by Antonina Zielinska

In honor of the centennial of the founding of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Sullivan joined the Forest Hills community for the closing liturgy of its year-long celebration.

“Today we come back to realize that we stand on the shoulders of those who had great faith,” Bishop DiMarzio said during his homily. “They constructed a church that withstood the ravages of time” and liturgical reconstruction.

At the beginning of Mass, Msgr. Joseph Funaro, who served as pastor for 12 years and is now administrator for the pastor, Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez, said he is thankful for the parish community. He said that Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church stands on Queens Blvd. as a beacon of hope and has been an inspiration to generations.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church is a leading force in the community with an average weekend Mass attendance of 2,200 people, a bishop as its pastor and a cathedral-like church in a central location. However, its success was not always certain. Doubt of the success of a Catholic church in the area existed even among its founders.

The Forest Hills Catholic community, which was then considered a mission of Holy Child Jesus parish, Richmond Hill, offered its first Mass on Nov. 24, 1912. In the first years, Msgr. Thomas Numey from Holy Child Jesus celebrated Mass at the private house of Margaret Dealy.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs chapel, which later burned to the ground, was built in 1916. On the community’s feast day, Sept. 15, 1917, Father Joseph R. McLaughlin was appointed first pastor, making the community an official parish.

Father McLaughlin was not afraid to dream big when he acquired a parish which was reported by the Forest Hills – Kew Gardens Post as “little more than a stretch of real estate development of Cord Meyer Development Co.”

Father McLaughlin presented his vision of a million dollar parish, which would entail $365,000 to build a new church and rectory, to the men of his church.

“We must not be behind the march of progress,” he said according to the local Post. “We must keep pace with the development of this community, so that the church will always be able to perform its function for the spiritual, moral and cultural well-being of the community.”

The Post reported: “Several of those present jumped to their feet to ridicule the very notion of a million dollar parish in Forest Hills.” The priest then admitted that he indeed might have made a mistake; he should have foreseen a $2 million parish.

Father McLaughlin saw his vision come to light, when Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church was built in 1939 and still stands in its full majesty today.

From its infancy, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church flourished thanks to its dedicated laity. According to the community newspaper, Father Numey praised the dedicated and generous people of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, giving one example in particular.

“You will find one indispensable asset in Forest Hills, a man who is worth his weight in gold,” Father Numey said. “He is a tall imposing looking man, John O’Reilly, by name.

“He will keep the fires going in the night, take up collections, serve every Mass and every adoration, weekdays and Sundays, open and close the church, and do a thousand and one things that his absolute loyalty and genuine devotion to the priest, together with his real piety will dictate.”

According to Msgr. Funaro, the collaboration between dedicated priests and faithful laity is what makes Our Lady Queen of Martyrs a strong parish to this day. During his tenure, Msgr. Funaro brought back financial stability to the parish, started a parish council, and supported many new ministries.

“Whatever I have done to enhance this parish is because of the support of all the people I had,” he said.

“They really are beautiful, truly spectacular people,” said Bishop Sanchez.

Bishop Sanchez is not the first bishop who served Queen of Martyrs as a pastor. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph P. Denning led the parish through the changes of the Second Vatican Council. He was especially equipped to do so because he attended the sessions at the Vatican.

Among the parishioners that contribute to the vibrancy of the church is Regina Sakhami, who has been part of the parish for 32 years, served on the parish council, sang in the choir for 25 years and sent her daughter to the parochial school.

“I am very blessed and happy to be part of this hundred year celebration,” she said. “I feel like I am a part of this community. It is an extension of my family.”

Parishioner Maureen Heyer is also thankful to the parish, in part because it brought her children closer to Christ. Two of her teenage children, Bobby and Siobhan, volunteer as altar servers. She said they are both discerning a vocation to religious life, something they were not interested in before they started to serve.

Deacon Greg Kandra said the altar servers are a blessing. They range in age from fourth grade to high school and are nearly equally divided between boys and girls. He said this ministry produces young adults who continue to be devoted to the Church.

Another program that brings youth closer to the faith is the religious education programs, which Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said “are second to none.”

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School, founded in 1928 with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, has fostered many religious vocations. Msgrs. Edward Ryan and John McGuirl, both of whom graduated in 1959, attended the centennial celebration in thanksgiving for their vocations.