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"We establish the seat of the new diocese in the Village of Rockville
Centre and accordingly we raise this village to the dignity of an episcopal
city; we fix the Chair of the Bishop in the parochial church dedicated to Saint
Agnes, situated in the same village, which we therefore raise to the rank and
dignity of a Cathedral Church."
The
words above were taken from the
decree by Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Titular Archbishop of Laodicea
in Phrygia and Apostolic Delegate of Pope Pius XII to the United States
announcing the creation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, May 25, 1957.
The year 2007 is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre and to the parishioners of St. Agnes it marks 50 years of our parish church
serving as a cathedral. 1957 represented the fulfillment of a dream of Msgr. Peter Quealy,
who served as pastor of St. Agnes and later as Cathedral administrator from 1905 until 1959 . By 1933, the marble church
that had served the parish of St. Agnes since 1905 was no longer adequate to
serve the rapidly growing Catholic population.
Msgr. Quealy envisioned a grand and majestic building to take the place of the
marble church completed shortly before his arrival at St. Agnes in 1905. He
had always felt that one day a new diocese
would be formed on Long Island which would require a cathedral. In his mind
St. Agnes would be that cathedral.
Msgr. Quealy lived long enough to see
his dream come true. On Sunday afternoon, May
26, 1957 a ten car motorcade escorted by two New York City motorcycle police
began at the home of Bishop Kellenberg's mother on Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx.
They made their way through the Bronx and across Queens to the Nassau County
Border. Here the Bishop's entourage was met by various civic and community leaders
including Nassau County Executive A. Holly Paterson and
continued on to Rockville Centre with a Nassau police escort. Along the
way the Bishop stopped at the parishes of Blessed Sacrament and Holy Name of
Mary in Valley Stream, Our Lady of Peace in Lynbrook and St. Raymond in East
Rockaway. Finally reaching
Rockville Centre, Bishop Kellenberg was met by Msgr. Joseph Smith, marshal of
the parade and chairman of the arrangements committee. Bishop Kellenberg and
Msgr. Smith sitting in an open car were escorted from Maine Avenue and Peninsula Boulevard to
Quealy Place.
The afternoon of
May 26th would see the beginning St.
Agnes' dual role as
parish church and seat of the Diocese of Rockville
Centre.
The links below will take
you to pictures that record the events of May 26th and May 27th, 1957.
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