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Our Parish History - Part 3 - 1957
- 1972 |
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1957
Pope Pius XII announces the formation of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre and appoints the Most Reverend Walter P. Kellenberg, Bishop
of Ogdensburg, NY as
the first Bishop of the Diocese; Rockville Centre becomes the seat of the Diocese and St.
Agnes Parish is designated St. Agnes Cathedral Parish. St. Agnes purchases
the Clinton Avenue
School from the Village and it becomes St. Agnes Elementary School; Msgr. Quealy
celebrates his 90th birthday and the part of College Place running from Village Avenue to
Clinton is renamed by the Village of Rockville Centre as "Quealy Place" to honor
the pastor. |
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1958
Father John R. McGann, who will later succeed
Bishop Kellenberg, is
assigned as Secretary to Bishop Kellenberg with residence at St. Agnes Cathedral.
The church, now Cathedral begins to take on its dual role serving both
parish and diocese. Bishop Kellenberg conducts the first of many
ordinations of priests for the new diocese.
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1959
Msgr. Peter Quealy, having served as
Pastor and Administrator at St. Agnes for 54 years, dies at age 91; Father Frank Williams
becomes the Administrator of St. Agnes Cathedral Parish. Both Fr.
McGann and Fr. Williams are named by Pope John XXIII as papal chamberlains
and domestic prelates. |
| 1961
Bishop Kellenberg dedicates an eight room
addition to the Elementary School to handle the increasing
enrollment. An addition is also made to the Convent. |
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1962 St. Agnes Cathedral’s
First Annual Parish Celebration, chaired by Joseph B. Wagner, is held at the Garden City Hotel. Bishop Kellenberg is the
honoree.
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1963 The St. Agnes Cathedral Choir under Director Paul D. LaMedica offers
the first of its annual Christmas concerts in the Cathedral.
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1965
The cornerstone is laid for the new
rectory. Father Andrew P. Connolly, former curate of St. Agnes is
named principal of one of the newly formed Diocesan High Schools. |
| 1967
St. Agnes Cathedral is the
site of the first Christian unity service with non-Catholic clergy. Monsignor Williams,
Cathedral Administrator, after serving St. Agnes for 25 years, dies at age 51. Monsignor Edward L. Melton is appointed Cathedral
Administrator for a growing parish of over 4,000 families. |
| 1968
Monsignor Melton hires the first full time CCD
Coordinator (this later becomes the Office of Religious Education). A
major new role for laity in the Church is unveiled as all parishes are
directed to establish parish councils to assist and advise pastors and
priests. The St. Agnes Parish Council holds its first meeting the
following year. |
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1971
Monsignor McGann becomes the
second Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre at his ordination
ceremony in January. He is appointed as Vicar of
Suffolk and takes up residence in Brentwood. Cathedral resident Father
Edward G. Sullivan is asked to initiate a pilot project for spiritual care
of the diocese's Hispanic Catholics, beginning in the Freeport/Rockville
Centre area. In an interview, Bishop McGann says of St. Agnes,
"It's an alive parish!"
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| 1972
The Women of St. Agnes celebrate the Thirtieth
Annual Mary's Day Mass. Monsignor Melton commissions the first group of Eucharistic Ministers - two nuns and one lay women, to
serve St. Agnes Parish as assigned. |
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Sources:
- "From a Blacksmith Shop To A Majestic Gothic
Edifice", 1935
- Leonard, CSJ, Sr. Joan de Lourdes, "Richly Blessed, The Diocese of
Rockville Centre 1957-1990", (Walsworth Publishing, 1991)
- O'Neill, James "To Believe In A Vision" (Delmar, 1983)
- "Rededication Journal", 1982 |
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