By Katie Vasquez
Green gates surround St. Edmund Church in Breezy Point, after flames tore through the Queens church the day before Easter Sunday.
Its pastor, Father Michael Gelfant, was preparing his homily for the evening when he heard fire trucks.
“I got in my car, raced down here, and, you know, no sooner that you get a few blocks away, you just see the smoke going across the street. and it was pretty bad at that point,” he said.
Longtime parishioner Joseph Izzo lives across the street from the church and says the loss was heartbreaking.
“Everybody was looking forward to the Saturday evening and the Sunday Mass, of course, to follow. So it was a very, very sad day and obviously, one that touched the heart of the community deeply,” Izzo said.
The parish has been hard at work to rebuild. New beams and a roof were put on to protect it from the elements, but there’s still a lot of work ahead on the inside.
“They’ve never seen a church construction project go as fast as we are moving, because I’m a very impatient person and so we are going so fast,” said Father Gelfant. “You see the outside come together and you say, ‘great, the building has been fixed.’ There is nothing left to the inside of the building, to the school. There’s nothing: electric wires, switches, outlets, heating, air conditioning, light fixtures, flooring, walls.”
The project is partially covered by insurance but it comes with a high price tag.
“The total loss we have is about $3.3 million. We’ve already spent almost a million,” said Father Gelfant.
Izzo is looking forward to returning to the pews as it’s left a deep hole for parishioners.
“The church is the heart of the community, the place where we gather. So it’s tough.”
While it won’t be exactly the same, the church is trying to maintain the same character it’s had for nearly a century.
“It’s going to look like a beach church,” said Father Gelfant. “There will be elements and a few changes to the interior that I think will enhance our worship. But other than that, it’s pretty much going to be the same footprint.”
Starting Monday, crews will be working a full week to get the church back to its glory.
Those who would like to help can head to the Blessed Trinity Parish website and navigate to the icon that says, “Donate to Rebuild St. Edmund Church.”