.
The statue she bought for the sisters was moved from the outside of the convent on Degraw Street, but no one knew where it went. The convent became offices for St. Vincent Services after the sisters moved out of it. Then it was sold and remodeled last year into condominiums.
When the building became vacant, Gorman and Father Alex Morard, parochial vicar, got permission to go inside to look for the statue.
They found it in a far corner of the basement, but it was damaged with broken hands and other disrepair. Hence, the need for a replacement.
“That just gave me the impetus to say, ‘We have to do something to keep this going,’ ” Gorman said.
(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Gorman)
Fathers Anel and Morard agreed and suggested the new statue become part of the Marian Garden planned for the west lawn of the church facing Hoyt Street. It will include the inscription from the original statue: “In Memory of Victor Grant, 1951-1967.”
But the garden is planned to do even more. Seating will be added so that anyone can go there to pray, rest, and also to reflect on their own departed loved ones. It will be open daily, Father Morard said.
Most of the parishioners on hand Saturday did not know the Grant family. No one knew what became of Mrs. Grant after she moved away years later.
David Peterson, 17, attended the grand opening with his grandparents, Kathy and Bill Appel. He said he didn’t mind standing in the rain on a Saturday afternoon.
“Even though our family didn’t know the kid directly, we still care,” Peterson said. “It meant a lot to my grandparents, so it means something to me, too. But it all ties back to our church, how close everyone is, and how the church keeps people connected.”
But Deborah Joyce McDougald, who knew Mrs. Grant, recalled how she served as a crossing guard for the school long after her son died.
“I was very young,” McDougald said. “Victor was 10 years older than me, but we all felt it. We all knew Mrs. Grant lost her only child, and the sisters were there with her every single step of the way.
“She wanted to give back to people who gave to her during the time she needed it. She was such a good woman, always helping wherever she could. That’s why today is so meaningful.”
Bill Gorman, a lifelong parishioner at St. Agnes, was the driving force behind locating the lost statue, which has been replaced so that Mrs. Grant, the sisters, and Victor would never be forgotten. (Photo: Bill Miller)
Dennis Morales was a longtime member of St. Michael’s Church. He died in 2012 from an illness contracted from inhaling toxic fumes during the attacks on the Twin Towers. (Photo: St. Michael’s Church)
SUNSET PARK — When Dennis Morales, longtime member of, died in 2012, his wife Linda was desperate to do something in his memory. The NYPD captain had grown up a few blocks away from the parish, and it was there that Linda went to confide with then-pastor Father Kevin Sweeney.
“I can still see myself standing in the church of St. Michael’s and Linda Morales was there. Her husband had just passed — I think she had been at the funeral home,” he said. He now serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey.
Out of a conversation between Linda and Bishop Sweeney regarding the importance of young children having an opportunity to attend college, a scholarship in Dennis Morales’ memory was born.
“The American dream happens so often that people don’t even realize it,” said Bishop Sweeney.
For 11 years, St. Michael’s Church has offered college scholarships of $2,000 each in memory of Morales, FDNY Officer Thomas Phelan, and Sister Margaret “Peggy” Ford, CSJ. They are issued each year to three parish residents who have established a reputation for “giving back” to their local community.
Another scholarship, called the “Lights of Inspiration,” was established in 2015 to further offer financial support to the emerging young adults in the parish.
The deadline for applying for the scholarships was July 21 — this year’s awardees are currently going through the process of being reviewed and interviewed.
The Morales family and the Phelan family each fund the $2,000 scholarship dedicated to their loved one’s name, said Father Fulgencio Gutiérrez, who has served as the pastor at St. Michael’s for three years. The parish funds the scholarship issued in memory of Sister Peggy.
Morales, an 18-year veteran of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit, died from illnesses he contracted from inhaling toxic materials performing rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
His wife Linda reads the applications every year for the scholarship that is in her husband’s name.
Sister Margaret “Peggy” Ford, CSJ, died in 2012. A part of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Peggy served as the principal of St. Michael’s Catholic Academy for 20 years. (Photo: The Tablet Archives)
Sister Peggy also died in 2012 after serving 66 years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She was the principal at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy from 1981 to 2001, and continued to serve as the school librarian until she retired in 2004.
Sister Peggy was one of the last members of her congregation that had been a part of St. Michael’s Church, “for many, many years,” said Bishop Sweeney, who added: “The connection is that the Sisters of St. Joseph had educated so many children at St. Michael’s School all those years.”
Phelan was a 15-year veteran of the FDNY, which he joined in 2003 and was assigned to Engine Co. 55. He later joined Marine 9 in Staten Island, where he worked as a pilot.
Phelan was serving as a captain on a Circle Line Statue of Liberty ferry cruise when the Twin Towers were attacked on Sept. 11, and he used his boat to help survivors of the attack.
Thomas Phelan died in 2018 of cancer, which was believed to be caused by toxic fumes from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was serving as a captain for a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, and he used his boat to help during the attacks. (Photo: Facebook)
Many years later, it was discovered that Phelan had cancer, which is believed to have been caused by the toxic fumes from the attacks. He died in 2018. Phelan is one of hundreds of members of the FDNY who have perished due to illnesses relating to the terrorist attacks.
The other scholarship offered by St. Michael’s, the Lights of Inspiration scholarship, is funded by the community. The parish youth ministry sells Christmas trees starting at $250 to raise the money. Last year, 45 to 50 trees were sold, the pastor said, enabling St. Michael’s to raise enough money to offer the fourth scholarship.
“It is an activity that the youth group does every year. They sell Christmas trees, and whatever profit we make, we give it out to the community to our teenage youths who are already in college or are going to college,” Father Gutiérrez said.
The Lights of Inspiration scholarship, started in 2015, was born out “of a necessity,” said St. Michael’s youth minister Noel Vásquez.
“We were looking at all the students in the community, and a good amount of them were students that didn’t have any opulence. They were not getting any scholarships or any support to continue their higher education,” he said.
Bishop Sweeney said higher education in some form is becoming crucial and expressed the hope that the scholarships he had a hand in forming can help a few college students from his former community continue their academic endeavors.
“It helps both the students and the parents to say that they can go to a four-year college and see the opportunities that are there. I think the scholarships have done that over the years,” he said.
The Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens is proud to honor 72 religious sisters and brothers who have collectively given 3,315 years of service to the Church and the people of God.
