Thursday, October 1, 2026
When the parishioners of St. Anthony's Church in Oceanside officially welcome the Rev. Christopher Costigan as their new pastor on Aug. 1, they will also be embracing someone who already knows the community well.
Costigan, 46, an Oceanside resident, fourth-generation member of the Oceanside Fire Department and longtime volunteer firefighter, will become pastor of St. Anthony's on Anchor Ave., following the departure of the Jesuit priests, who have led the parish for the past 50 years.
For Costigan, the assignment is both a new chapter and a homecoming.
"I know a little bit about the town already," he said. "As much as it is a shock for many that the Jesuits are leaving, having someone come in who isn't coming in completely blank, but already has a good sense of the town, I think will be helpful."
Ordained in 2008 for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Costigan previously served at St. Bernard's in Levittown, St. Mary's in Manhasset, St. Martha's in East Norwich and, most recently, as pastor of St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage for the past seven years.
His move to Oceanside came as his previous parish prepared for a leadership transition to a new religious order. Seeing an opportunity, Costigan approached Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre about serving at St. Anthony's and was appointed pastor.
Although he officially begins Aug. 1, Costigan has already spent time at the parish, meeting with the outgoing pastor, the Rev. Patrick Donovan, and becoming familiar with its ministries and facilities.
Costigan’s main priority, he said, is not to make changes but to build relationships.
"My priority the first few months is pretty much to get to know the parish and the parishioners and the way things are there," he said. "Certainly not to come in and make changes, but to get to know them."
He also recognizes the emotional transition many parishioners are experiencing.
"The Jesuits have been there for 50 years," he said. "It's certainly a sense of shock for many and heartbreak for others that they're leaving. That's a transition that has to be handled with care and love."
Outside the parish, Costigan has spent nearly three decades serving the community through the Oceanside Fire Department, joining the department in 1998 and serving as its chaplain since his ordination. He also served for years on the board of directors of the New York State Association of Fire Chaplains before stepping away when he became a pastor because of the time commitment.
He said he has seen strong parallels between his two vocations.
"I think both have a sense of service," he said. "You're always putting others before yourself."
Whether responding to a fire call or a parish emergency, Costigan said neither role follows a predictable schedule.
"A parish isn't a business that's Monday through Friday, 9 to 5," he said. "People have needs 24/7, and different things happen, sometimes tragedies. You respond to them with that same sense of service."
Years of emergency response have also shaped the way he approaches the ministry. Firefighters learn to remain calm under pressure and quickly determine priorities — skills Costigan said translate directly into parish leadership.
"When you're dealing with an emergency, you go back to your training," he said. "In a parish, every day you're getting phone calls, emails, people stopping in, things breaking. You have to have a sense of triage — what's most important right now?"
His work with fire chaplains also heightened his awareness of the mental health challenges facing first responders, particularly stress, burnout and suicide prevention.
"A lot of our focus has been on mental health for first responders," he said. "If you're constantly responding to stressful situations, your body never really gets back to its baseline. That higher level of stress adds up over time."
While those challenges are unique to emergency responders, Costigan said he believes many of the same principles — maintaining balance, strong relationships and spiritual support — benefit everyone.
Costigan traces his own calling to the priesthood back to his childhood at St. Christopher School in Baldwin, where he was an altar server. After attending the University of Notre Dame, he spoke with a vocation director who lived just two doors away in his dormitory, setting him on the path to the priesthood.
Reflecting on nearly two decades of the ministry, Costigan said the greatest reward has been accompanying families through every stage of life.
"Celebrating the sacraments, being with people and being included in their lives," he said. "Sometimes it's baptisms and weddings, and sometimes it's sad or tragic situations. It's a privilege to be there for all of it."
As St. Anthony's prepares to celebrate its centennial next year, Costigan expressed hope that the milestone will help unite the parish during this period of transition.
He compared parish life to the construction of Europe's great cathedrals, built over generations by people who never saw their completion.
"Every generation receives the parish from the one before it," he said. "Our job is to build on it, be good stewards of it and hand it over better to the next generation."
