The actor/author who was stabbed to death in Greenpoint Aug. 18 was an ardent Catholic who was particularly devoted to the Carmelite Monastery in Cypress Hills.
George Carroll, 42, was fatally stabbed while walking with his wife on Monitor St. alongside Msgr. McGolrick Park.
Reportedly unprovoked, two men approached the couple and stabbed Carroll as his screaming wife stood watching helplessly. Paramedics raced Carroll to Woodhull Hospital where doctors fought to save his life, but the damage was too excessive.
The couple only recently moved to Greenpoint from Cypress Hills.
As The Tablet goes to press, NYPD officials announced they are searching for Gary Correa, 19, as a suspect in the case.
Carroll helped out in any way he could at the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Highland Blvd. He frequently was the altar server at the 7:30 a.m. Mass.
Jim Krug, director of the Third Order Carmelites of Oblates, worked with Carroll for the last few years and served as the spokesman for the cloistered Carmelite Sisters who live behind the Monastery walls.
“I saw him Thursday and he asked me to serve the morning Mass for him on Friday because he and his wife were going out to look for a new home,” said Krug. “He was constantly helping anyone who needed it. But for the sisters he did everything, changing a light bulb, painting, gardening whatever needed to be done.
Carroll grew up in Texas where his parents were Third Order Carmelites. He drifted away from the Church after his mother died. He and his wife happened to walk past the monastery when they moved to New York and he stopped in to say a prayer in memory of his mother.
“He was immediately pulled in and became so dedicated,” Krug said. “We watched his transformation as he found his way and he made it his personal crusade to help not just the sisters, but also the whole community.”
Father Roland Murphy, who lives at the Pope John Paul II House of Discernment, next to the monastery, also witnessed Carroll’s dedication. “He helped out on a daily basis and did whatever anyone needed help with. He was very down to earth,” said Father Murphy.
Dedicated to God, Carmelite Sisters
“His heart was open to all, he loved all of his neighbors and he truly loved God. He was very dedicated to God and the sisters, and he gave all he could to them and to the people he loved.
“Everything has happened so fast and you never expect anything like this to happen. Many people are in shock, including his wife and loved ones. We are doing everything we can to help with the funeral arrangements. He will be greatly missed and we ask all to pray for his family.”
Andrew Graham, who lives in Greenpoint, was in McGolrick Park when the incident took place. He said, “I was walking in the park and I heard the screams. It was a Friday night so at first I just thought it was some kids, but then I could tell whoever was screaming needed help.
“Right away there were ambulances and police there to help. It was scary.
“I have faith those who are responsible for this will be caught. This has always been a safe neighborhood and safe park. Things like this don’t happen around here, so it has been very shocking.”
Daniel Garza, who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, says he walks through the park everyday.
“This is shocking. I am walking in here every day. For this to happen to such a nice young couple, I just don’t understand it. Why would someone do something like this?
The police drive through the park from time to time, but the police and community need to be a little more vigilant and keep their eyes open.”
The park, once known as Winthrop Park, is named after the late Msgr. Edward J. McGolrick, who was pastor of nearby St. Cecilia’s parish, from 1888 to 1938.