By Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Aug. 5 is the ninth anniversary of the main church building at Our Lady of the Snows in Floral Park.
The parish of Our Lady of the Snows came into being in 1948, but did not have a main building in which to worship. Instead, they used their church auditorium for many years. Msgr. Raymond Chappetto, who is now Auxiliary Bishop, had a dream and made it a reality, with the help of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.
Our Lady of the Snows has a large sanctuary space, a preservation of the crucifix, and a Blessed Mother statue from the former church. The location benefitted from the acquisition of stained-glass windows from the chapel of our Lady of the Skies at John F. Kennedy Airport.
The parish today is led by the Rev. Kevin McBrien, who in the last few years has helped the parish flourish with renewed spirituality. The parish has done a lot for those in need, including the blood drive they ran, which brought in 46 pints of blood last weekend.
In my opinion, the “good of the many” has been the goal of Our Lady of the Snows for many years. We have attracted many different nationalities, races and cultures to the parish. Our Lady of the Snows caters to those who need that closeness to our higher power.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
