One hundred years after a little wooden church was dedicated to the great Church Doctor, St. Athanasius, in what is now Bensonhurst, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio joined the still thriving parish community in celebration and thanksgiving, Oct. 27.

“This is a place where everyone can call home and everyone can worship God,” Bishop DiMarzio told the multi-ethnic congregation. The closing Mass took place in the modern St. Athanasius church, which can seat over a 1,000 people. “It’s a house of God, of prayer, for all of us. It’s always been that kind of parish.”

“We welcome all,” said AnnaMarie Scuteri, administrative assistant to the pastor. “Anyone who comes through that door, we help. It doesn’t matter how big or small the problem. People sometimes just need someone to talk to.”

Three years ago, Teresa Quintero heard rumors of a welcoming and vibrant parish in Bensonhurst, and she visited to see what all the talk was about.

“The way they received me just made me want to come back,” she said.

However, she said there is more than just a social aspect to the parish.

“There is a certain peace when I come here to listen to the Lord,” she said, explaining her experience of attending Spanish Mass at St. Athanasius. Quintero said the parish has helped her grow in faith.

The balance of spirituality and a welcoming social vibrancy attracts new parishioners and keeps long-time parishioners coming back.

Linda Kelly, a lifelong parishioner, said that when she was struggling with a problem she came to the church to pray, just like her mother taught her. She encountered people who were willing to help. Although she and her husband moved away years ago, the family still attends St. Athanasius.

She said their children just fell into the parish activities and enjoyed the sports program. Her husband, also a lifelong parishioner, became a permanent deacon for the parish. He said he is happy to be in the parish because of the family ties to St. Athanasius.

Deacon Bill Kelly said he now has the honor of serving some of the people who formed him in his childhood: Sister Barbara Lynch, C.S.J, for example, who was also at the celebration.

Sister Barbara taught at St. Athanasius School, 1968-76, and then came back to the parish to teach at Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, in 1988. She also volunteers as the chairperson of the pastoral council and with the children’s choir.

The pastor, Msgr. David Cassato, said the Sisters of St. Joseph have been and continue to be a great contribution to the parish. They used to run the parochial school and now volunteer their time to help the parish.

Msgr. Cassato said that part of the parish’s longevity lies in its continuous support of the youngest parishioners.

“The school is a vital part of the parish,” he said. “Many of the parishioners attended the school.”

The school, which opened in 1938, has an enrollment of about 310 students. The religious education program forms about 800 students. The sports program welcomes youth ages three to 17 to play baseball, softball and basketball in the parochial program, which has its own playing field and gymnasium.

Msgr. Cassato said that on any given weekend, there are between 2,500 and 3,000 people attending Mass. Many of these people volunteer in the many parish activities ranging from Boy and Girl Scouts, to knitting, to respect life ministries, to gamblers anonymous.

Ginger Bivona has been a parishioner for 75 years. She had her wedding in what was referred to as “the little church.” She remembers when the new building was completed in 1962. She said the pastor at the time, Msgr. Elwood A. Purick, never asked for pledges. The people simply took on the sacrifice for themselves.

“The people were just so happy,” she said, recalling the opening of the new church, which could seat more than twice as many people as the wooden structure. “We grew with the big church.”

However, Bivona said there is no time like the present at St. Athanasius.

“This year has been wonderful, and it has topped everything,” she said.

During the anniversary year, there were many activities, including a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Athanasius in Venice, Italy. She said that the success of the centennial year is in large part thanks to Msgr. Cassato.

“Our pastor is the number one guy,” she said. “He is a good priest and a good man.”

Msgr. Cassato said he puts a lot of effort into making people feel welcome and willing to help the church. He tries to attend as many events as possible and to simply speak to people. This approach requires a lot of trust in the parishioners. He puts someone in charge of all the activities in the church and almost never says no to someone who comes to him with an idea.

One of the things he agreed to during the centennial year was a youth rally that included a laser light show on the façade of the church, live music, games and free food. It attracted 1,000 people, many of whom were not parishioners.

Putting on a good show is by no means a new idea at St. Athanasius. A journal published for the 50th anniversary of the parish included a detailed history of the beginnings of the parish.

“Parishioners who were professional show people presented unusual entertainment and established the beginning of the tradition, ‘Always a good show at St. Athanasius,’” the journal states. It also includes a detailed list of many lay people who contributed to the parish in many capacities.

Msgr. Cassato said the generosity of all the people keeps St. Athanasius strong. The parish, he said, is blessed with “two wonderful priests (Fathers Ron D’Antonio and Gabriel Toro-Rivas), three great deacons,” and “a lot of energized people.”

The fruit of labor from the parish community can easily be seen in its many vocations to religious life. Less then three years into its existence, the parish produced a priest and two religious sisters. The parish has also seen priestly vocations in more recent years. Father Robert Mucci, the administrator of St. Mark parish, Sheepshead Bay; Msgr. Joseph Funaro, who recently passed away; Father Jun Hee Lee, who was ordained earlier this year; and seminarian Michael Panicali all hail from St. Athanasius.