By Katie Vasquez
At St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy, attending Mass is a regular part of the curriculum.
But once a month on Fridays, the Queens middle school students receive a special opportunity: a one-on-one lesson with their pastor, Father Gregory McIlhenney.
“I want to make sure that the kids see me, that they don’t only see me on Sundays,” Father McIlhenney said.
“This is important because we are planting seeds… we don’t know if they’re going to fall on rocky soil, thorny soil, or rich soil.”
The conversations began after the Diocese of Brooklyn Schools Office encouraged pastors to become more involved. For the school, the sessions fulfill a promise to families to strengthen Catholic identity.
Principal Deborah Hanna noted, “It’s great for mentoring our Catholic identity. I think it’s something that the kids cherish after he leaves and hopefully will build their relationship with God stronger.”
Each week, students submit questions in writing or by email.
Eighth-grader Marisa Beechel appreciates the format: “You can’t always ask these kind of out-of-the-blue questions during Mass. It’s always nice to kind of have a one-on-one situation.”
The timing aligns with the eighth graders’ preparation for Confirmation.
“I think it really helps us connect with our church and help us be more involved, especially now that we’re making Confirmation,” student Antonella Ronquillo told Currents News.
Student Jhon Quintero added that Father McIlhenney shows how Gospel teachings apply daily: “When we learn about the virtues, the cardinal and the theological ones, he explained to us in church and he explained it to us after and how we could use [them] in our lives to follow Christ.”
Father McIlhenney hopes the sessions foster deeper relationships with God and perhaps spark vocations or evangelization.
“We need vocations to holy families,” he said. “And that’s why I pray every single Mass for holy families, because if it wasn’t for what my parents taught me and how they led me in the way of the faith, I would have never had that introduction to Christ.”
Through these monthly gatherings, St. Andrew Avellino is mentoring the next generation of Catholics in Flushing.