Deacon John Flannery, a retired deacon of the Diocese of Brooklyn, died on Feb. 8 at the age of 93.
Deacon Flannery was born on July 31, 1932, and served as a deacon since 1978.
He spent many years at Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas in Park Slope.
He grew up in Flatbush and attended St. Augustine High School in Park Slope. As a teenager, he joined the Benedictine monks in Morristown, New Jersey, even before he graduated high school.
Deacon Flannery did not take vows with the Benedictines and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1952, serving in the Korean War as a teletype communications specialist in what is now North Korea. He described dealing with temperatures 50 degrees below zero.
He worked for years at the Catholic Guild for the Blind, part of Catholic Charities, serving disabled and elderly people. He also worked at the Frances Schervier Rehabilitation and Nursing Home in the Bronx.
Two nuns whom he worked with separately encouraged him to join the clergy. He was in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s second group of permanent deacons.
Father Rafael Perez, former pastor at Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas, told The Tablet three years ago that parishioners looked to Deacon Flannery as an example of a life of service.
“From the time of his youth until the present, his own journey of faith has been extraordinary,” Father Perez said. “One of the things that amazes me about him is his capacity for faith, hope, and joy. His life embodies that.”
The funeral Mass for Deacon Flannery was celebrated on Feb. 17 at Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Raymond Chappetto was the principal celebrant.
Burial followed at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
Sister Marie Antoinette Mannuzza, formerly Antoinette Margaret Mannuzza, passed away on Jan. 16.
Born in Brooklyn, Sister Marie grew up with her brothers Carlo and Anthony and her Italian immigrant parents in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.
After graduating from Washington Irving High School, she began her studies in dietetics at The Ohio State University and Pratt Institute and worked as a dietitian at Lenox Hill Hospital.
In 1958, Sister Marie entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood. Her experiences in the field of nutrition and food preparation led to her ministry as home economics teacher at Saint Joseph Academy in Brentwood (1960-64), Saint Angela Hall Academy (1964-68), and Bishop Kearney High School (1968-78) while pursuing a master’s degree at Brooklyn College.
She enjoyed her involvement with high school students and frequently shared an amusing culinary mishap.
A prayerful, compassionate woman, Sister Marie treasured her interactions with the people of the neighborhood, particularly those of St. Athanasius Parish, where she lived for almost 50 years.
In 1978, she left teaching to respond to a need at St. Ephrem Parish and embarked on a journey that led her to serve as pastoral minister there for the next 36 years.
The homebound and elderly were the primary focus of her care and of her faith-filled zeal. When Sister Antoinette asked, “How are you?” she really wanted to know and listened attentively to the response. Her quiet concern and listening ear brought hope and comfort to many in the neighborhood and to the Sisters with whom she lived.
Retiring from active ministry in 2014, Sister Marie lived at St. Ephrem Convent and, in 2024, moved to Stella Maris Convent, where she continued to share her thoughtful encouragement, joyful spirit, and gracious manner.
On Jan. 23, a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Father Tom Poth in Sacred Heart Chapel, followed by Sister Marie’s burial in Calvary Cemetery in Brentwood.