WHITESTONE — As a student at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School in Astoria, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Raymond Chappetto loved to write the biographies of saints. 

Some of his favorites were St. John Bosco and his pupil, St. Dominic Savio. 

Later, as a newly ordained priest in 1971, he had to contribute items to the weekly bulletins. Writing would remain an important skill as his career shifted into leadership roles, like episcopal vicar and vicar general for the diocese — the second in command. 

Those writing assignments were job-related. Now, having retired in 2022, Bishop Chappetto pens what pleases him on his own platform — “Bishop Ray’s Blog.”  

“When I was active in the ministry, I didn’t have a lot of time to do writing,” he said on Aug. 7. “But after I retired, I started to dabble here and there.  

“I wrote a few articles for The Tablet early on, and some of my friends said, ‘Why don’t you do more of that?’ I thought, ‘Now I have the time, and I have the ability — I’ll give it a try.’ ”  

Bishop Chappetto, 80, said he wants his blog to share reflections from life, including his 54 years as a priest and 13 years as an auxiliary bishop. His first blog entry, titled “A New Venture … Let me begin here,” describes other motivations. 

“If anyone learned from my shared experience,” he wrote, “then praised be God! If anyone resonates with the stories that I tell, then it’s testimony to the fact of our mutual and common pathway through life.” 

The blog, Bishop Chappetto said, is dedicated to the late Msgr. George Deas, who taught English while the future auxiliary bishop was a student at Cathedral Preparatory High School and Seminary. The school, now in Elmhurst, was still in Brooklyn back then. 

“He was a great inspiration for me in doing this work because of the way he treated us as young students,” Bishop Chappetto said. “I remember he pushed me to discover my hidden abilities.” 

In his blog, which is updated biweekly at bishopraymondchappettoblog.com, Bishop Chappetto also gives credit to some other teachers, like the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood at his elementary school, which is now closed.

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He also credits the lessons taught by his parents, Vera and Louis Chappetto, who raised five sons. 

“It was not an easy task,” Bishop Chappetto wrote. “Dad worked three jobs, and mom stayed home to ‘take care of the boys.’  

“We were poor in the sense that we did not have material things, but we had something that money couldn’t buy: the blessing of two parents who loved us immensely and taught us by their example how to love and serve others.”  

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Bishop Chappetto’s first assignment in 1971 was as parochial vicar for St. Camillus Parish in Rockaway Park, which is now slated to close later this year.

He also pastored three parishes: Our Lady of Miracles, Canarsie; Our Lady of the Snows, Floral Park; and St. Kevin in Flushing. 

While pastoring Our Lady of the Snows, he developed a regular column for the weekly bulletin, titled “Dear Msgr. Ray.” He wrote it in a Q&A format in which he fielded questions from parishioners. He kept their names out of the column. 

“I would inform the people of what was going on, especially when we were building the new church,” Bishop Chappetto recalled. “There were a lot of questions. Like, ‘Why are you spending money on this?’ Or ‘Why are you changing the time of this?’ ”  

Bishop Chappetto envisions a future blog post about his experiences at St. Camillus.  

“I still am in touch with people that I met in St. Camillus Parish, so there’s a friendship bond there,” he said. “Young couples were just starting their families. I was just starting the priesthood. We began our lives together.  

“So, this blog is going to be a trip down memory lane.”  

Bishop Chappetto also shared other ideas for future content, including current events, on topics such as the new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will be canonized on Sept. 7. 

“I’ve developed devotion to him,” Bishop Chappetto said. “He was just a normal kid who wore sneakers, carried a backpack, hung out with his friends, liked sports, and loved the computer. 

“But he also loved the Eucharist immensely. What a model for kids today.”