by Brian Butler
After recently retiring with 32 years of service at the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), I am grateful to God for all the dedicated priests, sisters, teachers, and coaches who provided faith-based education, guidance, and encouragement through my Catholic school years at St. Mary’s (Blessed Virgin Help of Christians School) in Woodside, Cathedral Preparatory High School in Elmhurst, and St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn.
High school is a critical time in a young man’s life. Cathedral Prep was the place for me to receive an excellent education emphasizing the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith, along with solid athletic programs and peer support.
As a new and slightly nervous young patrol officer, Cathedral Prep multisport coach Jim Dilg reassured me at an alumni event that I would continue to learn with experience and that I could bring Christ to people in difficult life situations.
As I responded to calls assisting the sick and dying, crime and accident victims, and families of missing persons, I strove to respond with kindness, empathy, and hope.
As my career progressed, I credit my excellent Catholic school foundation with helping me earn a master’s degrees in business administration and criminal justice.
I served 20 years as the accreditation program manager, ensuring the SCPD’s compliance with 112 standards for professional policing established by New York state, earning the SCPD a reputation as a leader among the 35% of accredited police agencies.
My wife, Diane, and I met when we braved the rain to attend Faith on Tap for a talk about the saints. We were married at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa in 2010. We were blessed a few years later with our daughter, an answer to our prayers. She is in fifth grade at a Catholic school, and I spoke to her classmates on career day about how important my Catholic education was in forming me as a person and an officer.
At the school and parish, I have supported my wife in her efforts to organize rosaries for families and bring the Eucharistic miracles exhibit of St. Carlo Acutis, who serves as a role model for youth.
A Christ-centered marriage and family life, and parish communities, produce a good society.
I thank God for my Catholic school education and for all of the blessings in my life that have resulted from the strong Catholic faith foundation I received.
Brian Butler and his family are parishioners at Saint Mary Church, East Islip, New York.