Community Pleads with Bishop Brennan to Save St. Camillus

By Katie McFadden

“This is home for us. This is a sad moment for us. I’ve been here during the whole Special Olympics, and it will be hard to see our home close and have to find another home,” St. Camillus Special Olympics athlete Colin Brosnan said before Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan and other clergy leaders at a Tuesday, October 28, meeting to discuss the impending closure of a church and gym that means so much to so many—St. Camillus. After listening to the impassioned pleas of Special Olympics members, coaches for the St. Virgilius/St. Camillus basketball program, parishioners, alumni, board members and more, Brennan left off saying, “I haven’t made any final decision.”

At the end of Mass on Sunday, May 25, Father James Rodriguez delivered shocking news. “We have to close St. Camillus by the end of the year,” he told parishioners, saying it was ultimately the Bishop’s decision, citing financial struggles and declining attendance at Mass. In a statement to The Rockaway Times, the Diocese further explained, “Despite the generosity of the parishioners, the parish debt currently amounts to over $3 million, which can only be addressed by selling or leasing the expansive property.” However, it wasn’t until October 28, that parishioners and the community had an opportunity to meet with Bishop Brennan to discuss the impending closure and suggest ways to keep the church or even the gym and schoolyard that serves as a resource for so many community events, open.

The meeting began with a prayer and with Bishop Brennan expressing regret for taking five months to meet with the community. “There’s discontent that I didn’t come earlier. I own that. I regret it and I’m sorry,” he told the crowd. But added, “I want to listen. I want to hear what you have to say.” And Rockaway had a lot to say.

As the floor was open to comments, Bill Swensen, who runs the St. Virgilius/St. Camillus basketball program that serves more than 400 children with games and practices taking place several days a week in Springman Hall, got up to make his case, along with about two dozen of his young players. “This church is a cornerstone for this community,” Swensen began. “We have three basketball programs. These kids love this program. They get to get out of the house, they get to get some exercise, we get them off their phone, they get to make friends. This, to me, is part of what the church is all about and we all would like to know what’s going to happen to these kids who have no place else to go. Saint Rose is not a possibility. They have their own basketball program.” Swensen went on to suggest that at minimum, the Diocese should keep the gym open until the property is potentially sold, so that they can finish their season.

In an immediate response, Bishop Brennan said, “We do take those concerns very serious. We’re working with St. Rose to work out a schedule for March but we plan to keep Springman Hall open until that time so everyone can have one last season. My understanding is that we can’t sell if the property is still being used,” he said, adding, “I haven’t made the decision to sell. We’re looking at all the options and we’ll be talking.”

Pat Myers spoke of her disappointment in the decision to close the church. “Sports is important, but to me, the church is what St. Camillus is, and if we can keep the gym open, we should be allowed to keep the church open. Church comes first,” she said. “I was a Phys-ed teacher. I am all for sports. We were told this parish will close without being given the opportunity to raise funds, to have a campaign. First grammar schools are closing. Children are impressionable. If they’re not introduced to faith when they’re young, there are very few becoming Catholic. Perhaps what we did in the past isn’t working and we need to try something different to get the youth involved. CYO has games on Sundays. Maybe they shouldn’t start until Mass is over. Something has to be done to get people back to the faith and I’d be willing to help out because this is heartbreaking to me.”

Mary Fitzgibbons spoke of the ways St. Camillus serves the entire community. “There were rumblings about the church closing but Father Richie never mentioned anything concrete, so when Father Rodriguez made this announcement, all of us were in a state of shock. This concerns the entire peninsula. We have the Irish Fest, Thrilla in Camilla, a New Year’s ball, Hearts and Shamrocks, the dance after the parade,” she said. “I think this is going to put the final nail in the coffin of that change occurring in Rockaway. I don’t believe this is for the better. Why not sell the convent? I went to Ocean Grove, NJ, and they have Mary’s House for women who have cancer. Why not make this a spiritual retreat? There are so many things this property could be used for, and I think it’s a sin to close it, especially when people are dying by the thousands for their faith.”

