Bishop Brennan Welcomes Fr. Kuroly to St. Camillus

By Katie McFadden

At the Sunday Mass on May 3, Bishop Robert Brennan was welcomed with applause, at his first appearance at St. Camillus since it was announced in March that the church would not be closing after all. And with his visit came the introduction to Father James Kuroly, who at last week’s Mass, was announced as the new administrator for the St. Camillus-St. Virgilius Parish.

“I’m very, very glad to be with you,” Bishop Brennan told the congregants. He cited a passage from the book of Peter that relates to the way the congregants and community came together to restore faith in St. Camillus. “I offer you my sincerest appreciation for your honest dialogue. You love Christ in his church,” Bishop Brennan said. “And I appreciate your commitment to face problems together. I won’t rehearse what the issues we face are in the deliberations of the possibility of closing St. Camillus and some of those certainly still remain, but you’ve given practical suggestions for addressing these challenges.

“One of the biggest considerations has to do with the declining Mass attendance. Well, I’d say you rallied together, and you’ve encouraged one another, and you’ve built up this community and I’m very impressed by the way that you’re integrating the sports programs here with Sunday Mass. After all, that’s what we’re all about,” Bishop Brennan said.

“You’re a model for what I’d love to see happen all over the Diocese. That kind of renewal and rejuvenation,” he said, adding that there’s more to be done. “This is not simply an extension or a reprieve. No, it’s kind of like the fig tree in that parable where Jesus not only tells the vineyard workers to give it another year, he says I’ll give it some extra attention and that’s what we need to do to invest in Saint Camillus and see what is possible.

“I appreciate the desire of this community here in Rockaway Beach to do just that. Frankly, I love this church. But we all know it needs a little bit of a facelift, a little bit of tender loving care, as does Springman Hall,” he said. “I know, I too, need to invest in this church as well, so last week, I announced the appointment of Father James Kuroly as administrator of the parish of Saint Camillus and St. Virgilius.”

Bishop Brennan explained that Father Kuroly, who is the rector president at Cathedral Preparatory High School and Seminary, will remain so. “He’s one of my strongest guys. I need him to do what he’s doing. He’s helping to bring about vocations for the future of the church here in Brooklyn and Queens and forming men of greatness,” he said. He said Fr. Kuroly will also continue to direct the Diocesan Youth Ministry, but Bishop Brennan believes in conjunction with those assignments, Fr. Kuroly can tie them in to providing leadership in the parish. Father Kuroly does much of that work during the week, so for the time being, there will continue to only be an 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, but more Masses may be added in the future.

Bishop Brennan also acknowledged the work of Fr. James Rodriguez, who stepped in as administrator of not only his main church at St. Rose of Lima, but St. Camillus and St. Virgilius when the late Father Richard Ahlemeyer died in May 2024. “I want you to know how much I appreciate the work Father James Rodriguez has done here. I asked Father Rodriguez to continue the conversations and the analysis done, begun by Father Ahlemeyer, and I asked him to work toward bringing the parishes together with the assumption that we might likely have to close Saint Camillus. He took on the hard work of sharing transparently the realities that we faced,” Bishop Brennan said. “He reported back to me the conversations he had with you and some alternative possibilities that he could see after listening to you. He did exactly what I asked him to do, making great personal sacrifices. He served you generously and with great love, so I say thank you to Father Rodriguez.”

Bishop Brennan explained as Father Kuroly lays out his vision for St. Camillus, things can’t continue as they had before. “I do see real possibilities here at Saint Camillus, but these possibilities can only be realized by responding to new needs on the peninsula, not simply replicating what we have in other churches or going back to old ways,” he said. “I remain committed to a unified vision for Rockaway. This means that we have to find ways to complement rather than to duplicate the work of one another. I offer you a vision, not a plan. Father Kuroly and Father Rodriguez share that vision. Father Kuroly will work with you, he’ll work with me and he will work with the other pastors and parishioners on the peninsula and in Broad Channel toward a plan altogether. We need to be honest and admit that it might not work or that what each of us envisions might not turn in different directions. That’s how the Holy Spirit works but at the same time, we have to give it our very, very best and trust in the help of the Lord.”

Ordained to the priesthood in June 2007, Father Kuroly, a South Ozone Park native, is no stranger to Rockaway. He previously served as pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Rockaway Beach from 2016 to 2019 and even spent some time as deacon at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Far Rockaway, prior to being ordained.

In his introduction to St. Camillus, Father Kuroly reflected on some words from St. Camillus himself. “Think well, speak well, do well. These three things through the mercy of God, will make one go to heaven. I wanted my first words as your administrator to be the words of Saint Camillus. It is also a perfect mission statement,” Father Kuroly said, explaining how those words will mold how St. Camillus moves forward.

To hear more about Father Kuroly’s vision, all are welcome to a town hall following the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 17, where he will share his plans and take questions.

Photos by the Diocese of Brooklyn.