Getting to know the new OLP pastor

T.J. Brennan (TB): How have you found Lynbrook to be in your first few days?
The Rev. Richard (Rick) Stelter (FR): I actually lived in Malverne and spent a lot of time in Lynbrook growing up. So, I actually feel like I’ve been here for more than three or four days. I feel like I’m coming back home. I lived in Malverne. I went to Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne. In grammar school, I had a lot of friends in Lynbrook. I used to travel all over. As far as now, people have been very warm and friendly and welcoming. I have nothing to complain about at all. They’re great.

TB: Where did you go to high school, college and the seminary, etc.
FR: It was all in preparation of the priesthood. I didn’t know I was going to be a priest early on, but it was kind of climbing in that direction. High school was St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary, which used to be in Uniondale. That’s closed. College was Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston, now closed. From there, Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, also now closed. It moved to Dunwoodie.

TB: When did you realize you wanted to become a priest?
FR: I think the interest was there in high school, that’s why I went to Pius. I think it grew as time went on. Each time I was coming to finish school and move to the next one, it was like ‘Well, do I want to keep doing this?’ and it became stronger, like ‘Yeah I want to do this.” I was in classes with everyone falling off right and left, so you always had the opportunity to do something else, but I just kept saying “No, this feel good. This feels right. I’m going to keep on going.’

TB: For how long have you served as a pastor?
FR: That was 11 years ago. I was pastor at Saint Martin of Tours. That was the only time where I’ve actually been pastor.

TB: What are some of the goals you have for Our Lady of Peace?
FR: I just got here. I think it’s too early to set goals because I want to find out what the place is like. I guess my first goal is to find out what the place is like. Every parish is different. It’s not a cookie-cutter set-up. It’s a matter of finding out what the people are like, what their needs are, how those needs have been addressed to see if there’s anything that needs to be changed or improved. That takes some being here in the beginning.

TB: What is your favorite part about being a priest?
FR: Being able to root for the New York Mets and not having anybody be able to say anything about it. But my favorite part of being a priest is being able to serve the people. They have so many needs, and sometimes they have no other place to turn and it’s satisfying knowing you could be there for them, even in a small way. That came up big time in Amityville because of Sandy. South Amityville was kind of devastated right along the water there. As a pastor and a parish we were able to be there for them and they were grateful for it. Other help was so slow in coming, and it still is. Being there for them was kind of a big version of what I think parish work is: meeting the different needs people have.

TB: What is your favorite passage from scripture?
FR: Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. There’s too much of people doing unto others without thinking about the harm that it causes. Whether it’s in politics, radio, television, or out there on the street. I think if people realized how they would like to be treated and tried to treat others the same way, from my point of view, in the name of Christ, and even as a human being, it’s a way people should be living.

TB: What hobbies do you have?
FR: I cycle. Just brought the bicycles in. I may not look like it, but I enjoy cooking. I get into that every so often. My favorite dish right now is spaghetti puttanesca.

TB: What is you best character trait in terms of being a priest? 
FR: That’s one I would like to leave other people to answer for me. I don’t like to talk about myself or comment on myself. I want people to find out who I am and name that themselves, what they see in me.

TB: What have you done to acclimate yourself to the community?
FR: I introduced myself, personally, to all the people who came to mass during the week just to let them know who I am and that I’m here. Sunday I didn’t say the mass, but I ended all the masses speaking a little bit about myself and who I am.

TB: You said you were a Mets fan, but are there any other sports you like to watch?
FR: Well, cycling. The Tour de France is coming up, so from July 5 to something or other, I’ll be interested in that. Probably the same way people are into soccer now. There’s the whole Lance Armstrong thing, but I still like the sport. That doesn’t affect me.

TB: When your term is up, what do you hope your parishioners would say about you?
FR: That I was there for them. Whatever ‘there’ would have meant in various situations. I think as Father Bill leaves here, that’s the sense that I have—that he was there for them for 12 years, along a range of things for a whole lot of different needs from the very beginning until the very end. If they could say that about me, I’d be be happy.

TB: You have big shoes to fill after Father Bill. Are you concerned at all with following him?
FR: People said that a couple times on Saturday morning, so I made part of my talk on Sunday that I’m not here to fill his shoes. Nobody could fill his shoes. He’s his own person. I’m my own person. He has a contribution here that he left it’s going to be longstanding, enduring and we’re going to honor that. I’ll walk a different path. It’ll be different. I’m not here to replace him, I’m not here to be another Father Bill, to fill his shoes. I walk my own way and hope that the people will be able to get from me half of what they got from Father Bill.