At a reception in Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio honored the parishes that have made significant contributions to the New York Blood Center over the past year.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio congratulates the parishioners of Our Lady of the Snows Church, N. Floral Park, and Father Kevin F. McBrien, pastor, third from right, on ranking among the top Queens parishes for blood donation collections.
In Brooklyn, the top parishes were St. Columba, Marine Park; Blessed Sacrament, Cypress Hills; St. Brigid’s, Bushwick; and St. Anselm’s, Bay Ridge.
The leading Queens parishes were St. Francis de Sales, Belle Harbor; Our Lady of the Snows, North Floral Park; and Holy Child Jesus, Richmond Hill.
St. Francis de Sales led all parishes in the diocese with 262 individual donations and also had the highest average donations of 131 per drive. The parish also showed an increase of 100 donations over last year.
The most donations within critical months (January, July, August and December) came from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Bayside (132); St. Camillus-St. Virgilius, Rockaway and Broad Channel, (67); and St. Brigid (65).
Special awards were presented to Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens that has made 3,699 donations since 1999, and the Knights of Columbus that secured more than 800 donations.
The Best Little Doctors Program at St. Athanasius School, Bensonhurst, was cited as well as contributions made by Christ the King H.S., Middle Village, that led all Queens secondary schools with 326 donations. Bishop Loughlin was the top Brooklyn high school with 153.
The largest increase in donations among high schools came from St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows, and Fontbonne Hall, Bay Ridge.
St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, was the top Catholic college with 200 donations with 8 percent of the student population participating.