Priest will be ‘a familiar face’ to faithful

Father Francis Colamaria is looking at the long term.
The 33-year-old, who was appointed administrator at Holy Child Jesus R.C. Church in Richmond Hill on June 30, told The Courier, “I’m going to be here for a while.”
Noting that the church had been in flux recently — “the parish has had a number of priests and administrators in the past few years,”he said — Colamaria explained that it’s important for parishioners to have more “consistency.”
“Priests share your joys and sorrows,” he said. “I want to be a familiar face to the people.”
With at least 1,000 registered families in the congregation — and nearly 500 children in the school — Colamaria said that the parish’s multi-ethnic congregation, including Spanish, Filipino, Indian, Irish, Italian and German, among others, “speaks the same language of faith.”
Before joining Holy Child Jesus, where Colamaria sees to the spiritual needs of the people when pastor Bishop Octavio Cisneros is “busy with the national and international affairs of the church,”he served six years at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ozone Park.
“It was six wonderful years in the priesthood,” Colamaria said. “The people of Ozone Park are great.”
Simultaneously, he served as chaplain at Xaverian High School before moving on to St. Ephrem in Brooklyn, where he was born and raised.
He explained that he began considering priesthood as early as high school.
“I was set to go on to [obtain] a medical degree,” Colamaria said, noting that his family, although not overly religious, attended Mass every Sunday. “Something else came along — Igot the call to dedicate my life to God and the Church.”
Ordained at 26, he studied for the priesthood for nine years, earning two Master’s degrees.
Now, at Holy Child Jesus, where he can potentially move up to pastor, Colamaria said that “the people have welcomed me with open arms.”
In the coming years, he hopes to celebrate the parish’s 100th anniversary and looks to strengthen the bond between the church and the school.
“I’m looking forward to serving for a long time,” he told The Courier.
Masses at Holy Child Jesus R.C. Church are celebrated Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. (the latter in Spanish), noon and 5 p.m.
To learn more about the church, email hcjchurch@aol.com.