By Katie Vasquez
The corner of 14th Avenue and 143rd Street overlooks Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone, a place long tied to the legacy of Rev. Marcello Latona.
Since 2009, the intersection has also been known as Reverend Marcello Latona Street, honoring the pastor who led the parish from 1990 to 2005 before his death in 2008. Community members said the designation reflects his lasting impact.
“As a man of the community, they decided that he earned it,” one resident said.
Barbara Eivers, who served as a parish secretary alongside Latona for 12 years, said he was deeply committed to his parishioners.
“He was just a man of the people. If a parishioner wanted to see him privately, he always had time for me,” Eivers said. “And if there was a problem in the town and they needed people, he was there.”
For former Holy Trinity pastor Father Joseph Gibino, Latona’s legacy set a high bar.
“Beloved does not do enough justice to what he was at Holy Trinity,” Gibino said. “He was a legend in the parish and still is.”
After Latona’s death, parishioner Joseph Governale helped make the street co-naming a reality.
“He was a great guy. He wasn’t self-centered,” Governale said. “He wanted what was good for this parish and for this community.”
Now, New York City has made it easier to explore the stories behind such honors. The Department of Records and Information Services has upgraded its interactive online map, allowing users to access biographical information for nearly 2,500 co-named streets, parks and public spaces across the five boroughs.
Latona’s legacy has remained strong in Whitestone, and parishioners say the new tool will help others learn about his contributions.
“Maybe more people will know where it is now,” Eivers said. “But it’s where it should be.”
Governale added that the recognition can strengthen ties within the community.
“It can help the people in the area get closer to the church,” he said.
Gibino said the expanded access to these stories reflects a broader opportunity for connection.
“All of these priests who have touched the minds and hearts of the faithful now are touching people anywhere in the world,” he said. “Isn’t it extraordinary how evangelization can take place in many different ways, including the memory of those who were such beloved evangelizers for the church?”
In Whitestone, the memory of Rev. Marcello Latona continues to endure — now with the potential to reach far beyond the neighborhood he served.