By Christine Persichette
Along Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, Queens amid the noise of traffic and trains stands St. Sebastian Parish, a former movie theater that now draws people in through faith.
For parishioner Nicky Torres, it is a sanctuary, a place to step away from the world.
Whether in the pews or up in the choir loft, Torres has found a spiritual home at St. Sebastian Church.
“It’s an outlet,” he tells Currents News. “I remove myself from all the worldly things and just concentrate on singing and praising.”
Torres never sang before joining the choir, one of the first ministries he and his wife became involved in after finding St. Sebastian’s.
“I was addicted,” he explains, “singing, and like Augustine said, when you’re singing, you’re praying twice. It’s not just singing those notes. You’re singing the words, and the words actually help me be in a prayerful mood.”
Beyond the choir, Torres serves in multiple roles throughout the parish: from Eucharistic minister to supporting catechists and children’s programs.
“Getting closer to God through participation or sharing time with other people… It gives me that fulfillment of being a soldier of the faith,” he explains.
Father Patrick West, pastor of St. Sebastian Church, says Torres is someone you can always count on.
“What makes Nicky so great,” he reflects, “well it depends on which hat he wants to wear today.” He describes Torres as someone “faith-filled, loyal,” who will “really love the parish and do anything to help build up the parish.”
“This is home for me, this is home for us,” Torres says of the parish in regards to himself and his wife.
His goal is simple: “I’m trying to improve myself… praying twice and praying twice better is the goal here.”
St. Sebastian Church was established in 1894. Early Masses were held in a firehouse before a small wooden church was built. The current building, which became St. Sebastian Church in 1955, was originally a movie theater.
It features a long sloped floor and no pillars, giving worshippers an unobstructed view of the altar. The parish has evolved with the neighborhood.
Once home to a largely Irish Catholic population, it now serves a diverse community, including many Hispanic and Filipino parishioners who bring rich devotions, novenas, and veneration of saints.
St. Sebastian Parish recently received a decree from Bishop Robert Brennan officially merging with Corpus Christi Parish. The merger is expected to strengthen the community and help grow Catholicism in Woodside.
Nicky Torres continues to be a visible presence in nearly every scene of parish life — a true soldier of faith and the heartbeat of St. Sebastian Church.