Priest Was a ‘Servant of God’
Father Godofredo “Gody” Felicitas, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, died on March 24 at age 67.
Father Felicitas, who was born Nov. 8, 1953, and ordained to the priesthood on July 29, 1982, was parochial vicar for St. Robert Bellarmine (Bayside) and St. Athanasius (Bensonhurst). He also served as Diocesan Coordinator of the Filipino Apostolate.
Father Felicitas was born in the Philippines, where he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Iligan. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2017.
He once told The Tablet that “Filipinos are a very Marian people; our patron saint is the Virgin Mary, as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.” He added, “Every night we pray the Angelus, and throughout the year, we celebrate different Marian traditions throughout the cities and barrios. Filipinos’ devotion to Mary, and all of her apparitions and images, is very strong.”
Father Jovito Carongay, Jr., pastor of St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, was the homilist at Father Felicitas’s funeral Mass. Father Carongay said Father Felicitas was a “humble person and truly a devoted servant of God. He dedicated his whole life to service.”
He noted that Jesus promised that “in my Father’s place there are a lot of rooms, and I will prepare a place for you. … [This promise has] been fulfilled in the life of Father Gody.”
The funeral Mass for Father Felicitas was celebrated on April 1 at St. Robert Bellarmine. Bishop Robert Brennan was the principal celebrant.
Burial followed at St. John Cemetery in Middle Village.
Sister Margaret (Peggy) McHugh passed away on Feb. 11 at the age of 93. She was in her 75th year as a Sister of Mercy.
Formerly known as Sister Mary Helen, she served faithfully many years in the ministries of childcare and education in both the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre.
Among the many schools at which she taught were St. Thomas Aquinas (Flatlands), St. Brigid, St. Therese, Holy Trinity, Whitestone, Mater Christi High School, and Bishop Ford High School.
What was later to become her most precious ministry was as chaplain at Calvary and Cabrini Hospitals where she put all her best qualities of dedication, warmth, humor, and compassion to use in her daily duties. She consoled both patients and their families as they prepared to embark on their final journey.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Whitestone.
Burial was in St. Charles/Resurrection Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.
Sister Margaret Briody passed away on March 16. She was 83 years old and had served as a Sister of Saint Dominic for 63 years.
Sister Margaret was accepted as a postulant on September 9, 1962 by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville. Along with the other members of her set, “the Peonies,” she received the Dominican habit and her religious name, Sister Marie Patrick, on August 5, 1963. Sister pronounced her First Vows on August 7, 1964 and her Final Vows on August 7, 1967.
Sister Margaret served as an educator on the elementary and secondary levels. Her first years were spent in elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens. From 1973-1976, she taught in Dominican Commercial High School (Jamaica) and from 1976 -1981, she became the school’s TV/Radio Specialist.
She took her experience from this ministry with her to Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse where she directed the Office of Communications/Media from 1982 – 1990.
The wake and funeral for Sister Margaret was held in St. Albert Chapel in Amityville on Mar. 23. Interment was in St. Dominic Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds.