A New Pastor, 2015 – Fr. Kevin Dillon

June 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

In March, 2015, Bishop Murphy appointed Father Kevin Dillon as the new Pastor of St. Boniface, Martyr Parish.

Born to Gerard and Dolores Dillon in March of 1961, Father Kevin is the oldest of four children.  Fr. Kevin has two sisters and one brother all residing here on Long Island.  In 1965, his family moved from Brooklyn to Williston Park, where is mother still resides.  He attended St. Aidan School and graduated in 1975.  From there, Fr. Kevin went on to the former St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary High School where he graduated 1979.

During the 1980’s Father Kevin attended Nassau Community College and Queens College of the City University of New York where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in English Education.  Fr. Kevin holds New York State Permanent Certification as a teacher of English to Secondary School students.  While attending college he worked as a Training and Development Instructor for The Dime Savings Bank of New York.

Upon graduating college, Fr. Kevin taught seventh and eighth grade English in several Catholic elementary schools, including Our Lady of Fatima, Scarsdale , St. Mary’s, Roslyn, and St. Anastasia, Douglaston.

Father Kevin always felt called to the priesthood, and after his dad’s death in 1990, he thought seriously about entering the seminary, and in September 1991 he entered Cathedral Residence of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston to begin his studies for the priesthood.  From there he attended the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington until 1994.  At that time, still not completely certain if God was calling him to the priesthood, he withdraw to reflect and discern God’s plan for him.  He returned to teaching and worked at several Catholic and public high schools, including St. Dominic High School, Oyster Bay, Suncoast Community High School, Riviera Beach, FL and Bishop Guertin High School, Nashua, NH.

In 2000, Father Kevin still felt called to the priesthood, and so resumed his studies for priestly formation at the Diocesan Seminary in Huntington.  He was ordained June 14, 2003, and has served as Associate Pastor in several parishes of the Diocese, including St. Brigid, Westbury, from 2003-2005; Saint Jude Mastic Beach, from 2005-2007, and Saint Aidan, Williston Park from 2007-2015.  After being ordained, he was appointed to the faculty of St. Dominic High School, where he taught Moral Theology and Sacraments to juniors, and Fr. Kevin will be teaching 6th Grade Religion at our Parish school, All Saints Catholic.  .

Father Kevin is a fan of the New York Yankees as well as of the New York Rangers.  He has a passion for fitness and exercise and enjoys working out with his trainers.  He enjoys spending time with his family and friends.  He likes to travel and has run several pilgrimages to Europe and the Holy Land.  He also enjoys reading, and visiting book stores.  Finally, he likes to sing and attended a Voice Lesson Class in Vienna, Austria where he studied with the Director of the Vienna Boys Choir and composed his own song.

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Fr Kevin Insatallation

Filed Under: history, photo galleries

History of St. Boniface Martyr School, 1928 – 1990

June 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Vintage post card view of the front entrance to St. Boniface School.

Vintage post card view of the front entrance to St. Boniface School.

The dream of establishing a Catholic school at St. Boniface Martyr Parish began in 1898, when the parish was established. Father James Donohoe, the first pastor, expressed a strong desire to see a parochial school created for the children of parish families. The idea stayed alive in the 1920’s, when Father Louis Sloane, the pastor at the time, began to set aside money each year to be used in building the school.

His successor, Father Patrick Ford, went a step further by organizing a fund drive to raise $50,000 of the $250,000 needed for the school’s construction. The support given by the parishioners was such that the money was donated or pledged within only a few weeks. Combined with the funds set aside by Father Sloane, that money was sufficient to buy the Amrhein Farm on which the school was to be built, and to hire Architect James O’Connor  to design the structure.

In November, 1927, ground was broken and Frank A. Droesch, Inc., a construction firm from Queens, began working on the building. The work was completed in time for the school to open its doors in September, 1928. On June 23, 1928, the Sisters of Mercy from Dallas, Pennsylvania arrived and began registering children for entry into grades 1 through 6. Another grade was to be added each year until all 8 grades were included.

The new school opened on September 10, 1928, with an initial registration of 150 students. The building contained 10 classrooms, 2 indoor playgrounds, lunchrooms, a kitchen, restrooms, offices, a clinic, storerooms, and a large auditorium. Bishop Thomas F. Malloy of the Diocese of Brooklyn formally dedicated the school on September 16, 1928, at a ceremony attended by more than 1000 people.

