by Jim Mancari

When St. Peter’s Church on Congress St. in Cobble Hill closed in 1975 to merge with St. Paul’s Church on Court St., 110 ornate pews and 96 kneelers were sent to the diocesan patrimony warehouse at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Bushwick.

For years, the hand-carved pews sat collecting dust and taking up space in the warehouse. Yet, to refurbish the pews would have been an expensive cost, so no parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn wanted the task.

This past June, Msgr. John Bracken, the diocesan director of patrimony in residence at Our Lady Help of Christians, Midwood, needed space in the Bushwick warehouse to store other diocesan valuables, so it looked like the pews would be heading to the trash.

110 pews and 96 kneelers from the diocese were sent to Limonade, Haiti.

However, Ellen Rhatigan, the associate director of pastoral planning in the diocese, had a different plan. She is also the corporate secretary of From Here to Haiti (FHTH), a corporation that raises funds for use in Haiti that was formed in response to the increasing need for the repair of buildings damaged by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake.

Rhatigan told Msgr. Bracken that she could find a use for the pews by sending them to Haiti. It would not be easy, since the project involved both moving the pews out of the warehouse and somehow getting them to Haiti, but the patrimony office and FHTH volunteers were committed to making it happen.

“Because of the large amount of Catholics from Haiti living in our diocese, it’s just a connection with a diocese that our people come from,” Msgr. Bracken said.

The next step was to find a parish in Haiti that needed the pews and a method to fund the transport of the pews. Pat Brintle, the president of FHTH who was born and raised in Saint Michel de l’Attalaye, Haiti, called a few parishes in Haiti, and Father Chery Michel, pastor of St. Anne’s Church in Limonade in the Diocese of Cap-Haitien, was willing to accept the pews.

For funding, the Miami, Fla., based chapter of Food for the Poor, a worldwide nonprofit organization, provided the shipping costs from Brooklyn to Port-au-Prince in southern Haiti.

After six months of planning, Brintle and Rhatigan – parishioners at St. Luke’s parish, Whitestone – organized the pickup of the pews on Nov. 27 at the Bushwick warehouse. Even after Hurricane Sandy, a dozen volunteers from FHTH, the diocesan archives office and Rocklyn Realty – the diocesan contractors – helped with the loading effort of two tractor trailers on a rainy day.

In total, the pews and kneelers weighed nearly 14,000 pounds combined and were lifted by hand, since the trucks did not have lifts. With teamwork and determination, the daunting challenge of loading up the trucks was completed in about eight hours.

“The next day, I did not feel tired at all,” Brintle said. “I had this burst of energy, and I think everybody felt the same. I think that God worked with us, giving us the strength to do this work.”

The volunteers were joined that day by several parishioners from St. Anne’s Church in Limonade that now live in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

“The people were so happy that the pews that they were physically putting onto these trucks are going to their hometown,” Rhatigan said. “If they ever go home to visit their families, they’ll see the pews.”

The original purpose of the pews was to aid people in worship, and rather than being thrown away, former pieces of the Brooklyn Diocese will be restored to help the Diocese of Cap-Haitien. The pews are currently en route to Port-au-Prince, with an expected delivery to St. Anne’s Church in late January, 2013.

“The people in Limonade cannot wait for an inauguration Mass to happen with the pews,” Brintle said. “It’s truly amazing.”

Bishop DiMarzio Visits

St. Columba

Sept. 16 was not the average Sunday at St. Columba Church, Marine Park. Clergy and parishioners joyfully received a special guest, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who made his pastoral visit to the church. The bishop was the main celebrant of the 10 a.m. Mass, at left. Father Charles Matonti, pastor emeritus, left, and Father Francis Hughes, pastor, right, concelebrated the Mass. Assisting on the altar were parish Deacons Larry Coyle and Fred Ritchie, and Deacon Jaime Varella, assistant to the bishop. (Photo courtesy Father Francis Hughes)

Tablet TALK Pick of the Week: Join the Young Adults at Queen of All Saints Parish in Fort Greene for First Friday Mass and Holy Hour this Friday, Oct. 5. Arrive by 7:15 p.m. for Mass with Holy Hour right after. Some of your favorite Frassati musicians will lead the music. Join them for a night of prayer and adoration.

