Observer_1985-06-12; East Rockaway/Lynbrook Observer

              Official
Newspaper
INCORPORATED VILLAGE
East Rockaway
SCHOOL DISTRICT
INCORPORATED VILLAGE
Lynbrook
SCHOOL DISTRICT
"THE GOOD NEIGHBOR NEWSPAPER "
m & u m i m m x a s s
Since 1967 by Allied Subscription
Executive Offices: Seiffert Building, Beach Road. Oceanside, NY 11572
Post Office Box A. East Rocka^lyjyy^^ (516) 764 2500
VOL. 32 NO. 29 19^
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East Rockaway, ny 11518
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Bethany's 100th Birthday Banquet
BETHANVS 100 BIRTHDAY BANQUET. It seemed like
'*old home week" in the E.R. Colonial Room last week,
when Bethany Church celebrated its hundredth Birthday
party. Photographed above are three returned pasters, who
had served the Church, Seated, are Rev. and Mrs. George £.
Hardy from their retirement home in New Jersey, Mrs. and
Rev. John R. McElderry, all the way from Denver, Colo-rado
and, standing, Mrs. and Rev. Richard Leonard from
New York City.
A Floor Show featuring songs, dance and costumes from
the past was presented by talented members of the
Congregation.
Auxiliary Bishop Gerald
J. Ryan, former Pastor of
St. Raymond's Church in
East Rockaway, died sud-denly
June 4 of an apparent
heart attack in his residence
on the grounds of the Gen-eralate
of tlie Sisters of St.
Joseph, Brentwood.
There will be a Concele-brated
Memorial Mass for
our former pastor, Bishop
Gerald J. Ryan (1970-77) on
Saturday, June 15, 1985 at
9:30 A.M. at St. Raymond's
R.C. Church, 263 Atlantiq
Ave., East Rockaway, NY.
The Mass will be concele-brated
by all former asso-ciate
pastors. We welcome
all in our community to
attend.
Bishop Ryan was born in
Brooklyn on August 24,
1923. His parents were the
late Cornelius and Marian
Hanley Ryan. ,
He graduated from Nativ-ity
of the Blessed Virgin
Mary Elementary School,
Ozone Park, and then stu-died
for the priesthood at
Cathedral College, Brook-lyn,
and Immaculate Con-ception
Seminary, Hunt-ington.
He was ordained a priest
of the Diocese of Brooklyn
on June 3, 1950, by the late
Bishop Thomas E. Molloy.
Following his ordination
Father Ryan served as
assistant pastor of Our Lady
of the Miraculous Medal
Church, Wyandanch, for
eight years. During that
period he earned a master's
degree in social work at
Fordham University and
op Gerald Ryan
Americans By Choice
by Carol Monaco
East Rockaway is honor-ing
"Americans by Choice"
as part of the village's fun-draising
drive to help restore
the Statue of Liberty.
In conjunction with rais-ing
$10,000, the East Rock-away
Liberty Centennial
Committee is honoring
throughout the year immi-grants
who came to the Uni-ted
States to become Ameri-can
citizens. "The whole
concept of "Americans by
Choice" is that people came
here looking for freedom
which is what the Statue of
Liberty stands for," said
Emma T o l m a c h , co-chairman
of the village's
Cultural Arts Council,
which is spearheading the
campaign.
East Rockaway resident
Marie Hansen was honored
by the Village on behalf of
the committee on Friday,
June 7^ at East Rockaway's
Senior Citizen Center. She
and her late husband came
to America by ship from
Germany in 1923 when she
was 23 years old. According
to Hansen, the day they
arrived in America was the
luckiest day of their lives.
"When we saw the Statue of
Liberty we knelt down and
prayed-thank God we're
here. It was so beautiful"
Walter Dreifuss, Ph.D,
and Aviva Leberfeld were
the first to be honored as
"Americans by Choice" on
Thursday, May 30, at the
Village's public library,
kicking off the committee's
campaign.
Dr. Dreifuss, who is a
professor at Hofstra Univer-sity
and practices law in New
York City, said he and his
family escaped Nazi perse-cution
in Germany and
arrived at New York harbor
in 1940 when he was 18. See-ing
the Statue of Liberty for
the first time was over-whelming.
"There was an
eager sense of anticipation
coming from persecution.
This statue was the famouis
symbol of freedom. I don't
think that second generation
Americans can really appre-ciate
the Statue of Liberty
they way an immigrant can."
Mrs. Leberfeld was
unable to attend the centen-nial
committee's program,
w h e r e t h e N o r t h e a st
Regional Director of the
Liberty Foundation, Gary
Maffei, explained what
funds were needed.