Dr. John Schilling, a longtime board member for St. Camillus, provided some insight as to what he thinks really contributed to the church needing to close and gave some scathing remarks. “We should have joined the three parishes 13 years ago. We wouldn’t be going through this. People aren’t going to church. We’re not getting numbers. That’s why the school closed. A problem is also finance. I saw the books. We were doing well. We were not getting money from collections, but we had the school, and it was paying the bills. We found out that two-thirds of rent is going to pay into the retirement fund of teachers and people who worked in the school. Why are we still paying retirement funds to St. Virgilius staff, when it’s been closed for 20 years? Why are we paying for St. Camillus school, closed six years ago? We knew a certain percentage was needed, but we didn’t know it was two-thirds. This was shocking. If Father Richard knew, that would’ve killed him. Fr. Richard came to me in March 2024 and said the Diocese wanted us closed. Two months later, he died. It seems the Diocese wants to get the land to sell it.

“You didn’t try. You didn’t come when we needed you. You should have been here in May. You went to St. Francis three times, Blessed Trinity twice. I understand the day after the fire at St. Edmund, you had to be there, but we needed you too and sooner than October 28, just even to say, this is why we’re doing it. We were never told the exact reasons. We needed you and you weren’t there.”

Joe Featherston and a dozen members of his Special Olympics program then pleaded their case. Featherston generously thanked St. Camillus for all of their support over nearly 30 years before seeking ways to keep the property open. “I hope that somehow, if some of the property has to be sold, some of it can be sold and some can be kept. And I really, as a Christian, I hate to see any sign of Jesus’ light in our lives disappear. Whether its 50 people going, 75 or 100 people, they are followers of Jesus. Even if that church can stay open for one Mass a week, and for people to be able to go in there and visit, we still have the community of Christ alive. And you can see all the wonderful young people that came up here. If this disappears from their life, where are they going to go? This is their home and I hate to see that opportunity for them to be lost. There is no place like what we have here. I just hope that you can consider all possibilities to keep this gym at least open as long as possible.”

Then some of the Special Olympics athletes spoke for themselves. Michael Burg said, “I love St. Camillus Special Olympics and I don’t want to let this go so we gotta keep it strong. Another athlete, Patty Flaherty added, “I get to get out of the house and get to do stuff. The coaches are wonderful. I think this is a place for us to come and enjoy ourselves. I wish you guys would keep the gym open, so we have somewhere to go on Monday nights.”

Others offered suggestions the diocese could consider. “We have to start looking outside the box,” one man said, citing a church on 68th Street in Manhattan, that was replaced with a 30-story skyscraper, but space was made for the church to continue operating. “We can’t expect priests to be real estate agents. You give us our faith and we love you for that, but we don’t think you’re great real estate agents so please think outside the box.”

Others suggested giving time for Rockaway to come together to help out. “Maybe you can put a committee together to represent different parishes across the peninsula to see if there’s a way to save the church and the gym. Give us six months, a couple of priests and let’s see if we can develop something,” one man said.

Paul Bundy said the church holds too many memories for it to close. “This congregation is beseeching you to not let this happen. I don’t think you can just abandon it. People suggested making St. Camillus a historic site because it’s over 100 years old. Have it designated as a landmark in Rockaway,” he said.

After giving the community time to speak, Councilwoman Joann Ariola followed as the meeting was coming to an end. “Our religion is under attack. Our religion is diminishing and we’re seeing churches and Catholic schools close and seeing other religions being vibrant. We cannot close any more of our schools and any more of our churches,” Ariola said. “The people you see here love St. Camillus. This is their home and as Catholics, it would kill people to see a wrecking ball go through a church and knock it down and take away all the memories, the tears, the faith that was built in that church. Someone talked about landmarking. Yes, I can be helpful. Someone talked about a focus group. Yes, let’s do that. We can be a public and private partnership. What we can’t do is give in and knock down something that is the heart of the community. I’m willing to do whatever is needed to do so we can all still worship here at St. Camillus and if this gym, this place where people gather for fellowship, if we take this away, our Catholic community will further diminish. We have to grow just like other religions are growing. I will avail our office to anything that’s needed to save what means most to this community, which is God, family and country.”

In closing, Bishop Brennan said, “I take all of this to heart,” highlighting the need to bring people back to the faith and trying to think outside of the box. “We will consider everything. I haven’t made any final decision. We had to listen to you and hear what you had to say.”

As the meeting ended and people started to shuffle out, a woman went up to the mic and asked if the Bishop has any plans to come back with a committee to find solutions. “This kind of feels like you’re here to pacify us,” she said. “Are you going to return? Give us a solid date.” Bishop Brennan said he would be back but didn’t say when.