And here’s a special treat… Tablet TALK Pick of the WEEKEND: You don’t want to miss the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal’s Catholic Underground this Saturday, Oct. 6 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 230 East 90th St., Manhattan. The first part of the evening is Eucharistic adoration, and begins with Vespers at 7:30 p.m. After Vespers, there is a time of simple praise and the Holy Hour ends with Benediction. This month they welcome the Blackfriars Repertory Theatre production of “Maurice and Therese.” It is based on the book Maurice and Therese: The Story of Love by Bishop Patrick Allen and narrated by Father Richard Veras.

Alumni and friends of Power Memorial Academy, Manhattan, are invited to the 81st Reunion and second annual Hall of Fame Dinner, Oct. 20. Though the high school closed in 1984, alumni reunions and contributions continue to fund scholarships for the leaders of tomorrow. This year’s Hall of Fame honorees are Len Elmore, NBA Star; Joe Mullen, NHL Stanley Cup Winner and Hockey Hall of Fame member; Matt Centrowitz, Sr., N.Y.S. record-holder and Pan-Am Games track gold medalist; the 1963-’64 basketball team; and Brother Lawrence Killelea ’43, teacher and principal emeritus. Tickets are $125 per person and proceeds benefit the Power Memorial Academy Scholarship Fund. Reservations may be made by contacting Mike Kelly ’55 at 845-462-2865 or parades2@verizon.net. Also visit www.powermemorialacademy.com.

Feeling lucky? This may be your year to win big at the annual Card Party and Chinese Auction at St. Paul-St. Agnes, Cobble Hill, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. But you have to be in it to win it, so get your tickets — $15 per person — today. Call 718-624-0179 ext. 20 or 718-625-1717.

St. Francis de Sales, Belle Harbor, will have its annual Blessing of the Quilts on Oct. 7 at 10:30 a.m. Mass. The parish’s ABC Quilter group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, distribute handmade quilts to newborns in need and those in hospice care. Following Mass, a raffle for some of the handmade quilts will be held in the small hall. All are welcome. For further information, call Maureen Walsh at 718-474-6813.

Treat yourself to an early Christmas present and support Catholic education in the Brooklyn Diocese. Futures in Education will present The Spirit of Christmas, featuring the New York Tenors: Daniel Rodriguez, Michael Amante and Andy Cooney at Carnegie Hall on Dec. 19, 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Oct. 19. A portion of the proceeds will support scholarships for Catholic schoolchildren. For tickets, log onto www.carnegiehall.org.

Are you a young adult searching for meaning and open to having a transformative experience? Consider journeying to the mountains of the Dominican Republic on a Catholic Mission Immersion, Nov. 5-11. You will spend the week following and working with mission workers and peace corps volunteers. You will have opportunities for spiritual discussion, Mass, reflection and meditation. To participate, you must be physically fit as you will be doing a great deal of walking from village to village. For questions and pricing, call Dave Cervini at 212-873-2256.

Get some exercise and support a worthy cause next weekend. From Here to Haiti (FHTH), a nonprofit that raises funds to rebuild churches in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, will have its annual walk-a-thon, Saturday, Oct. 13, at Joe Michaels Mile on Totten Ave. and Cross Island Pkwy. in Bayside. Walk begins at 9 a.m., rain or shine. To register, contact FHTH founder Pat Brintle at 646-209-3891 or fromheretohaiti@gmail.com.

Join Msgr. David Cassato, pastor of St. Athanasius, Bensonhurst, as he explores Traditions of the Italian-American Parish: From Processions to Prosciutto on Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m. at Marco Polo Restaurant in Carroll Gardens. This Theology on Tap event is sponsored by Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen parish, Cobble Hill. For more details, check out www.sacredhearts-ststephen.com.

