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Overcast St. Boniface Martyr celebrates 125 years
After 125 years of serving Sea Cliff and its Catholic community, celebration was in the air at St. Boniface Martyr Catholic Church earlier this year. The church recently commemorated its 125th anniversary with a jubilee event that aimed to honor the parish’s history and foster a sense of community.
The church was founded in 1898 by Bishop Charles E. McDonnell, the second bishop of the Brooklyn Diocese, who appointed Father James J. Donohue as its first pastor. Although ground wasn’t yet broken on the church until the following year, the village’s paper at the time, The Sea Cliff News, predicted, “As Father Donohue is a hustler, it will not be long before a handsome new church will be erected.”
The early church was incredibly active, holding events from lectures and balls to picnics and open air dancing according to the church’s website history. By 1900 the church was officially completed, after years of dedicated work by residents of Sea Cliff, Glen Head and Glenwood Landing, who had lovingly built the church by hand.
Father Josef Norys, who has served as the parish priest since July of the previous year, said his first meeting at the church was to begin planning the celebrations. He said it was important for him and the church that the focus of the celebration be not just about the church’s history, but giving thanks for the many blessings the St. Boniface Martyr has experienced over its long existence.
“My main goal was to use the jubilee as a vehicle for revitalizing the parish coming out of Covid,” Norys said. “So it was very convenient to have something to celebrate, plan events and try to get everybody excited about things again.”
The planning for the jubilee began almost a year in advance, with a goal of revitalizing the parish community and providing a renewed sense of purpose. To announce the Jubilee Year, the church displayed two prominent banners on its façade, serving as a constant visual reminder to the community.
Norys added that the preparations for the jubilee took months to plan and the dedicated work of multiple individuals at the church. Each week, a half-page feature highlighted old photographs, historical moments, and prominent individuals from the parish’s history. This ongoing exploration of the parish’s past aimed to foster a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the rich heritage of St. Boniface Martyr.
The grand jubilee celebration took place in September, although the official anniversary occurred in June. This scheduling decision aimed to ensure a more significant attendance, given that June is a period when many people go on summer vacations. The celebration included a special mass, presided over by Norys, and was attended by former pastors, including Father Mike Torpy and Father Bob Romeo. Unfortunately the most recent priest, Father Kevin Dillon, was unable to attend the event.
The mass provided an opportunity for the parishioners to reconnect with former pastors, with a particularly warm reception for Torpy, who served as the pastor three terms ago. Following the mass, a reception was held in the garden, featuring a quartet orchestra playing classical string music.
“It’s good to have a reason to get together and remember how fortunate we are to have what we have,” Norys said, “which is basically a healthy parish that’s been around for that long, 125 years, in many different incarnations.”
The Jubilee celebration brought together hundreds of parishioners, filling the church to capacity. The event was followed by numerous letters, emails, and calls expressing appreciation for the experience and how it had rekindled a sense of enthusiasm within the parish.
The church’s 125th Anniversary Celebration stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of faith, community, and renewal that characterizes this historic Catholic Church in Sea Cliff. The legacy of St. Boniface Martyr continues, with the 125th anniversary celebration serving as a reminder of the enduring strength of faith and community that has persisted over the years.
