St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints, is fostering a spiritual connection between a Queens pastor and one of his parishioners. Father Vincent Chirichella, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Astoria, keeps a portrait of the saint on his desk given to him by Yvonne Sfogliano.
Father Vincent Chirichella has many friends who are priests that he considers part of his family. But he’s just as close to priests who really are his family. “We have a lot of vocations,” said Father Chirichella, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, Astoria. “I’m one of four priests. There’s also my brother Michael, who answered God’s call to become a deacon. And we have a seminarian.”