The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn hosts its Fall Social, Oct. 11, 6-9 p.m. at Monte’s Restaurant, Carroll Gardens. The theme of the evening is entrepreneurial discipleship. To register, visit www.cathedralclub.org.

YEAR OF FAITH
Pope Benedict XVI will open the Year of Faith next Thursday, Oct. 11. This year was called by the Holy Father as a time to ask the Holy Spirit for greater faith and witness in our lives.
Throughout the year, Tablet TALK will be sharing ways that our local parishes, clergy and even individuals are celebrating. For instance, at St. Mark, Sheepshead Bay, and St. Margaret Mary, Manhattan Beach, special Year of Faith prayer cards were printed for parishioners. The cards feature a dozen popular prayers and a rosary guide to encourage the faithful to continue growing in their prayer lives.

St. Saviour Swimmer Honored

St. Saviour H.S., Park Slope, recent graduate Taylor Powers of Breezy Point was awarded the school’s prestigious Sister Mary Joseph Sportsmanship Award at the school’s annual sports awards ceremony. Powers also received the swim team’s “Career Swimmer” award for her four years on the team.

From Here to Haiti

The second annual dinner-dance to benefit From Here to Haiti will be held at Terrace on the Park, Flushing Meadow Park, on Friday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m.  The group is helping repair Catholic church buildings that were damaged by the earthquake in Haiti more than a year ago.  For more information, call Patricia Brintle at 646-209-3891.

New Altar Servers

Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Mary Queen of Heaven, Mill Basin, welcomed new altar servers to the Brooklyn parish.

Sister Kathleen Quinn Honored

Sister Kathleen Quinn, R.S.M., founding director of the Dorothy Bennett Mercy Center in Fort Greene, will be the guest of honor at the group’s sixth annual benefit at The Belle Harbor Yacht Club on Friday, Oct. 12, 7-11 p.m. For more information, call 718-622-7448 or visit www.dbmcenter.org.

Bridge of Life Needs Baby Clothes

The Bridge to Life is in dire need of boys and girls toddler clothes sizes 2-3-4-5-6 and infant stretchers to help new struggling mothers.   Please bring the items to the group’s Flushing location at 147-32 Sanford Ave.  or the Astoria site, 23-40 Astoria Blvd. For more information, call 463-1810 or 274-3577.

Sight-Singing Course at St. Nick’s

Learn to read music this summer at St. Nick’s! The sight-singing course at St. Nicholas Tolentine church, Jamaica, is open to all. Classes will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, 8-9:30 p.m., from June 11 to July 18. A $25 donation is suggested. For information, contact  Elena V. Brandt, 718-502-4456 or elenavictoriabrandt@gmail.com

Congrats to Father O’Hara

Congratulations to Father Thomas J. O’Hara, C.S.C. He served as an associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, from 1977 to 1982 and has been elected Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, U.S. Province.

Senator for a Day

Brooklyn State Sen. Martin J. Golden hosted his annual Senator for a Day essay contest. With over 170 essays submitted and 23 finalists selected from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, this year’s winner was eighth grader Joshua Rowe, right, from Midwood Catholic Academy, whose winning essay earned him a trip to Albany, N.Y. Second and third place winners are seventh grader Michael Zamuro, left, from St. Anselm’s and sixth grader Avi Stern from PS/IS 104, who will both have lunch with Sen. Golden and have the opportunity to speak in more detail about their ideas.

Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat

This week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to the Good Shepherd Catholic Club, Marine Park. The club raised $3,000 for the Wounded Warrior’s Fund through an auction they organized. Special thanks goes to Tom and Colette Last, Dom Capuano and Sean Halligan.

