By Paul J. Condra
Hours after Father Lawrence Penzes, 50, and parishioner Eileen Tosner, 73, of Our Lady of Peace R.C. Church, were killed during a morning Mass, the intersection at Merrick Road and Peninsula Boulevard had been transformed into a tangle of yellow police tape, news reporters hungry for details, and grieving residents.
While teary-eyed parents sought their children, who had been locked down in the church's rectory for safety reasons, pen-wielding reporters sought out interviews and long-coated detectives strolled the grounds between the church and the house on Fowler Avenue where the gunman was holed-up.
This is probably the saddest day in the history of Lynbrook, said parishioner and County Legislator Fran Becker, who represents Lynbrook.
By evening, after 34-year-old Peter J. Troy was arrested in connection with the shooting, Our Lady of Peace held a Mass in the building's auditorium, which was led by Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
The Mass was attended by about 1,000 people and filled the auditorium with people standing against the wall and filling the back spaces. Outside, parishioners held candles in vigil for the two who were killed that day.
Though media weren't allowed to attend the Mass, a statement by Bishop Murphy was read at a press conference earlier in the day:
The sorrow we share at this senseless act is beyond measure, Murphy said. This has left us all bereft. The bishop also asked that parishioners have mercy on the soul of the man who committed the crimes.
There was also a reconsecration ceremony at Our Lady of Peace on Wednesday morning. Church officials said the building would have to be blessed and exorcised of the evil that entered it Tuesday.
Ordained in 1978, Penzes started his journey in the priesthood at St. Pious X in Plainview. He then worked as an assistant pastor at St. Francis in Wantagh, before arriving at Our Lady of Peace in 1994.
Church members said Penzes was responsible for bringing the church out of the dire straits in which he found it, some $100,000 in debt.
He's done incredible work and is going to be very sorely missed, Becker said, adding Penzes was crucial in getting air conditioning and stained-glass windows for the church.
Officials said the death of Penzes, who was also an Air Force chaplain and the Lynbrook police chaplain and who worked to ease the pain of those who lost family on Sept. 11, is a harsh blow to Lynbrook.
This is not supposed to happen in Lynbrook, Mayor Eugene Scarpato said, referring to the relative peacefulness of the tight-knit community. This is something that's going to take awhile for us to get over.
Friends of Tosner said she was a very active woman in her community and that she was very involved in volunteering for the local VFW Post 2307, where her husband, Frank, is a member. When called, her husband did not wish to speak with reporters.
She was a very charitable person, always doing, said Janice Bohn, a longtime friend.
Church members said Tosner folded linens at the church and attended Mass every day.
The religious community pointed out that the death of a priest on the altar carries considerable theological weight when put into perspective.
Msgr. Thomas Hartman, of the Diocese, said at a Tuesday press conference that the reason the bishop wears red is because he is willing to give up his life for his faith.
It seems to me, from a priest's perspective, one of the most powerful witnesses to faith, that [Penzes] would die during Mass, the monsignor said.
Hartman compared Penzes' death to that of Salvadorian Bishop Oscar Romero. Bishop Romero was killed in El Salvador on March 24, 1980, by a sharpshooter after he openly criticized the government for repressing the common citizens.
Romero is reported to have said this to a reporter days before he died: You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of God, which is the people, will never perish.
Hartman described Penzes as a disciplined man who kept to his routine. He said he was a dedicated, quiet worker who tried to avoid the spotlight.
