Thursday, October 1, 2026
As Curé of Ars Roman Catholic Church prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary this fall, the parish is asking current and former members of the community to help preserve its history by sharing photographs, memories and memorabilia by Sept. 1.
The materials will help the church create a historical record of the parish as it prepares for its centennial celebration in October. Among the projects planned is a commemorative book modeled after one created for the parish’s 75th anniversary.
“We will be doing a book, as we did for the 75th anniversary,” said the Rev. Frank Caldwell, pastor of Curé of Ars. “To have a historical record of the foundation of the parish.”
The church is seeking photographs, videos, newspaper articles, programs, memorabilia and personal stories. Parishioners are encouraged to share memories of sacraments, parish events, ministries, people who influenced their faith or other experiences connected to Curé of Ars.
Digital submissions can be emailed to cureofars100@gmail.com. Original photographs can also be brought to the rectory to be scanned and returned. The church asks that submissions include the person's name, event, date and phone number.
For Caldwell, who joined Curé of Ars in 2016, the centennial preparations have offered an opportunity to reflect on what has allowed the parish to remain a fixture in the Merrick community for a century.
He said one of the things that has stood out is the continuity among generations of parishioners.
“The unity and the fraternity and the spirit of engagement of parishioners through the years,” Caldwell said. “There's a great bonding from one generation to the next. The spirit of the parish has endured and not only endured butcontinues to thrive.”
The parish draws members from throughout Merrick, including North and South Merrick. Caldwell said the church also has a long history of interacting with the broader community through its outreach and social ministries.
That connection has helped Curé of Ars remain a community beyond weekly worship, he said.
“The takeaway is the sense of faith and coming together as a community,” Caldwell said, describing a spirit that extends into parish social ministry and service to the community.
For Anne Adragna, chairwoman of the centennial committee, that sense of community is something she has experienced firsthand. Adragna and her family have been members of Curé of Ars for 48 years, and her children grew up in the parish and received their sacraments there.
“We are very, very blessed to have a parish community that is just amazing,” Adragna said. “They are the kindest, warmest, most welcoming people I know.”
Adragna said the parish has numerous ministries and volunteers whose contributions may not always be visible to the broader community. The centennial committee is preparing photographs highlighting those ministries for the celebration.
Greg Conklin, another longtime parishioner, has been part of Curé of Ars for 66 years. After his family moved to Merrick shortly after he was born, Conklin attended Curé of Ars School from kindergarten through eighth grade and remained involved in the parish as an altar server, lector, Eucharistic minister, usher and CYO director.
“I've been involved in the parish, and you know it's kind of still like my second home,” Conklin said.
Conklin recalled parish carnivals, casino nights, friendships and the church's response during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mass was held in the parking lot with a trailer serving as an altar.
“We don't let anything stop us,” he said.
For Conklin, the memories gathered for the centennial tell the story of a parish built around relationships.
“The first thing that comes to my mind ... is it's a family,” he said. “That's what we are. We're a parish family.”
Caldwell said that sense of connection is particularly meaningful in a church that is physically smaller than some other Catholic churches in the area.
“People feel close together, closer together geographically in the church, but also closer together in terms of bondedness and connectedness,” he said.
The centennial celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, and will include an anniversary Mass, dinner celebration, former clergy reunion, historical displays, parish memories and special raffles. Ministry groups, organizations and volunteers will also participate in special anniversary photographs following selected weekend Masses.
The Mass will be concelebrated by current clergy and priests who have served the Curé of Ars community, with Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre expected to concelebrate.
But before the parish celebrates its century of faith and service, church leaders are encouraging the community to help document the people and moments that made up those 100 years.
“I hope they realize that they're a part of an unbelievable faith-filled community,” Adragna said, “that is so many people are still there after so many years and are willing to give so much of their time and talents.”
