[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ST. BARNABAS PARISH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2016

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, as we in the Bronx and Westchester celebrate 
the installation of the seventh Pastor of the St. Barnabas Parish, I 
want to take a moment to celebrate both the Parish's rich history and 
the wonderful people who make up its congregation.
  Established in 1910, the parish was placed under the patronage of St. 
Barnabas with the Reverend Michael Reilly as the first Pastor. The 
Parish included what is known as the Woodlawn section of the Bronx and 
McLean Heights/Yonkers entity, the Church and Rectory were erected on 
the actual line separating the two cities.
  Monsignor George McWeeney was appointed the second Pastor and served 
until 1965. Under his leadership, a new High School building and Chapel 
were erected. The third Pastor was Monsignor John J. Considine who 
served until his retirement in 1986. His twenty-one years as Pastor saw 
a phenomenal growth in the Parish. The fourth Pastor was Monsignor 
Timothy S. Collins who served until 1994 when he was appointed Pastor 
of Our Lady of the Rosary (The Mother Seton Shrine). During his eight 
years tenure, Monsignor supervised the remodeling of the Rectory, 
Parish Center and High School Chapel.
  The fifth Pastor Monsignor Francis X. Toner was appointed in 1994 
until his death in 2003. Msgr. Toner re-organized the parish's services 
to accommodate the changing demographics of the parish. Monsignor 
Edward M. Barry, the sixth Pastor, was appointed in 2004. On the 
occasion of the parish's 100th anniversary Msgr. Barry conducted a fund 
raiser for the complete renovation of the church, as well as installing 
an elevator.
  And just this year, the St. Barnabas community has warmly welcomed 
Father Brendan A. Fitzgerald, who served as Pastor of Regina Coeli 
Parish, Hyde Park, 2012-2016. A native of Ireland, Fr. Fitzgerald has 
already had a very distinguished career and will no doubt bring great 
wisdom to the parish. I want to congratulate him on his installation, 
and congratulate the entire St. Barnabas community.

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