CORONA — Each Sunday at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, the pews are packed with people from all over the tri-state area for nine Masses from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Given the popularity of the Masses, parking headaches were common with so many people streaming into the parish’s neighborhood. Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, the pastor, said he was alarmed to see people become enraged over parking spots. 

“We had these constant fights and arguments and disruptions in the parking lot, and also around the block,” Father Rodríguez said. 

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So, in 2021, he launched a volunteer ministry to direct traffic and help drivers find parking spots in time for the start of each Mass — one of his many accomplishments. 

The parish draws Hispanic Catholics from all over the Diocese of Brooklyn and beyond — even from as far away as New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Eight of the Sunday services are in Spanish, and one is in English. 

“Once you find the church that better fits your spiritual needs, you don’t give that up — at all,” Father Rodríguez said. “You stick to that because there is where you feel at home.” 

Gilberto Perez, a parking ministry volunteer, said the members also offer friendly suggestions to people who are running late. 

“You’ve got to wake up early to get ready to come to Mass,” he said. 

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Denise Rivera, another volunteer, said that before the volunteers’ arrival, the situation was “total chaos.” 

“It has brought a lot of peace among the parishioners because parking in Corona is like hitting the lottery,” she said in Spanish. “It is very slim.” 

“I do this with a lot of love,” she added, “because I just want to make sure that everybody has a beautiful experience as they come here to receive Mass.”