'New' Church Finally Will Be Built in N. Floral Park

By Stefanie Gutierrez

Michael O ’kane Photo

DIG THEY MUST: When a powerful Nor’easter moved through the city last weekend, Our Lady of the Snows parish, North Floral Park, was forced to move the groundbreaking for its new church indoors. From left, are: Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, State Sen. Frank Padavan, Msgr. Raymond Chappetto, Msgr. John Bracken, and Msgr. John Maloney.

On Sunday, April 15, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio visited Our Lady of the Snows, Floral Park, for a momentous ground-breaking ceremony for construction to begin on their new parish church.

Over 350 parishioners attended the 9:15 a.m. Mass and blessing, filling Our Lady of the Snows’ current church to its capacity. Msgr. Raymond Chappetto, pastor, broke ground with the bishop, accompanied by State Senator Frank Padavan, Msgr. John Bracken, vicar general for temporalities, and Msgr. John Maloney, vicar of Queens South.

Construction for the new church began just last week.
Without any major setbacks, it will be completed in the next 12-14 months.

The present church, originally designed and built to be a school auditorium, was never used for its intended purpose. When it was completed in 1953, the parish had outgrown its chapel, built in 1949, only one year after Our Lady of the Snows was created.

As plans for a new church came and went, the community of Our Lady of the Snows continued to use the auditorium as its place of worship. Msgr. Chappetto still has the plans for a church building the parish set out to build in the 1960s but which never came to fruition.

Couldn’t Cut Masses

When a letter came from then-Bishop Thomas V. Daily asking each parish to reduce the number of Masses in light of the priest shortage in Fall 2000, Msgr. Chappetto said, “We couldn’t eliminate any Masses because they were either full or could not be combined with another Mass.”

This ultimately lead to “listening sessions” with parishioners in Spring 2001 on what to do with the growing numbers in the parish.

“The majority of the people felt that it was time for a new church,” he said. A few months later, the parish conducted a feasibility study, and it indicated that the people did want the new church and that they would support it.

The capital campaign began in January 2002. Parishioners pledged $4.4 million; so far $3.7 million has been collected. The overall cost will be $6 million.

This past Sunday, the bishop said that the groundbreaking ceremony was a work of faith. He encouraged the people to complete the task they had started and felt that it was a testimony to their faith and generosity.

Msgr. Chappetto added, “This is an answer to our prayers and a result of the hard work of so many parishioners who have sacrificed their time, their talent and their treasure to make it happen.”
Because of the inclement weather and rain storms that swept through the area on Sunday, the bishop did the blessing of the site as part of the Mass. Afterward, participants followed him to the school basement’s White Room, where a groundbreaking ceremony took place.

“We have learned to overcome obstacles,” Msgr. Chappetto said, “even bad weather!”

More Seating

The new church will offer more seating and a larger sanctuary area. The current structure will be converted into an auditorium and gymnasium, “for the purpose it was originally built,” Msgr. Chappetto explained.

“This is one of the ways in which we will reach out to the youth so that the young people will have a place to gather and be connected to the church by means of a new youth center.

“It will enhance our CYO sports program, as well as the physical education program of the (parish) school,” he added. There are over 500 participants in the parish’s CYO sports program.

All segments of the parish have been involved in the capital campaign.

On April 28, the Young Adults Group is sponsoring a dinner and dance. In May, the Filipino community will sponsor Flores de Mayo, a celebration on May 20. On June 16, the Indian community will sponsor a fundraiser called “Indian Family Night,” with a night of cultural programs and dinner.

“It is a community involvement and the ongoing generosity of the people,” Msgr. Chappetto said. “We would welcome anything people would want to do.”

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