A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Fredi A. Rosales was celebrated Sept. 23 at St. John the Evangelist Church, Park Slope. He died Sept. 18 in the rectory at St. John the Evangelist. He was 72.

Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros was the main celebrant of the funeral Mass. Special concelebrants included Msgrs. Edward Wetterer, Perfecto Vazquez, Joseph Grimaldi and Fathers Joseph G. Fonti, Robert Powers, William McLaughlin and Jorge Dinguis, who preached the homily.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Father Rosales attended Havana University; St. Thomas University, Miami, and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I. He was ordained May 23, 1992 by Bishop Thomas V. Daily.

He served as an assistant at Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona, 1992-93; Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jamaica, 1993-95; Our Lady of the Presentation and Our Lady of Loreto, Brownsville, 1995-2001.

He served as administrator of Our Lady of Loreto, 2001-08, and at Guardian Angel, Brighton Beach, 2008-10.

In 2010, he was assigned as an assistant at St. Michael’s, Flushing, where he served until earlier this year when he moved to St. John the Evangelist.

In his homily, Father Dinguis, administrator of St. Patrick, Long Island City, touched on four main points that he’ll always remember about Father Rosales.

“He (Father Rosales) had a love for the priesthood and was very fraternal and paternal, too.

“He said Mass with dignity and reverence.

“He loved to preach, especially about truthfulness and justice.

“Lastly, he loved white rice and black beans. Every time I took him out, that’s what he wanted!”

Father Dinguis also said that Father Rosales was often misunderstood, since his passion was sometimes confused with anger.

“But his passion meant that he was deeply committed to his priesthood,” Father Dinguis said.

Most of all, Father Dinguis will remember Father Rosales as someone who was very fatherly.

“He was a loving father with a firm and very tender hand,” Father Dinguis said.

Burial was in St. John’s Cemetery, Middle Village. There were no immediate survivors.