In June 1931, the first 8th grade class (14 students) graduated, leading the way for the 59 graduating classes that followed it into the world.

First Graduating Class, St. Boniface School 1931

Over the subsequent decades, enrollment at St. Boniface grew (to nearly 600 students, at one point) and the building was expanded to accommodate the students. In 1962, a library and gymnasium were added and 8 new classrooms were opened. In 1963, student services were expanded to include a 5-day hot lunch program staffed by volunteers from the Mothers’ Club (later the Home School Association).

For 36 years, St. Boniface provided its students with a free education but, in 1964, economic factors forced the introduction of a modest family tuition schedule. The school continued to change. In 1969, a playground was built on school property with the help of many community volunteers. In 1976, nursery and Pre-K programs were begun, and, in 1977, the first kindergarten class started. By that time, lay teachers had replaced most of the Sisters of Mercy.  In the Autumn of 1989 enrollment was approximately 220 students.  In its 62 years of existence, St. Boniface Martyr School graduated over 2,000 pupils.

On June 24, 1989, St. Boniface Martyr School joyfully celebrated its 60th anniversary with a reunion dinner chaired by Kathleen and John Ahearn. Many of the school’s 2,000 graduates returned for the event.

Throughout its existence, St. Boniface Martyr School served as a superb example of academic excellence in Catholic education.

In 1990, the parish schools of St. Boniface, St. Mary in Roslyn, St. Patrick in Glen Cove and St. Hyacinth in Glen Head regionalized to form All Saints Regional Catholic School, a new entity designed to supported by those four parishes, joined by St. Rocco Parish of Glen Cove.  The decision to regionalize the schools and close the St. Boniface School building made for a very painful time in the parish, especially for the families whose children who attended the school. Since then however, space made available by the closing of the St. Boniface School building has been put to other use.

Click here to read the history of All Saints Regional Catholic School,
which operated until it June, 2019.

 St. Boniface School Principals

1928-35

Sr. M. Adrian Gillespie, RSM

1935-36

Sr. M. Gonzaga Kehoe, RSM

1936-37

Sr. M. Constance Dolan, RSM

1937-38

Sr. M. Andrew Hennigan, RSM

1938-39

Sr. M. Cornelia Dever, RSM

1939-51

Sr. M. Isabel Sheerin, RSM

1951-57

Sr. M. Philip Dillon, RSM

1957-60

Sr. M. Gemma Brennan, RSM

1960-66

Sr. M. Maureen McGroarty, RSM

1966-69

Sr. M. Philip Dillon, RSM

1969-70

Sr. M. Elizabeth Guckavan, RSM

1970-71

Sr. M. Clare Dougherty, RSM

1971-76

Sr. M. Jeanne d’Arc Salinger, RSM

1976-77

Sr. M. Elizabeth Guckavan, RSM

1977-81

Mrs. Elaine Lawless

1981-89

Sr. Margaret McPeak, DW

1989-90

Mrs. Lenora Brisotti
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History of All Saints Catholic School, 1990 – 2019

June 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment

All Saints Regional Catholic School was located in this beautiful historic building on the campus of St. Patrick Parish in Glen Cove.

In 1995, Sister Maureen Vellon, R.S.H.M. was appointed as principal of ASR.

In 1995, Sister Maureen Vellon, R.S.H.M. was appointed as principal of ASR.

Sr. Maureen was succeeded by James V. Thompson, who served until his retirement at the end of the school year 2011-12.

Sr. Maureen was succeeded by James V. Thompson, who served until his retirement at the end of the school year 2011-12.

Fr. Elias Carr, appointed Headmaster of ASR, 2012

Fr. Elias Carr, appointed Headmaster of ASR, 2012

Joanne Fitzgerald, appointed Academic Dean of ASR, 2012

Joanne Fitzgerald, appointed Academic Dean of ASR, 2012

 In 1990, the parish schools of St. Boniface, St. Mary in Roslyn, St. Patrick in Glen Cove and St. Hyacinth in Glen Head regionalized to form All Saints Regional Catholic School, a new entity designed to supported by those four parishes, joined by St. Rocco Parish of Glen Cove.

The decision to regionalize the schools and close the St. Boniface School building made for a very painful time in the parish, especially for the families whose children who attended the school. Since then however, space made available by the closing of the building has been put to good use, and All Saints Regional Catholic School is now well established and thriving, having gone from strength to strength to reach the top echelon of Catholic schools on Long Island.