Feast Days to be Celebrated in Williamsburg

The streets of Williamsburg, will come alive as 130 men carry the 80-foot tall, three-ton ‘Giglio’ (Italian for Lilies) and the Old World Italian Street Festival is reborn. To accompany the Giglio, an additional 120 men will carry a life-size boat of St. Paulinus through the streets as part of the 125th Annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Paulinus of Nola from Wednesday, July 5 to Sunday, July 16. The highlight of the feast is “Giglio Sunday,” which will occur on Sunday, July 8 at 1 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Williamsburg. On Giglio Sunday, an 11 a.m. Mass will start the activities followed by the traditional dancing of the Giglio.

Ready To Serve Bensonhurst Community

Regina Pacis, Bensonhurst, celebrated the installation of four new extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion on the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 8. Sister Anna O’Brien, M.F.I.C., pastoral ministry director, far left, and Father Vincentius Do, parochial vicar, third from right, congratulate the new ministers, from left, Salvatore Friscia, Mary Gambale, Kathleen Dunn and Linda Merone.

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 Tablet Talk Pick of the Week: 

Art enthusiasts, you don’t want to miss From Here to Haiti’s Art Show Fundraiser, this Saturday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. in Whitestone. View and bid on the works of over 30 Haitian and international artists, including Patricia Brintle, parishioner at St. Luke’s, Whitestone. Proceeds benefit the people of Haiti (www.fromheretohaiti.org) by repairing Catholic and Christian churches and structures. For show details and directions, call 718-746-3012 or 646-209-2891, or e-mail fromheretohaiti@gmail.com.

Save the date: The Fourth Annual Dinner Dance sponsored by the Kathie and Chris Lawler Endowment Fund for Senior Priests of the Brooklyn Diocese will be Feb. 3, 6-10 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston. This event honors Msgr. Vincent Keane and will be held in memory of Msgr. Thomas Donovan. Tickets are $75 per person; $700 table of 10. Enjoy cocktails, dinner and dancing for a great cause. For reservations, call Tom, 718-839-5413.

Here’s some uplifting news for the new year: The elevator fund at Our Lady of the Snows, N. Floral Park, recently received a boost from the parish’s Ladies Craft Group, which donated $600 toward the campaign!

All are welcome to attend a Faith and Film Festival at St. Matthias Church, Ridgewood, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 6:15 p.m. This month’s featured film is A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Simms. Discussion will follow. Light refreshments will be served. For details, call 718-821-6447.

If you’ve ever thought about pursuing your master’s degree in theology or pastoral studies, consider enrolling at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington. Registration closes on Jan. 25 and the spring semester begins Jan. 30. For more information, call 631-423-0483 ext. 112 or 147, or visit the website, www.icseminary.edu.

The Passionists are inviting men between the ages of 18 and 40 to learn more about their way of life during a Come and See weekend, Jan. 20-22. There is no charge. For information or to register, contact Father Chris Cleary, C.P., at 718-739-6502 or Ccleary@cpprov.org.

The Social Justice Committee of St. Boniface Oratory Church, Downtown Brooklyn, will host “Prisoner as Person,” a presentation and panel discussion on Jan. 20, 7 p.m. at 111 Willoughby St. Event will feature experts regarding incarceration and the experience of societal re-entry. Speakers include the Hon. Alex M. Calabrese of the Red Hook Community Justice Center; Sister Marion Defeis, former Chaplain for Women at Riker’s Island and founding member of Providence House; and Rev. Stephen Chinlund, former N.Y.S. Commissioner of Corrections, and founder of The Network. For more details, visit www.oratory-church.org or call 718-875-2096.

This week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to St. Mark’s Church, Sheepshead Bay, for bringing the joy and cheer of Christmas to their neighbors at Sheepshead Bay Nursing Home. Just before Christmas, Kathy Cash and her third-grade faith formation class visited residents to sing carols, spread cheer and deliver 90 cards made by the first- through seventh-grade faith formation classes. Students also distributed 30 handmade blankets from St. Mark’s Golden Age Society, equally well known as The Good Ladys. Ronnie and Linda Brigando, both extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at St. Mark’s, also distributed communion to residents. The visit was coordinated by Maureen Genoversa of St. Mark’s Homebound Ministry and parishioners Tom and Geraldine Kubat.

by Marie Elena Giossi

Following last year’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, many schoolchildren have taken to learning daily lessons while sitting on debris in lieu of chairs. That thought didn’t sit well with one Queens pastor who had perfectly good chairs sitting unused in his now-closed parish school.

