By Paul J. Condra
The crack sent chills down Singleton's spine, then he realized it was only the sound of the wooden kneeler dropping to the floor so the parishioners could pray.
It was a strange feeling, Singleton, 77, said of that service.
The reverend has come out of a six-year retirement at the request of the Bishop to fill in at the church, where Father Larry Penzes, 50, was gunned down during a March 12 Mass. Parishioner Eileen Tosner, 73, was also slain at that Mass. Suspect Peter Troy, 34, of Lynbrook, has been charged with the murders.
It's a step toward healing, if not just a temporary one. Singleton said he will stay at Our Lady of Peace until the Bishop wants me to go. And with the current priest shortage, there is no telling how long that will be.
Still, Singleton brings a solid foundation of experience to a church that was suddenly launched into turmoil two weeks ago.
An important aspect of my job now is helping people come to terms with the terrible shock of what happened, he said. This will have a definite long-term aspect.
Penzes' belongings still fill the offices and halls of the church. One hall is lined with sports memorabilia, from autographed pictures to hockey sticks. There is an office richly furnished with opulent wooden Asian bookshelves, chairs and an ornate carpet. Singleton walks through the church at ease, proudly showing off Penzes' collection.
Indeed I'm an outsider, Singleton said. But I'm an outside insider.
Singleton graduated from Bayside High School in Queens in 1942 and then attended Niagara University in Lewiston. He entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, where he was a classmate of the late Bishop John McGann, and was ordained on June 3, 1950.
He served as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne from 1950 to 1969, spent a year at St. Martha's in Uniondale and was assigned as pastor to St. Luke's Church in Brentwood from 1970 to 1977. His longest and last appointment was to St. Raymond's parish, where he was a pastor for 19 years.
Now he comes back to Lynbrook, an area he knows well having spent so much time in the surrounding villages, and he has been met with a warm reception by the parishioners at the church.
Any difficulty with coming here has been surpassed by the people, he said.
Singleton is under the impression that the church is well on the road to recovery. He said one of the most important aspects was keeping in close contact with the faculty members and visiting the classes. He wants people to feel that they can go speak with him if they need to.
Sandy Tummolo, a parishioner and director of public relations at the school, said Singleton is making good headway there.
The children really have taken to them, she said. They already know him.
But there is also a desire among parishioners for continuity during this time of instability.
Jack Finkelstein is helping an effort to gather signatures for a petition to keep Father Mark Rowan at the church.
It would be good to be able to keep him here to keep some kind of continuity, said Finkelstein, adding that it's just too early to see what kind of effect the temporary Rev. Singleton will have on the parish.
Rowan currently resides at Our Lady of Peace, but has been working as a chaplain at the Nassau University Medical Center since January. According to a spokesperson at the Diocese in Rockville Center, Rowan requested that he be assigned to active military duty as an Air Force chaplain.
Rowan couldn't be contacted and the bishop hadn't reviewed the petition by the time The Herald went to press.
Continuity is a good idea, but it is 100 percent up to the Bishop and Rowan, Singleton said.
But until more permanent decisions can be made, parishioners are just holding on to their faith.
It's good to know what we have, but I feel whatever is meant to be will be, Tummolo said.
