The Good Shepherd

Dear Editor:

I write in praise of The Good Shepherd of the Catholic community in Garden City, Father Joe Schlafer. In good times and in bad, he is on the bridge of the ship, guiding it through stormy seas or mild passages. The Parente wakes and funerals this past week were but the most recent examples of his courage and compassion, his pastoral skill and his deep love for the sheep entrusted to his spiritual care. He was in the middle of it all... two devastated and confused families... a grieving and confused community, including many children... the heartbroken Loyola College contingent... the crushed and saddened 11 year old, and 19 year old, classmates... the press... hrough it all, he stood tall and tended to them all with grace and skill.

On 9/11/01, I came home from work in Melville, after spending the day with anxious colleagues, monitoring, calling, praying. I needed to be alone and in a special place for a while. I walked over to St. Joe's around 6:45 p.m. I expected a few others might be there, too, praying for the deceased, praying that others would be recovered alive. I got to the church at 6:55 p.m., and got the last available seat. At 7:00 p.m., Fr. Joe came on the altar with two brother priests, celebrated Mass, and addressed head on the pain, the shock, the anger, the fears, the unanswered questions of his flock. In the days and weeks that followed, he led families through innumerable funerals and prayer services. A few weeks later, I asked him if that 7:00 pm Mass on 9/11 had been announced on a website, TV or radio, or perhaps a phone chain. "No", he said, "You all knew we'd be here, and we knew you all would be here, too". Shame on me. I should have known he'd be there, because that is who he is, and what he is. The same goes for his wonderful assistant, Fr. Brian Ingram, and the resident priests from the chancery, one of whom I have known since I was a teenager.

A while after 9/11, he was there again for the Farrell family, when their young son, a fine young man in his 30s, was taken so quickly from his family and new wife. When Marine Corps 1st Lieutenant Michael Li Calzi was killed in Iraq, he was there again for a grieving family, including a little boy whose big brother, his hero in life, was gone. Few knew, when Father Joe buried Lieutenant Li Calzi, that he had to be thinking of, and praying for, his own brother, a career Marine Corps officer who has spent his entire adult life in harm's way.

The St. Joseph Catholic Community does innumerable good works in the community, in the school, in and through the church. It is the magnificent and steady leadership of Father Joe that makes all of this possible, and makes St. Joe's the blessed and successful church community it clearly is.

After such a sad week, I am glad that he will be able to preside over these next few weeks at the First Holy Communions of so many beautiful little children in the community.

Ad multos annos, Father Joe.

Bill Brown

A New Slate

To the Editor:

In 1905, George Santayana, in his "life of reason", expressed one of his famous truisms, which, in most places, resonates even today. "those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them." I wonder how this might apply to our new village trustee group as they deal with the interminable muddle of St. Paul's.

We have many years of history, and countless mistakes, so i guess the situation qualifies. Many prior trustees, driven by personal hubris, have tried to lead the taxpayers to their right solution, but a great many did not appreciate being led, and their plans were not workable anyway. For the first dozen years or so, it was not felt necessary to ask the taxpayers what their favored solution was, even though they owned the property. When taxpayer polls were finally taken, the history involved inescapably brought people to the demolition solution. Unfortunately, the interim cost of maintenance, legal fees, and the much larger new estimates of demolition added many millions of tax obligations without any corresponding benefits.

So here we are! Has anybody learned anything? One of our new trustees took great pains to announce that he is a "preservationist", not generally, but with regard to St. Paul's. George Bernard Shaw would nod knowingly, having observed that "the more things change, the more they remain the same," but George Santayana must be turning over in his grave.

Frank Kiernan

Wonderful Concert

To the Editor:

Of the many wonderful things we can be proud of in Garden City, the Music Department of our school district is high on the list. On Thursday evening, April 30th, the high school presented their Spring Concert I, "Green and Gallant Spring." A truly entertaining mix of Women's Chorus, Chamber Choir, Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble. We have a very talented, dedicated group of music teachers guiding the students in Garden City.

Special thanks go to Mr. McCrann, Director of Bands, and Mr. Ludwig, Director of Vocal Music and Music Theory, for their efforts in Thursday's concert. To watch them conduct with such dedication to perfection is inspiring.

The finale was a presentation of "Praise Jerusalem!" All performers, Music Department faculty, some Middle School students, and at least one parent joined in the grand closing. The performance was excellent and powerful. At the conclusion, all were rewarded with a sustained, standing ovation from a grateful audience.

Congratulations to the students. You are a credit to Garden City. What you have accomplished in our school district deserves the highest praise. I look forward to the remaining concerts this Spring. They are always a treat.

Bill Johnston