“I found out schoolchildren in Haiti were sitting on logs and rocks,” said Father Edward Kachurka, pastor of St. Ann’s Church, Flushing, who recently donated 20 chairs from his school’s former pre-k classroom to St. Augustin School, Lory, Haiti, which serves about 650 children.

“Some are plastic, some wood, but at least children can sit on real chairs,” he said.

Considering all that the Haitian people have endured, and the work that needs to be done, he’s impressed that “these are people of such faith that they continue providing children a Catholic education.”

In addition to the chairs, he gave about 20 religious statues and a few crucifixes, which had been in storage since the parish school closed in 2009.

His donations were made through the nonprofit organization, From Here To Haiti (FHTH), founded and run by Haitian artist Patricia Brintle, a parishioner at St. Luke’s, Whitestone.

Last summer, The Tablet profiled Brintle’s efforts to start a project to repair churches damaged during the January, 2010, earthquake in her homeland. Her goal was to ensure that each worship site was safe for occupancy and equipped with vestments and sacramentals for regular worship.

FHTH is now in place and raising funds for the Haitian people by repairing non-governmental buildings used for public assembly, in particular Catholic and/or Christian churches and their related structures, and creating jobs through that repair work.

Four Projects In Progress

Currently, FHTH has four projects in progress: construction of a new roof and building frame, which are already finished, and other structural repairs at Marie Reine Immaculee Church, Les Abricots (pictured, at left); Internet access and six toilet installations at St. Augustin School; repairs at St. Gerard Church, Chardonette; and Internet access and a computer lab at St. Gerard School. These projects are estimated to cost over $45,000. The work has been started with private donations and FHTH is seeking grant assistance.

“I am pleasantly surprised by all the progress,” Brintle said. “God is setting the road for us to follow and putting good people on our path to help.”

FHTH has received material, financial and spiritual support from the Brooklyn Diocese, particularly Brintle’s home parish of St. Luke’s.

Msgr. John Tosi, St. Luke’s pastor, along with the Purpura and Mougis families, are funding the toilets at St. Augustin School, which also received Internet access and a laptop from Marie DiTucci and her daughter. Contributions have come from the parish prayer group and athletic association; Marion O’Connor and her family; and another parishioner and her prayer group. Seventh graders at St. Luke School raised $650 through a bake sale and the seventh-grade religious education class gave $114.

Individuals continue to donate statues and religious goods, which Brintle repairs and repaints, before shipping them to various churches and schools. Thus far, she’s sent about 27 crosses; one set of Stations of the Cross; 26 vestments, including chasubles and albs; 64 statues of varying sizes; 19 vessels, including chalices, ciboria and cruets; and 600 rosaries to Haiti.

There has also been assistance from non-church groups, like Legros Cultural Arts, which is donating the proceeds of its Aug. 5 fundraising dinner to FHTH, and a handful of Fashion Institute of Technology students, who are making uniforms for 40 majorettes at St. Gerard School this summer.

“There is a proverb in Haiti that says ‘men anpil, chay pa lou,’ which means, ‘Many hands make for light work,’” Brintle said. To continue their good works, FHTH needs more helping hands. “We are hoping that schools, parishes or companies could sponsor a project or a portion of a project.”

Next month, Brintle and her team will return to Haiti to see the progress at St. Augustin School, help repair the wall of St. Gerard Church, and visit potential sites for future projects.

“My dream is for the corporation to continue to grow and provide help where ever it is needed to the people of Haiti,” Brintle said.

“A year from now,” she added, “I hope that all the projects that are on the table at present are completed and we are working on new ones.”

To learn more about From Here to Haiti, visit www.fromheretohaiti.org, call 718-746-3012
, or e-mail fromheretohaiti@gmail.com.