Bethpage-Tribune_1974-10-31

              BETHP/iGE
OLD BETHPAGE also s^ing ISLAND TREES
PLAINVIEW ^ PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
Father Simmons
Gets Parish
The Most Reverend Walter P.
Kellenberg, D.D., Bishop of
Rockyille Centre has announced
that he appointed Rev. Walter E.
Simmons, currently assistant
priest at St. Martin of Tours
Church, Bethpage as pastor of St.
Anne's Shrine Church, Brent­wood
effective oh November 6th.
Father Simmons is the first
member of his ordination class to
be appointed pastor on Long
Island, and is believed to be one
of the youngest pastors in the
Diocese of Rockvile Centre at
present. He is also the first curate
in the history of St. Martin's to be
transferred directly from the
Bethpage parish into a pastorate.
He succeeds Rev. Michael J.
O'Farrell who assumes
pastorship of St. Lawrence in
Sayville,
Father Simmons has expressed
thanks to Almighty God,
gratitude to Bishop Kellenberg
and his advisors and joy at the
honor accorded and confidence
shown in him. He also expressed
his appreciation for the cordiality
of Rev. Thomas D. Helfrick,
pastor of St. Martin's the the
other priests there, Rev. Eugene
J. McManus and Rev. John
Chaw, the Sisters of Mercy, the
personnel at Mid-Island Hospital,
Bethpage the parishioners with
whom he worked the closest, and
all the people of St. Martin's and
the Bethpage community.
While in Bethpage Father
Simmons along with the other
priests brought the Sacraments
into Mid-Island Hospital; he was
moderator of the 50th an­niversary
celebrations in 1973, of
the Holy Name and Ushers
Societies, of the St. Vincent
dePaul Conference, the adult
choir, scouts, Bingo Games and
has been 8th grade coordinator of
C.C.D. He has been preparing to
participate in the revised pre-
Cana home program and to
become moderator of the senior
citizens of the parish.
Father Simmons brings with
him to Brentwood experience of
his early training and of
assignments in six parishes
previously. Born on July 15,1929,
son of the late Harvey E. and
Rose V. (nee. McMahon) Sim­mons
in Jamaica, N.Y. He was
educated by the Sisters of St,
Joseph in Holy Child of Jesus
School, Richmond Hill, Queens;
attended Chaminade High
School, Minepla and Cathedral
High School, Brooklyn, Cathedral
College and took his major'
seminary training at the Im­maculate
Conception Seminary
in Huntington, L.I. He was or­dained
on June 4,1955 by the Late
Archbishop Thomas E. Molly,
S.T.D., Bishop of Brooklyn at St.
James pre-Cathedral, Brooklyn.
His first assignment as an
Thursday, October 0 , 1074
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assistant priest was to St. An­thony
of Padua Church in East
Northport; in January of 1958 he
was transferred to Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary, Southamp­ton;
in June of 1959 Bishop
Kellenberg sent Father to St.
Christopher's in Baldwin where
he remained until June of 1963.
Next came St. James Church in
Setauket until October of 1967
when he joined the staff of St.
Patrick's in Smithtown. In June
of 1972 he came to St. Martin's.
The Setauket assignment in­cluded
a period of 10 months
when Father Simmons was
named temporary administrator
and single handedly ran the
parish and supervised the con­struction
of its new Church
auditorium during the illness of
the pastor there.
Next to the administration of
the Sacraments Father's prime
interest has consistently been the
Religious instructions of Catholic
children who do not attend
parochial schools. This is done
through the Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine Programs.
Father has acted as chaplin to
Catholic patients at Southampton
Hospital, to South Nassau
Communities Hospital in
Oceanside during the Baldwin
assignment, to Smithtown
General Hospital and now
recently Mid-Island Hospital. On
wider levels he is a former
member of the Diocesan Priests;
Advisory Council (Priests
Senate), is a community advisor
to Mid-Island Hospital, and a
member of Catholic Charities
Priests Advisory Committee. His
predecessor at St. Anne's
Brentwood describes that parish
in one word: enormous. With 800
children receiving Confirmation
each year, with well over 5,000
children taking Religious in­structions,
with Bingo Games
needed three times weekly and
with a debt of about $200,000,
enormous is surely the word.
Father Simmons expects to be
officially installed during a con-celebrated
Mass at a date to be
announced soon after
Thanksgiving, but early in
December on or near Sunday,
December 8th. As soon as this
date has been confirmed it will be
publicized so that friends so in­clined
to do so will attend the
Mass of installation and the
parish reception which will
follow. Father asks the prayers in
this vast new undertaking.
As we go to press, no one has as
yet been assigned to succeed him
in St. Martin's, Bethpage. He
asks that when a priest does
come to take his place that the
parishioners receive him as
revently and as courtesously as
they had him over the past two
and a half years.
Twelve Bethpagers
Mark 25th With Grumman
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
LEONARD DUSCHENCHUK of
255 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage,
who recently celebrated 25 years
with Grumman.
ARTHUR A. FRUAUFF of 1
Leroy Avenue, Bethpage, .who
this year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
WILLIAM SCHOPPEMEYER of
10 Devon Road, Bethpage, who
this year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
LOUIS A. MAZZOCCHI of 16
Balfour Drive, Bethpage, who
this year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
HERMAN F. SCHENCK of 38
Balfour Drive, Bethpage, who
this year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
LOUIS M. YANELLI of 20
Columbia Street, Bethpage, N.Y.
who this year is marking 25 years
of service with Grumman.
ANTHONY J. CRAMMER of 7
Berryhili Lane, Bethpage, who
this year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
JOHN PALLMAN of 6M Stewart
Avenue, Bethpage, who this year
is marking 25 years of service
with Grumman.
WILLIAM F. RAESIDE of 11
Lowell Street, Bethpage, who this
year is marking 25 years of
service with Grumman.
(Continued on Page 91