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When Father Schwebius, curate of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Ridgewood, received his assignment on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, September 23, 1953, he suggested to his Excellency Bishop Thomas Molloy that the new parish carry her name. In October, Father Schwebius diligently searched for a place to house his church and serve his flock. He finally found an old barn belonging to the John Pelkowski family located on South Oyster Bay Road and Old Country Road, and asked the family for permission to use it. With permission granted, Father enlisted the help of 60 volunteers who went to work in the stall and loft, cleaning and emptying, reinforcing and rebuilding. With many generations of family accumulation piled up in the old barn, there was much to be removed before anything could begin, -- fourteen truckloads were carried away. On October 18, 1953, between 500 and 600 people attended the first Masses. Three babies received the sacrament of Baptism that day in the converted barn.

It wasn't long before the parishioners discovered that their new church was already too small to care for the fast-growing population of Catholics in the area. Mr. John Froehlich donated five acres for the use of the parish, and a model home at 90 Froehlich Farm Road, adjacent to the donated acreage, became the rectory. The parish boundary extended all the way to the Suffolk County line at this time.

From the beginning, the lay people, the Sisters of Mercy and the Priests were dedicated to the common goal of establishing a parish, and gave selflessly to every phase of parish life. First, they gave their attention to religious education for the children, and volunteers conducted classes in their homes in each neighborhood, a total of 45 First Communion and Prayer classes in all. At the close of the term of instruction, Father Schwebius examined the children, and a three-day retreat was held in the barn-church. God indeed blessed this undertaking because in three consecutive terms, almost 1100 children received their First Holy Communion. The initial ceremony was held on May 12, 1955.

The Sisters of Mercy came to the parish each Saturday morning from Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset to instruct the older children in preparation for Confirmation. As a result of their labors, this holy Sacrament was administered for the first time by the Most Reverend John J. Boardman on May 12, 1955.

The Building Fund Campaign began on April 16, 1954; it asked families to pledge a fair share of funds required to build a permanent church. The spiritual growth in seven months had reached a point where six Masses were offered in the church with the assistance of visiting priests, and two Masses were held in the rectory basement. Even so, many parishioners were unable to gain entrance to the church and had to stand outside under a canopy to hear Mass.

May 11, 1957 was a memorable day in our history when the cornerstone ceremony for our new church took place. The Most Rev. Walter P. Kellenberg, Bishop of the new Rockville Centre Diocese, performed the official dedication on October 12, 1957, celebrating a truly major accomplishment in the short span of four years, -- symbolizing the sacrifices, labors, and the unselfish spirit of the people of Our Lady of Mercy. This spirit continues to this day.

Not content with having classrooms for religious education for the children in the basement of the church, the people clamored for a Catholic school of their own. When the church was paid off, a "burning of the mortgage" dance was held in November 1958. On April 25, 1960, Bishop Kellenberg formally opened our Building Fund Campaign for the construction of our school and convent, and blessed the volunteer campaign workers individually. Construction began in October 1960, and on January 14, 1962 all parishioners were invited to the Open House to see the beautiful convent built through their generosity. Our Lady of Mercy School opened on January 30, 1962.

Through the years, Our Lady of Mercy has continued to grow and expand to meet the needs of her people. We have been blessed with dedicated and gifted pastors from Fr. Schwebius, whose tireless efforts we have just decribed, to Fr. Casey, who in his five short years with us was the bridge that brought us into Vatican II, to Msgr. James E. Boesel, whose wisdom and understanding has been a great source of strength and comfort, and now to Fr. Robert Y. Blyman, whose vision for a parish family is that we will grow spiritually, nourished by the greatest gift God could ever give us, the Eucharist. Let us walk with Jesus, as we continue our journey in faith.

Together as we go forward, -- we thank God for those who came before and pray that we will be as faithful to God's call.