Under diocesan direction and the leadership of its first principal, Sister Helen Dolan, S.S.N.D., All Saints Regional Catholic School began on two campuses with a nursery through third grade at the Lower Campus (St. Hyacinth’s) and grades four through eight on the Upper Campus (St. Patrick’s).  All grades are now consolidated in the school building on the St. Patrick’s parish campus, allowing for total technological integration of all classrooms, leading the school into the 21st Century.

All of the schools’ grades are now located at the former St. Patrick’s School building, allowing for total technological integration of all classrooms, leading the school into the 21st Century.   As of the 2012-13 school year, all of the school’s classrooms have been equipped with the latest “SMART Board” technology.

In April, 2012 it was announced that ASR would follow a innovative new academic vision.  Fr. Elias Carr, Pastor of St. Rocco’s and one of the Canons Regular of the Canonry of Saint Leopold who serve at St. Patrick’s and St. Rocco’s parishes was appointed as ASR’s first Headmaster, to be assisted by an Academic Dean, Joanne Fitzgerald.

Due to the financial pressures and demographic changes effecting Catholic school education All Saints was forced to close in June, 2019.
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Historic Photos, St. Boniface Parish

June 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Some historic photos of our original church building, dedicated on April 22, 1900.  It stood until 1963, when construction began on our present building.  The present one was dedicated on May 3, 1964.  The building was extensively renovated twice since, in 1985, and again in 2014.

Filed Under: history

Church Dedication Photos

May 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Photos taken at the dedication ceremony for our newly renovated church on April 12, 2015.  On the same day Bishop Murphy helped us rededicate the Parish Center, which has been renamed the “Fr. James Donohoe Parish Center” in honor of our Parish’s founding Pastor, and also the chapel contained in that building, which has been renamed “Our Lady of Mercy Chapel” in honor of the Sisters of Mercy, who taught at the former St. Boniface School.

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Filed Under: history, photo galleries

Who is St. Boniface?

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This great apostle of Germany was born in England, between 672 and 680.  When he was small, some missionaries stayed a while at his home.  They told the boy all about their work and impressed Boniface because they were so happy and excited about bringing the Good News to people.  Boniface decided in his heart that he would be just like them when he grew up.  While still young, he went to a monastery school to be educated.  Some years later, he became a popular teacher.  When he was ordained a priest, he was a powerful preacher because he was so full of enthusiasm.

Boniface wanted everyone to have the opportunity to know about and love Jesus and his Church.  He became a missionary to the western part of Germany.  Pope St. Gregory II blessed him and sent him on this mission.  Boniface preached with great success.  Once, to prove that the pre-Christian gods were false, he did a bold thing.  There was a certain huge oak tree the local people believed was sacred to their gods.  In front of a large crowd, Boniface struck the tree with an axe.  The big tree crashed.  The people were enlightened when realized that their gods took no action against Boniface.

In his lifetime, Boniface converted great numbers of people.  In place of the statues of the pagan gods, he built churches and monasteries.  In 732, the new pope, St. Gregory III made Boniface an archbishop and gave him another mission territory, Bavaria.  He and some companions went there to teach the people about Christianity.

Then, one day, he was preparing to confirm some converts.  A group of armed inhabitants swooped down on the camp.  Boniface would not let his companions defend him.  “Our Lord tells us to repay evil with good,” he said.  “The day has come for which I have waited so long.  Trust in God and he will save us.”  The warriors attacked, and Boniface was the first one killed.  He died a martyr on June 5, 754.  His wish, stated in his will, that he be buried at the famous monastery he had started at Fulda, Germany were carried out.

Did St. Boniface invent the Christmas Tree?

The specific origin of the Christmas tree is lost in the distant past.  It may have started when pre-Christian rituals involving evergreen boughs were merged with Christian celebrations and beliefs.

It seems to be generally recognized that the people who lived in what is now Germany were the first to develop the tradition of the Christmas tree.  One tradition is that when Boniface cut down the famous oak tree that he was surprised to find a fir tree growing in its place.  The fir was thereafter associated with the primacy of the Christian faith.

Martin Luther is credited with first placing candles on the Christmas tree.  He spent a great deal of time walking through the forests of evergreen conifers thinking through his beliefs.  The candles are said to have represented the stars he saw through the trees.