According to Maffei, the
foundation has raised $155
million and it's goal is $230
million. But Maffei noted
that 40% of the donations
are pledges which will come
(Continued on Page 6)
Bishop Gerald J. Ryan
undertook graduate studies
in sociology at St. John's
University. Jamaica. He was
appointed diocesan director
of the Cana Movement in
1957.
Father Ryan began in
November 1958 what was to
be a long association with
diocesan Catholic Charities.
He served first as director of
the Catholic Youth Organi-zation,
then in 1960 was
appointed director of the
Family Service Division,
and from 1967-1970 served
as executive director of the
entire agency. In 1962, Pope
John XXIII appointed him
a papal chamberlain with
the title "monsignor."
During his service at
C a t h o l i c C h a r i t i e s , he
resided at St. William the
Abbot, Seaford, St. Vincent
de Paul, Elmont, St.
Patrick's Bay Shore, and St.
Thomas the Apostle, West
Hempstead.
In June of 1970 Msgr!
Ryan was appointed pastor
of St. Raymond's Church,
East Rockaway, and shortly
after was named to the
diocesan Board of Consul-tors,
a group of priests who
advised the bishop. In 1971
he was named dean of Our
Lady Star of the Sea Dean-ery,
serving as the bishop's
representative to parishes in
southwestern Nassau, and in
1976 he was appointed to the
priests' personnel board. He
also served as chairman of
the Board of Vistijjors of Pil-grim
State Psychiatric Cen-ter
in Brentwood.
On March 8, 1977, Pope
Paul VI appointed Msgr.
Ryan Titular Bishop of
Munaziana in North Africa
and auxiliary bishop, to the
Most Rev. J o h n R.
McGann, Bishop of the
Catholic Diocese of Rock-v
i l l e Centre. He was
ordained a bishop by Bishop
McGann on May 9, 1977, at
St. Agnes Cathedral, Rock-vile
Centre. The Most Rev.
W a l t e r P. Kellenberg,
retired bishop of Rockville
Centre, and the late Auxil-iary
Bishop Vincent J.
Baldwin took part in the
ceremony, as did the late
Cardinal Terence Cooke of
New York, Archbishop Jean
Jadot who was then apos-tolic
delegate to the U.S.,
and many other visiting
prelates.
Bishop McGann appointed
Bishop Ryan Episcopal
Vicar for Suffolk County
and Vicar for Hispanics.
As auxiliary bishop.
Bishop Ryan saw one of his
important roles as ministry
to the priests of the diocese.
He frequently met with pri-ests
to discuss matters of
personal and ministerial
concern to them. He also
met with Religious both
individually and in groups.
Funeral arrangements
include an 8 p.m. Mass celer
brated by diocesan Bishop
John R. McGann at St.
Anne's Church, Brentwood,
on Thursday, June 6, and
the principal Funeral Mass
to be celebrated, also by
Bishop McGann, at St.
Agnes Cathedral, Rockville
Centre, on Saturday, June 8,
at 10 a.m. John Cardinal
O'Connor, Archbishop of
New York, will preside at
the Funeral Mass.
Bishop Ryan will be bur-ied
at Holy Sepulchre Ceme-tery,
Coram. He leaves no
immediate survivors.
Becker Scholarship Award
The Congressman Frank
J. Becker Scholarship for
1985 was awarded to Mr.
Michael Safir of 38 Durland
Road, Lynbrook, in cerem-onies
on May 30th. The
$2,000 S c h o l a r s h i p is
awarded annually to a Lyn-brook
resident by the Frank
J . Becker E d u c a t i o n al
Foundation, and is based
upon academic and personal
qualifications.
Michael will graduate
f r om L y n b r o o k High
School this month and will
enter Northwest Universi-ty's
six year medial program
in September in preparation
for a career as a surgeon.
The runner-up, Edward
Largo of 52 Hendrickson
Ave., Lynbrook, will gradu-ate
from Chaminade High
School and plans to attend
Holy Cross as a pre-medical
student.
The judges were Mrs.
Joanne Young, Vice Presi-dent
of Fidelity New York,
Mr. Leslie Hecht, CLU of
Guardian Life Insurance
Co., and Mr. Mai McGarry,
Deputy County Clerk of
Nassau County. Mssrs.
Robert Dever and Harry
Buntung comprised the pre-liminary
screening committee.
SCHOLARSHIP. The 1985 Frank J. Becker Scholarship is
presented to the winner, Micheal Safir, by Philip Spina,
Foundation President. From left to right: Robert G. Becker,
Treasurer; Mrs. Safir; Philip Spina, President; Mr. Safir;
Michael Safir; Harry W. Bunting, Secretary.