Blessed Sacrament turning 60

Blessed Sacrament Church, on Central Avenue, has been a fixture in Valley Stream for nearly six decades, and the church is beginning a year-long celebration of its 60th anniversary. Though it won’t become official until Oct. 12, the celebration will begin on April 17 with a dinner and dance.

“There’s a real pride in this parish,” said the Rev. Peter Dugandzic, Blessed Sacrament’s pastor. “There are some parishioners that have been here since masses were held in the garage.”

The area where the church was built was just farmland when the Rev. Andrew McKeon was sent there to establish a parish to serve Valley Stream. According to church officials, residents helped convert an old farmhouse and two garages into the first church and a parish school, which was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The parishioners gathered for Mass for the first time on Christmas Eve of 1950.

“I remember the old wooden building,” said John Urgo, who has attended the church for 53 years. “Father McKeon was a great man. He always took care of me. He was like an old-fashioned Bing Crosby type of priest.”

Urgo, who received his first communion and confirmation at Blessed Sacrament and was married there as well, said he attended the parish school and remembers how strict the nuns were. “The nuns were really tough,” he said. “I caught my fair share of beatings. But it was different than public schools. There were never any fights. We were like a family.”

As the parish expanded, the first building could not handle the ever-growing crowd. The decision was made to construct a chapel, and parishioners went door to door to raise funds. In June 1953, the completed chapel was dedicated by Archbishop Thomas Molloy from the Diocese of Brooklyn. In the early 1960s, the new Diocese of Rockville Centre — which was formed in 1957 — granted the parish permission to build its first full-sized church and on Feb. 7, 1963, a new 950-seat church opened its doors.

In June of 1966, McKeon, the founding pastor, died. A few months later, the Rev. Clement Walsh was named Blessed Sacrament’s second pastor.

In 1970 the parish reached its peak, with a registration of about 4,100 families. Mary Gluck, a volunteer at the parish’s social outreach program, grew up around the block from Blessed Sacrament and remembers when the church was built. “It was an open lot,” Gluck recalled. “I saw it built up. I remember I used to get my roses from that lot. I didn’t drive, so I loved that it was around the corner.”

Gluck added that she remembered how McKeon was sometimes misunderstood by parishioners. “He was a quiet man, and some felt you couldn’t warm up to him,” she said. “But I definitely did. When I worked at Bingo, he used to come down and tell us how good a job we were doing. It was very rewarding to be appreciated.”

Since Walsh died in 1987, the parish has had six more pastors. Dugandzic arrived last June.