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Fr. Bob featured in Long Island Catholic

October 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

SEA CLIFF — While still very young, Father Bob Romeo recalls, “I knew that God was calling me to the priesthood, but I tried to run from it.“I wanted a typical life,” said the pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Church here. “I wanted to be married, to have children, but God had other plans for me.”In April, Father Romeo celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest when his parishioners threw a surprise party for him.Father Romeo, son of Fran, a homemaker, and Gabriel, a banker, grew up in Plainview, one of four boys. They attended St. Pius X Church. “My parents were really involved in the life of the church,” participating in groups like the Holy Name Society and the Altar-Rosary Society.“We had priests who were friends and visited our home,” Father Romeo said. Msgr. Jim Kelly was associate pastor. “He was a great friend” and an influence on young Romeo.

Later the family moved to Dix Hills, where they belonged to St. Matthew’s Church. Among the priests who influenced him there was Msgr. James McDonald “who was in love with the priesthood and in love with the Eucharist. He saw God in everything.”

Though he felt the calling, Father Romeo said, he went to Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania to study business. After one semester he left. Eventually, he entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington. “The academics were great. I was opened up to the teachings of the Fathers of the Church.”

He also valued his pastoral year at St. Joseph’s, Ronkonkoma, both for the experience of living and working in a parish and for knowing the pastor, Father Charles Kohli.

“He is one of the most spiritual men I know, but also very human. Fun,” Father Romeo said. “He’s been a powerful influence on me and my priesthood.”

Father Romeo was ordained May 9, 1987, and assigned to St. Christopher’s Church, Baldwin.

“I heard a priest say that you leave part of your heart at your first parish, and that was true for me,” he said. He cited Msgr. John Bennett, the pastor, and two other associate pastors, and how well the four worked together.

“We had different spiritualities, but we were united in ministering to the parishioners. I learned the meaning of unity,” Father Romeo said. They also served as chaplains at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, “which was a place that had special moments for ministry.”

In 1992, he was transferred to Curé of Ars, Merrick. “I served under two pastors, Msgr. James Swiader and Father James Mannion, and I learned from both of them.”

At Curé, he also became a volunteer firefighter and chaplain for a fire company. He said he was profoundly affected by the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

“You could see that people needed Jesus in their lives,” Father Romeo said.

At Curé of Ars he also had more opportunities for ministry with adults. “I loved Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).”

Father Romeo became associate pastor of St. Peter of Alcantara, Port Washington, in 2002. He praised the pastor, Msgr. Dan Picciano. Father Romeo enjoyed visiting the parish school as well as working with the youth minister.

“We had about 80 to 90 kids” who were involved in a variety of activities, from regular meetings to such projects as “The Midnight Run,” where they go into Manhattan to offer food to homeless people.

“Most important we focused on Jesus,” Father Romeo said.

For years, he resisted becoming a pastor because, “in the words of one of my former pastors, I wanted to avoid ‘the Three Ls, leaks, locks, and ledgers.’” Yet in 2007, he was assigned to his first pastorate, St. Boniface here.

“I found that I love being a pastor” because it offers unique opportunities to serve.

An important element of leadership is working with groups of parishioners to call upon their expertise and insight for the direction of the parish.

Still, the pastor ultimately must make the decisions, Father Romeo said, “but he must come to it in prayer so that the Holy Spirit can direct us.”

One surprise he has found since becoming a priest “is how warmly people welcome you. I was once at a family’s house for a barbecue and realized after a while that I was the one person there who wasn’t part of the family.” His first reaction was that he didn’t belong, but soon realized: “No. I am a part of the family.”

One difficult aspect he sees is the fact that priests are regularly transferred from one parish to another. “You build relationships and then you have to move on,” Father Romeo said, “but I understand it because it involves the greater good of the diocese.”

What he likes best about being a priest is celebrating the Eucharist. “If you do more than say the words but actually pray them,” Father Romeo said, you can see the Eucharist for what it is — Jesus’ “great gift of self to us.”

Despite his past reservations, “I love being a priest and I’m amazed that I became one. I can’t imagine being anything else.”

 

 

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1985 Church Renovation Photos

March 24, 1985 by Leave a Comment
  • Bishop McGann anointing the new altar 1985
1985 Church Renovation
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75th Anniversary Celebration, June 1973

June 24, 1973 by Leave a Comment

In June, 1973, St. Boniface Martyr Parish celebrated its 75th Anniversary. Bishop Walter P. Kelleberg, first Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, presided at a Mass marking the occasion.  These photos of the event were taken by parishioner Thomas J. Lilly, Sr.

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Filed Under: history
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