By TIFFANY RAZZANO
Quealy, who became the fourth pastor of the original marble St. Agnes Church in Rockville Centre in 1905, always believed that Long Island, which at the time was part of the Diocese of Brooklyn, would break away to form its own diocese because of a rapidly growing Catholic population. And he always felt that Rockville Centre would be the center of this diocese. Under his direction, St. Agnes Cathedral was completed in 1935. When the time came, the cathedral, he felt, would become the epicenter of the Catholic church on Long Island.
"Nassau County was growing rapidly in the post-war housing boom whose emblematic town would be Levittown, but whose dynamic force would forever change the face of the island," Bishop William F. Murphy said.
"The cathedral was built during the Depression because Monsignor Quealy believed the community was going to grow and in turn the church needed to grow," said Mary Bossart, who attended St. Agnes schools and worked for the diocese at several points in her life. "Because we had such a large church at the time of the diocese installation, Rockville Centre was the logical place to put the seat of the diocese."
In 1957, Quealy's dream became a reality. Pope Pius XII announced the formation of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, with St. Agnes Cathedral serving as the diocesean center. May 26 and May 27 saw the celebration of the new diocese as well as the installation of its first bishop, Walter P. Kellenberg.
Kellenberg picked up where Quealy had left off. While Quealy expanded the parish's buildings by purchasing the property for a school, on which he continually expanded during his tenure, building a new rectory and a convent for the Dominican sisters, Kellenberg continued that expansion. He oversaw additions to the grammar school and high school, as well as the convent, and had a new rectory built.
"When Bishop Kellenberg was here, those were good years," said Marilyn O'Brien, who grew up in the village and has attended St. Agnes for most of her life. "He had a lot of foresight with what he did and the different real estate that he bought, a lot of foresight. So the diocese really flourished. It was a family. You were part of the family, a family of believers. It was very, very nice growing up in Rockville Centre and having St. Agnes as our parish."
When Kellenberg retired in 1976, John R. McGann, who had worked with the diocese and St. Agnes in many different capacities, was appointed the diocese's second bishop. Under his stewardship, the cathedral of St. Agnes was renovated. The renovation was completed on the diocese's 25th anniversary in 1982. The parish celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of St. Agnes Church, now a cathedral, in 1985.
"There was a big structural change and a lot of the people weren't happy with the modernization of the cathedral," O'Brien said. "But I had no problem with it. It's just as beautiful today as it was then."
Because of financial struggles at the time, McGann had to close two diocesean high schools. St. Agnes High School was moved to the site of Maria Regina Diocesan High School in Uniondale, which was shut down. St. Agnes eventually became Kellenberg Memorial.
When McGann resigned in 1999, on his 75th birthday, James T. McHugh was named the next bishop of the diocese in 2000, but died just short of a year later after a brief illness. Meanwhile, a major building project announced by Monsignor James P. Kelly, which included the renovation of the convent, building a new Parish Center and the installation of a pipe organ in the cathedral, was underway.
After McHugh's death, Murphy was named bishop. Installed on Sept. 5, 2001, less than a week later he would have to deal with the devastation of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. For months to come, St. Agnes became the place of many funerals and memorials.
"St. Agnes was very, very strong in helping us," said O'Brien, who lost a son and a son-in-law in the attacks. "I don't think we could have come through it without all the support from the parish priests and parishioners. They were wonderful, because of that we've come through it... They were very, very supportive. It's a wonderful, close-knit community we have in Rockville Centre, and our church friends are all part of that community of friends. A wonderful thing that came out of the tragedy was that we found so many people that are supportive."
Her husband, Bernie O'Brien, who has attended mass at St. Agnes every morning for the past 26 years, said St. Agnes means "an awful lot" to him. "I have a philosophy of faith, family and friends," he said. "If you have that, you can get through anything. And because of those things, St. Agnes is the most important place I can be."
As the diocese is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the parish of St. Agnes has grown to nearly 15,000 parishioners, all while serving as the seat of a diocese that encompasses about 1.4 million Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
"The Parish of St. Agnes Cathedral is different than most Diocesan Seats in that it is a very active residential parish," said Suzanne Sullivan, who attends St. Agnes. "The Diocese is one of the largest employers in the Village, and the parish school, with approximately 900 students, is the largest elementary school, but the most impressive thing about the parish, by far, is the sense of community. There is a real bond between the parishioners and the clergy... Monsignor Kelly, and the rest of the Parish clergy... are always approachable and always there to celebrate life's joys and to help us grieve. As a life-long parishioner, it is exciting to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Diocese as well as the 50th Jubilee of the Parish of St. Agnes Cathedral."
Marilyn O'Brien says there's no denying that St. Agnes is an incredibly close-knit community. "We're like brothers and sisters here," she said. "Everyone is very close. Even now at our ages, we go to our grandchildren's events down there and everyone seems to know you and have a smile and a "Hi" for you. It's wonderful. The people may have changed over the years, but we still have a very close-knit group of friends."
"The people who grew up here have a special affection for [St. Agnes Cathedral] as you would expect and there is a formality here that you sometimes don't find in other parishes," Bossart said. "Every parish has a different feel to it that makes it home for you. And I appreciate the music at St. Agnes, the participation of so many people in parish work and parish liturgy and all the very fine priests that we have had over the years. [The anniversary] is just another occasion in our lives where we can all join together as one family."
"We have every reason to celebrate our jubilee year, 2007, first off with great gratitude to God for all that He has accomplished as His Church, the Body of Christ, has grown and flourished on Long Island," said Murphy. "Our church institutions, especially our 133 parishes, are strong and vibrant oases of faith and life for all who find here the home that Jesus Christ has prepared for us."
Comments about this story? TRazzano@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
