Easter proclamation

This blog in 2013

In 2012, I completed my tour of Catholic churches in Nassau County. The remarks in some posts have probably become stale, so I must review many posts, beginning with 2011.
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In December, 2012, the Long Island Catholic changed its format, approach, and frequency of publication. Instead of fifty issues annually, there will be ten. Inspirational and devotional narratives will replace much news of the parishes.  Over the decades, the editors have sometimes complained of the coverage Newsday gives the Diocese of Rockville Centre, but Newsday's occasional articles will become a more important source of news. I do follow the diocesan websites, drvc.org and licatholic.org  but the topics are quite limited to hortatory instructions on politics. Biographical obits of religious Sisters are missing. 
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The effect of hurricane Sandy is a news item that has affected parishes in various degrees.  Whether the damage to homes will encourage demographic shifts and change parish income may be learned as time passes.  I have not elaborated on the role of population changes in Nassau County parishes (e.g., the increase of non-Catholic Iranians in Great Neck) because this news is obvious to passers-by and the diocesan accountants.  My observations would be debatable and superfluous.
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There are about seventy Catholic parishes in Nassau County.  Two are Eastern Rite.  It seems that two parishes, St. Vincent de Paul (Elmont) and St. Rocco (Glen Cove) have no resident priest.  Parish elementary schools number about twenty-five.  

Bukavu

The front page of today's New York Times, 11.26.2012, carries frightful reports of fighting in the eastern or northeastern Congo.  I note that this has a connection to Long Island.  The Blue Point Ursulines, who have staffed schools in the diocese of Rockville Centre, have origins from Tildonk, Belgium.  The same Tildonk Ursulines have a vice-province in the Congo, at Bukavu, a large city towards which the rebels are moving.  An article about the troubles is linked here.
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Yesterday, the lector at St. William the Abbot parish read a petition about the Ursulines in the Congo.  Today's news, unfortunately, narrates chaos, war, and suffering.

Christopher Columbus

For quite a while I have been impressed with the story that Christopher Columbus and his crew sang the Salve Regina at sunset.  Today (celebrating him on a Monday), I came across this lengthy article about Columbus's devotion to Mary as shown in the names of ships and places.  The author is a Marianist Brother at the University of Dayton.
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Please note that Guadalupe is first of all a place in Extremadura, Spain.  The name was brought to Mexico.

St. Brigid, Westbury

St. Brigid's parish in Westbury, Long Island, has a church on Post Avenue, immediately south of the Westbury railroad station, and an extensive school building a mile northwest on Maple Avenue. St. Brigid - Our Lady of Hope Regional School includes a parish chapel, used for four Sunday Masses.  Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.
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The parish address is 75 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590, telephone 516-334-0024. The parish website is here, and it includes photos. The Mass schedule is here. Daily Mass is in the church. On weekends, seven Masses are scheduled in the church, four in Our Lady's Chapel in the Maple school, as pictured above.

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Fortunately, there is a traffic signal with a pedestrian button at Post Avenue and Fifth Avenue, allowing people to cross safely from the east side of Post Avenue (church, rectory, park-like grounds, and Holy Rood Cemetery) to the west side of Post Avenue (parking lot, parish center, parish hall).

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Below are photos of the parish school on Maple Avenue.

Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

The address of St. Brigid - Our Lady of Hope Regional School is 101 Maple Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590, telephone 718-333-0580. Its website is linked here.

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The bishop of Brooklyn, John Loughlin, established a church, but not a parish, in Westbury in 1852.  In 1892, his successor, Charles McDonnell, St. Brigid's as a parish.  The parish boundaries include a greater area than most Nassau parishes.  In 1987, the Carle Place chapel was established as its own parish of Our Lady of Hope.

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An excellent photo of St. Brigid's church is here on Flickr.

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Please see a parish bulletin for an explanation (atop page 3) of St. Brigid's cross, seen several places in the parish and on the website.

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Below, one can see the influence of St. Brigid's parish on its neighborhood.

Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park

In the village of Floral Park, Long Island, the church of Our Lady of Victory faces a small park at the intersection of Tulip Avenue, Plainfield Avenue, and Floral Parkway. The rectory address is 2 Floral Parkway, Floral Park NY 11001, telephone 516-354-0482. The parish website is linked here.

The church was renovated in 2012 at a cost between four and five million dollars.  The photograph with the red truck was taken at that time.  The other photos were taken in March of 2013.
Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.
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The parish school is adjacent, with the address of 2 Bellmore Street, Floral Park NY 11001, telephone 516-352-4466.  The school's website is linked here.


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Notre Dame, New Hyde Park

In northern New Hyde Park, a block north of the busy intersection of New Hyde Park Road and Hillside Avenue (NY 25B) are the church, school, and other buildings of Notre Dame parish.  The top photograph looks south on New Hyde Park Road.

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The rectory and school are on the east side of the property, residential and quiet Mayfair Road.  The parish office is at 45 Mayfair Road, New Hyde Park, NY 11040, telephone 516-352-7203.  The parish website is linked here.

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Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.  Notre Dame School is at 25 Mayfair Road, telephone 516-354-5618.  The school's website is linked here. 

The school's website gives the N-8 enrollment as 388 in January, 2012, but does not distinguish between the early childhood programs and the K-8 enrollment.