St. Mary of the Assumption and Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta, Staten Island

The New York Province of the Society of Jesus staffs several parishes in New York and New Jersey: St. Francis Xavier and St. Ignatius in Manhattan; St. Aedan’s in Jersey City; St. Michael’s in Buffalo; St. Anthony’s in Oceanside; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-St. Benedicta in Staten Island, and St. Mary of the Assumption in Staten Island. In our ongoing exploration of other Jesuit apostolates, we focus today the parishes of St. Mary of the Assumption and Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta on the north shore of Staten Island. We are happy to share this reflection by Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J. ’76, pastor of the parishes, on the parishes and those they serve. We are grateful to Fr. Hallinan for sharing this reflection on his work. In the weeks ahead, we will conclude our Jesuit apostolate series by highlighting the other parishes staffed by the Society.

St. Mary of the Assumption and Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta: A reflection by Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J.’76

If you want to experience a microcosm of the challenges facing our nation today, you can simply visit the parishes of St. Mary of the Assumption and Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta on the north shore of Staten Island. These two parishes are linked together and have been served by the Jesuits for a number of years. I am a graduate of Xavier High School (’76) and my associate, Fr. Gil Gentile, S.J., was Associate Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church from 1979-1988. Fr. Gil was one of the founders of the Welcome Table at St. Francis Xavier where many Xavier students offer volunteer service.

St. Mary of the Assumption parish was once home to European immigrants. Today it is home to immigrants primarily from Mexico. Many, but not all, are undocumented. These are honest, hard-working people who have established lives in this country despite the daunting odds they have faced. Their lack of legal status leaves them open to exploitation in the work place and they live with the constant fear of deportation. Children from some of our families have benefited from the federal program for immigration relief – DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). This allows certain young persons who were brought into this country without documents to petition the federal government to be given legal status for two years during which time they are eligible to work legally. At the end of two years, they can petition to renew their status. This is not an ideal solution to the problems of these young people, but it has given many of them a chance to work legally and to build the foundation for a future in this country.

In this very short synopsis of St. Mary’s, I hope you can glimpse why I say that this parish, and its sister parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta, are microcosms of the challenges our society faces today. How do we as a nation confront a future in which native-born whites are no longer the majority population? Can we continue to allow a sub-class of persons to exist in our country without legal status even though these persons have become integrated into our economy and into our communities? How long can we deny full legal status to young people from immigrant families who have no real memory or experience of their country of origin and have now been assimilated into the culture of our country? How do we help the young people who are citizens of this country but whose parents may not have legal status? They often live in poverty, face difficult challenges in school, and are uncertain as to what they can legitimately aspire to in our society. How can our society provide the social supports necessary to help persons who work in jobs that do not provide a sufficient income to meet their basic needs – housing, health care, child care, job training, financial literacy?

Xavier is preparing its students for this world. In the call to live the faith that does justice, Xavier invites its students to reflect critically on the social realities of our society and to see where those realities must be changed to bring them into conformity with what God wills for the human family. Come to the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s (2230 Richmond Terrace (Port Richmond)) some Sunday and meet your brothers and sisters. See the people whose anonymous labor has become essential to the functioning of our City. Open yourself to experience the beauty and the struggle of their lives.

For more information about the parishes, please visit: olmcstmary.org.

This is part of a series on Jesuits Apostolates: The Other Works of the Society of Jesus. For other Apostolates in the series, click the following links:
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Cristo Rey New York
Canisius and McQuaid
St. Peter's Prep and Loyola
Fordham Prep and Regis
The Jesuit Collaborative
Loyola House of Retreats
Manresa and Inisfada Retreat Houses
America Magazine
Centro Altagracia de Fe y Justicia
St. Peter's University
Fordham University
Le Moyne College