Shortly before his premature death
-- at the age of 52 -- Fr. Feely had planned a magnificent church for the parish of the Ascension,
Middle Village (Rego Park). He envisioned a Gothic building -- having as its main entrance,
61st Road and 85th Street. The sanctuary, an 8-sided structure, would have graced 85th Street at
Eliot Avenue. As you may well imagine, this "dream" was expected to encompass all the land now
occupied by the rectory, and the garages. The southern wall of the church was to have run along
the fence, to the left of our present Marian Shrine. In addition, it was visualized that the
seating capacity would have accommodated, approximately, 1,000 persons.
Unfortunately, due to the ramifications
of our country's committed involvement in World War II, Fr. Feely's vision could not be "kept
alive" by his successor, Fr. David Lynch, especially since all the steel produced in the United
States was prioritized -- and earmarked -- for war production.
When the war ended -- and such restrictions were lifted --
Fr. Lynch faced even more pressing problems than that of building a Gothic church. To begin with,
the Trinitarian Sisters had moved out of the old rectory at 55th Avenue in Elmhurst because it
had become the "new parish" of Ascension, Elmhurst. At his point in time, they had been residing
in what was considered to be -- "temporary" quarters. At the same time, the Sisters of Charity
were becoming over-crowded in their "multi-building quarters" located in "Weber Yard".
Consequently, Fr. Lynch decided to build
-- for both communities of Sisters -- a new and even more suitable convent. His vision evolved into
TWO convents -- "cheek by jowl" -- on 61st Road - their present site. At the same time, he had also
built an impressive rectory for the four priest associates and himself, just across the street from
the convents -- at its present site.
Having established residences for both his
clergy and the Religious Sisters, Fr. Lynch next turned his eyes to the education of our parish
school children. He invited the Marist Brothers to reside at RA with the purpose of establishing
a "Boys' Department”. The Marist Brothers, graciously, accepted that invitation and arrived in 1954.
The Brothers then "took over" -- as their personal residence -- the buildings in Weber yard, which
had already been vacated by the Sisters of Charity.
As you may well imagine, the parish of RA had,
come into its own. The church was over-flowing with parishioners. Remarkably, the school was educating
at least 1200 students. Furthermore, both Communities of Sisters (the Sisters of Charity and the
Trinitarians), as well as the Marist Brothers, and the parish priests, were happily, and gratefully,
"sheltered" in very suitable residences.
The future seemed very, very promising.
R.A. was destined to become one of the BRIGHTEST STARS in the Diocese of Brooklyn. And then came the 60’s
– a period of very significant CHANGES, and … a … RE-BIRTH!!!
