Our Lady of Cenacle Priest Had ‘Great Desire to Be of Service’
Father Pablo Sans, a longtime priest at Our Lady of the Cenacle Parish in Richmond Hill, died Sunday, April 10, at Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home. He was 95.
Father Sans was born in Sancellas, Spain, in 1927 to Pablo Sans Remis and Maria Sureda Cirer. He was baptized in the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Sancellas.
Following studies at Palma De Mallorca and Espluga de Francoli in Spain, he was ordained to the priesthood on March 15, 1953, and his first assignment was as the Convent Chaplain to the Espluge de Francoli in Tarragona, Spain.
After his ministry in Spain, Father Sans spent numerous years as a Vincentian missionary in Honduras.
Father Sans received incardination as a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1977. He served the Diocese of Brooklyn as parochial vicar for the parishes of Our Lady of the Cenacle (Richmond Hill), Saint Rita (Long Island City), Our Lady of Sorrows (Corona), Saint Agnes and Sacred Heart Chapel (Brooklyn), Saint Gabriel the Archangel (Brooklyn), and Saint Peter-Saint Paul-Our Lady of the Pilar (Brooklyn).
Father Sans served at Our Lady of the Cenacle until his retirement when he moved to the Bishop Mugavero Residence for Senior Priests, where he lived until his passing.
Father Sans was known for his great devotion to the parishes to which he served. He had a special love for the Spanish-speaking apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“From his 30s into his 90s, he would return to visit the parishes he served in Honduras regularly. He was beloved in Honduras,” said Father Michael Lynch, pastor of Our Lady of the Cenacle. “Father Sans was a priest of great strength, of great stamina, and of great desire to be of service.”
A funeral Mass for Father Sans was celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan at Our Lady of the Cenacle on April 20. Father Lynch served as the homilist. Burial followed at St. John’s Cemetery, Middle Village.
Sister Jane Carolyn Fritz, CSJ, died March 27 while residing in Our Lady of Lourdes Convent, West Islip, her community home for 34 years. She was 78 years old.
Born Sept. 20, 1944, the daughter of Herbert and Florence Fritz, Sister Jane entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, New York, on Sept. 8, 1963, from St. Anastasia Parish in Queens, a year after completing Bishop McDonnell High School in Brooklyn.
Sister’s college degrees included a BS in education from Brentwood College, a master’s in electrical engineering and computer science, as well as doctoral studies from SUNY Stony Brook.
She also accomplished graduate studies in theology at Boston College.
Education was one of Sister Jane’s special gifts, having begun this ministry at St. Christopher’s School in Baldwin for three years.
From 1969 to 1984, Sister Jane taught at St. Patrick’s School in Smithtown, New York, and also began the Baptismal Program, and At Home Retreats in the parish.
St. Joseph College, Patchogue, was then blessed with Sister Jane’s acumen in math and computer science, spanning years of teaching from 1984 to the present.
She had membership in many professional organizations, including the Science Teachers Association, Computer Science Teachers Association, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society.
Msgr. Brian McNamara and Father Charles Mangano celebrated the Mass of Christian burial for Sister Jane on March 31, in Sacred Heart Chapel, Brentwood, which was followed by burial in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Mary E. Murphy, 86, of Breezy Point, passed away on Thursday, April 14, at her home, surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Brooklyn on Tuesday, June 18, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Timothy Joseph and Mary Frances Coan Fitzgerald.
After raising her seven children she went on to obtain her master’s degree and began a long and fulfilling career in the education field. She taught at St. Camillus, P.S 207 in the Bronx, St. Agnes Seminary in Brooklyn, and finished her career at Stella Maris High School in Queens.
She was devoted to her family and taught them the values of faith, family, and education.
Mary was the beloved wife to her late husband Jeremiah, who passed away in 2006. She was the loving mother to Eugenia Murphy-Kyle and her husband Robert; Jeremiah and his wife Tricia; Michael; Matthew and his wife Theresa; Dr. Christopher Murphy D.P.M.; Mary Beth Murphy; Dr. Elizabeth Murphy D.P.M. and her partner Christine Fisher.
Mary was the cherished grandmother to her 14 grandchildren and her one great-grandchild. She will also be fondly remembered by her many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 20 at St. Edmund’s Church, Breezy Point. Interment followed at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn.