Father Richard J. Bretone, parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s, Bay Ridge, since 2011, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at the church on Saturday, May 31, at 5 p.m. A reception will follow in the auditorium. The theme for the reception will be a barn dance as a fundraiser for Father Bretone’s upstate N.Y. retreat house, Eternal Flame of Hope.

Born in Astoria, Father Bretone attended P.S. 2, Jackson Heights; William Cullen Bryant H.S., L.I.C.; Fordham University, the Bronx; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I.

He was ordained June 3, 1989 by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica, Sunset Park.

He served as an assistant at St. Ephrem, Dyker Heights, 1989-96; St. Helen, Howard Beach, 1996-99; St. Barbara, Bushwick, 1999-2001; and St. Matthias, Ridgewood, 2008.

He also has served as campus chaplain at Pratt Institute, Clinton Hill.

 

Father Adnel Burgos, parochial vicar at St. Teresa of Avila-St. Anthony of Padua, Ozone Park, since 2013, will have a private celebration.

Born in Puerto Rico, Father Burgos attended St. Michael School, East New York; Franklin K. Lane H.S., Cypress Hills; Cathedral College, Douglaston; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I. He was ordained June 3, 1989 by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero.

He served as an assistant at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Far Rockaway, 1989-95; Our Lady of Fatima, Jackson Heights, 1995-2000; St. Teresa, Woodside, 2000; St. Catharine of Alexandria, Borough Park, 2000-01; and Our Lady of the Cenacle, Richmond Hill, 2001-10.

From 2010 to 2012, he was administrator of Guardian Angel parish, Brighton Beach.

 

Father Christopher Cashman, pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Carroll Gardens, since 2007, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving there June 1, at 10 a.m. There will be no reception since the parish hall is undergoing renovations. Msgr. Robert Romano will concelebrate the Mass.

Born in Brooklyn, he attended Holy Innocents school, Flatbush; Cathedral Prep, Brooklyn; Cathedral College, Douglaston; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I.

He served as an assistant at Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona, 1989-90; Good Shepherd, Marine Park, 1990-95; St. Sebastian, Woodside, 1995-98; and St. Benradette, Dyker Heights, 1998-2000.

He was pastor of St. Aloysius, Ridgewood, 2000-04, and then was named administrator of St. Mary Star of the Sea.

 

Father John J. Costello, administrator of St. Kevin’s parish, Flushing, since 2013 will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at the church on Sunday, May 25, at noon.

Born in Jackson Heights, Father Costello attended St. Andrew Avellino School, Flushing; Holy Cross H.S., Bayside; Cathedral College, Douglaston; and North American College, Rome. He also has attended the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, Rome.

He was ordained by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero on June 24, 1989 at St. Andrew Avellino Church, Flushing.

He served as an assistant at Our Lady of Miracles, Canarsie, 1989-94; St. Athanasius, Bensonhurst, 1994-95; and then was named director of the Diocesan Family Life Office with residence at St. Francis of Assisi, Astoria, 1995-2000.

He also served as coordinator of the Italian Apostolate, spiritual advisor to the Respect Life Office and director of the Jubilee 2000 Office of Evangelization.

He was named administrator of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace, in 2000 and was pastor there from 2000-05. He then was pastor of Holy Trinity, Whitestone, 2005-08, before being assigned to the faculty of North American College, where he served as director of pastoral formation and assistant vice rector. He served as spiritual advisor to the diocese’s Pro Sanctity Movement, 1994-2001, and the National Pro Sanctity Movement, 2001-07.

 

Father Edward M. Kachurka, pastor of Mary’s Nativity-St. Ann, Flushing, since 2012, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving on June 8 at 11:30 a.m. at the Mary’s Nativity site. There will be a reception in the parish center after Mass. He will have a private celebration with friends and family on June 7.

Born in Brooklyn, he attended St. Rose of Lima School, Parkville; Cathedral Prep, Brooklyn; Cathedral College, Douglaston; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I. He was ordained by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero on June 3, 1989 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica, Sunset Park.

He served as an assistant at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ozone Park, 1989-97; St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands, 1997-99; St. Mark, Sheepshead Bay, 1998-2006; and St. Anastasia, Douglaston, 2006-08.

In January, 2008, he was named pastor of St. Ann, Flushing, and in 2013 became pastor of the new parish of Mary’s Nativity-St. Ann.

 

Father Andrzej Klocek, pastor of St. Josaphat, Bayside, since 2013, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving on Tuesday, May 27, at 11 a.m. in Cathedral Wloclawek in Poland, where he was ordained.

Born in Wloclawek, he attended the Catholic University, Lublin, Poland. He was ordained May 29, 1989, by Bishop Henry Muszynski for the Diocese of Wloclawek.

He has served as an assistant at St. Margaret, Middle Village, 2003-06; St. Joseph, Astoria, 2006-09; and St. Pancras, Glendale, 2009-11. In 2011, he became administrator of St. Josaphat.

He was incardinated into the Brooklyn Diocese in 2008.

 

Father Luis Laverde, pastor of St. Rita, East New York, since 2012, was born in Colombia. He will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at St. Rita’s. A reception will follow downstairs in Msgr. Peyton Hall.

He was ordained Dec. 7, 1989 for the Diocese of Giardota, Colombia.

In the Brooklyn Diocese, he has served as an assistant at St. Gabriel, East New York, 2005-08, and St. Matthias, 2008-09, before becoming administrator of St. Rita’s in 2009.

He was incardinated into the Brooklyn Diocese in 2011.

 

Father Charles Oduro, pastor of St. Catherine of Genoa, Flatbush, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving there July 6 at 11 a.m. A reception in the school hall will follow.

He was born in Kumasi, Ghana. He attended St. Hubert’s Minor Seminary, Kumasi; Pope John Secondary Seminary, Koforidua, Ghana; and St. Peter’s Regional Major Seminary, Cape Coast, Ghana. He was ordained on July 29, 1989 at St. Thomas Cathedral, Obuasi, Ghana.

He served as a priest in Ghana before coming to the Archdiocese of New York, where he was stationed for nine years. His first assignment in the Brooklyn Diocese was as the chaplain at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Flatbush, 2006-09. He then served as administrator at St. Catherine of Genoa from 2009-2012. He was named pastor in January, 2012.