
FLUSHING — Parents usually feel joy and anticipation on the day their child is baptized into the Catholic faith. Philip and Jessica Chan were no different, except they experienced those emotions five times over. The Chans watched as their five daughters — Olivia, 7, Madeline, 5, twins Camile and Eloise, 4, and Genevieve, 2 — were baptized by Father Gregory McIlhenney at St. Andrew Avellino Church in Flushing on Jan. 26.
Philip, who is Catholic, and Jessica, who is preparing to join the Catholic faith this spring, said they did not baptize their children as infants because they wanted to allow the girls to choose the faith for themselves.
“I’m Catholic, but my wife was brought up as an Evangelical Protestant,” Philip said. “I think for us, baptism is more like an initiation. For Protestants, it’s more something they do later in life.” All five of the Chan girls received the sacrament together. “This is what they want, and they do everything together. They’re very close,” Jessica said.
The ceremony took place within the walls of the church, but according to the parents, the faith journey of the girls has been profoundly influenced by the community at St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy. Philip and Jessica said they are committed to providing their daughters with a Catholic education, citing its role in faith formation and character development. So, this year, they enrolled their oldest daughters in St. Andrew of Avellino Catholic Academy.
Olivia is in second grade, and Madeline is in kindergarten. Philip said the girls decided to join the faith after seeing how much their fellow students enjoyed praying and learning about religion. “They’re kind of arriving at this decision themselves organically, which is really cool to see,” Philip said. “They’ve been wanting to go to church with their peers from school.”
Jessica said she and Philip were “blown away” by their daughters’ growing interest in religion. In the weeks leading up to their baptism, the girls “were so excited they were counting down the days.” The Chans both work in the airline industry. Jessica is a flight attendant, and Philip is a flight planner and personnel manager. They both said they appreciate the solid foundation that faith brings to their lives.

Father McIlhenney, the pastor of St. Andrew Avellino, expressed his happiness that the academy helped bring the family closer to the faith. “We all make up the body of Christ in our world, so It is really appropriate that this family who came to our school at St. Andrew Avellino now is seeking to be a part of that body,” he said. “They’re already a part of our family. Now, we’re going to make them children of God. “It’s a blessing to have them here.”
As Jessica watched her daughters being baptized, she envisioned her own future of faith. She has been taking classes under the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) at St. Andrew Avellino and is on track to be baptized at the Easter Vigil on April 19. When that happens, she said she will share an even deeper bond with her daughters. “I just love reading Bible stories with them,” Jessica said. “So yes, that’s part of the connection I will have with them.”
It was a big day at the church, not just for the Chans but for many others. Father McIlhenney invited everyone he had baptized since his arrival in 2021 to return for a special blessing. More than 100 people accepted his invitation. “The spirit is alive and well here in Flushing,” Father McIlhenney proclaimed.