In honor of the centennial anniversary of St. Catherine Genoa parish, Flatbush, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated an outdoor Mass on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Parishioners past and present filled the yard behind their church as Bishop DiMarzio spoke of the parish’s humble beginnings.

On Easter Sunday, April 16, 1911, the parish celebrated its first recorded Mass in a private residence. Father Thomas J. Cloke, founding pastor, performed the Eucharistic sacrifice on an altar forged of neatly painted boxes standing at the alcove of a bay window.

Although the pioneer parishioners were poor immigrants from Ireland, Germany and Italy, they pooled their resources to build the church that stands today.  The men and boys of the parish dug the foundation of the church building and rectory, at times working by candlelight into the night. Only two months after parishioners celebrated their first Mass, Bishop Charles E. McDonnell dedicated the new church.

In the fall of 1923, the parishioners saw the fruit of their labor go up in flames when a fire destroyed parts of the interior and caused considerable damage to the walls. Some of the church vessels were saved but most of the altar was destroyed. The church could not be used until extensive repairs were made.

Nonetheless, the parishioners’ spirit was not broken. Although there are different accounts of where they continued their Sunday services, records agree that attendance did not waver. When construction of the parish school was completed, parishioners moved their liturgies into the school’s auditorium.

On Oct. 7, 1923, Msgr. John T. Woods laid the cornerstone of the school, which consisted of 13 classrooms and an auditorium for 700 people. On the first day of school, 170 pupils attended classes led by six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Before a convent was built, the sisters occupied the upstairs classrooms as their quarters.

Hardship once again fell upon the parish as the nation fell into the Great Depression. The parishioners responded with generosity and resilience. Even during difficult economic times, the St. Vincent de Paul Society was able to raise enough funds to help up to 50 parishioners by providing milk for their children as well as other bare necessities.

Although the ethnic makeup of the parish has changed many times over the past century, the dedication and sense of community remains. Presently, the parish is made up mostly of immigrants from Ghana and the Caribbean.   Parish societies such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Christian Mothers, Men’s Fellowship and the Prayer Group tend to the community’s spiritual and material needs.

“The first day I came to this parish I felt the warmth and I felt welcomed,” said Rosamond Frank-Henry, parish trustee, who has been part of St. Catherine Genoa for the past 25 years. “And I joined immediately.”

Among the many ways Frank-Henry serves her parish, she volunteers as director of the altar servers.

“It’s rewarding to observe the kids growing up and knowing that you were part of their formation,” she said after some of the children came to hug her goodbye after the centennial celebration.

Frank-Henry said one of the most memorable days during her work at the parish, is Aug. 13, 2005, a date which she can recite from memory as the day Father Carl David, O.M.I., came back to his childhood parish to celebrate his first Mass as a priest.

Father Davis is now pastor in California but he still remembers the community that started his formation for the priesthood.

“The call I feel to help those in need started here,” he said of his childhood parish, where he witnessed “a humble faith and trust in God.”

Kwame Agieman-Budu, president of the Ghanaian Apostolate of St. Catherine Genoa, said the different communities in the parish often come together as one community unified in Jesus.  He said this is exemplified when the entire choir comes together from the different cultural communities and sing hymns in different languages.

Father Charles Akoto, pastor, said another way cultural diversity strengthens the parish is through the traditions new immigrants bring with them.  Ghanaian tradition is practiced through processional monetary offerings and liturgical offerings of material goods and food for the benefit of the parish and its ministerial works. The pastor said these traditions are well accepted among parishioners.

Michael Eliot, the head usher, said this cooperation is one of the defining characteristics of the parish.
“This parish is beautiful,” he said. “We treat each other like family. It’s home away from home.”[hr]

Pastors of St.Catherine of Genoa

Father Thomas J. Cloke, 1912-1919
Father Fredrick J. Hentz, 1919-1921
Father John B. Gorman, 1921-1933
Msgr. John M. Hilpert, 1933-1937
Msgr. John J. Boardman, 1937-1944
Father Patrick Cunnane, 1944-1948
Father John A. Shea, 1948-1957
Father James E. McEvoy, 1957-1959
Father Joseph A. Grady, 1959-1976
Father John J. Donnelly, 1976-1983
Father Kenneth J. Wicks, 1983-1991
Father Gerald Dumont, 1991-2009
Father Charles Akoto, 2009-present