The Diocese of Brooklyn has announced that Deacon Andrew T. Mastrangelo has been appointed as the new Director of the Immaculate Conception Center located in Douglaston, New York. Deacon Andrew Mastrangelo replaces Deacon Stanley Galazin whose retirement took effect on August 31, 2022, after serving 19 years in this role.

“I am grateful to God for guiding me to this new position working with the Diocese of Brooklyn. I appreciate Deacon Stanley’s guidance, confidence, and support during the transition, as I assume responsibility for the operations of this building which is central to the Catholic faith in Brooklyn and Queens. I look forward to advancing the mission of the Immaculate Conception Center while supporting the day-to-day work that happens here,” said Deacon Andrew T. Mastrangelo.

“Knowing this position would allow me to assist the retired priests, who were instrumental in my faith and to many in the Diocese, I knew this was where I wanted to be. I also am ready to assist the seminarians as they discern their vocation and calling,” continued Deacon Mastrangelo.

Andrew Mastrangelo graduated from St. John’s University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and completed the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Diaconate Formation Program in May 2015.

Deacon Andrew is a Permanent Deacon at St. Helen Roman Catholic Church in the Howard Beach section of Queens. Deacon Mastrangelo most recently served as the Business Manager for Most Precious Blood-St. Simon and Jude in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, while working at the Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens Office of Mission ministering to those in need and the homebound during the recent pandemic. He officially took over as the Director of the Immaculate Conception Center on September 6, 2022.

A resident of Howard Beach, Deacon Mastrangelo is married to his wife Linda for 38 years and together, they are the proud parents of three children and they have two grandchildren. He enjoys playing golf in his free time.

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The Most Reverend Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, ordained three men as priests during a Mass of Ordination, on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph located in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn. This was the first ordination Bishop Brennan presided over since being installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn on November 30, 2021.

“I was blessed to ordain three men to the priesthood who will serve in our parishes faithfully for many years to come. We are so proud of them – and grateful to their family and seminary faculty who have helped bring them to the altar,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

The following were ordained and their assignments announced at the conclusion of the Mass:

Father Andrew Tsui – assigned to St. Bartholomew in Elmhurst.

Andrew Tsui will be the first American-born Chinese priest to serve the Diocese of Brooklyn. Tsui credits the Catholic Church for helping to save his family. His great-grandmother faced such extreme poverty that her daughters became indentured servants; his father was orphaned in Hong Kong and helped by priests from the Salesian order. His spirituality increased during his high school and college years. Andrew later spoke with Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio about the need for Chinese-speaking priests and from there, he received a strong calling to serve the Chinese people. Tsui enjoys fishing, hiking, and especially cooking.

Father Alexander Olszewski – assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas in Flatlands.

Alexander Olszewski is a former businessman wanting to help redevelop a passion for the faith among people. Alex was born in Bangkok, Thailand to Richard and Vivian Olszewski of Brooklyn.  His father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War. The family was later transferred to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he became an altar boy at his local church. He credits his attendance at Sunday Mass as a contributing factor in his vocation, as well as the sickness and eventual passing of his parents for accelerating his discernment.

Father Dung (Vincent) Vu – assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes in Queens Village.

Dung (Vincent) Vu is a native of Vietnam who started to feel the calling to the priesthood while attending college in Ho Chi Minh City. At the time, he was serving as an altar server and Catechist at Holy Family Parish and asked the pastor about a vocation to the priesthood. After graduating college, he traveled to the United States to continue his vocational discernment. He was admitted to the House of Formation in Douglaston by former Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and completed his studies at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut, and Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.

The attached photos are courtesy of DeSales Media.

The Most Reverend Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, and the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns led an Interfaith Prayer Service for the victims of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, this afternoon at Immaculate Conception Church, located in the Jamaica Estates section of Queens.

“How right we are to talk about gun violence and racism. How right we are to see the human dignity of each and every one of us, made in the image and likeness of God. We united our voices and let us proclaim The Gospel of Life amidst such violence and hatred,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

The prayer service featured the musical performance of “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” “God Has Smiled on Me,” “The Prayer,” and “We Shall Overcome.”

The names of each of the 31 victims who died in the mass shootings at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, were read in between the ringing of the church bells on the altar.

Michele Guerrier, a membe of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Commission on Racism and Social Justice was among the speakers, as was Detective Mohamed Amen an NYPD Clergy Liaison who represented the Department’s Muslim Chaplain.

Father Alonzo Q. Cox is the Vicar of the Office of Black Catholic Concerns for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.

VIMEO is courtesy of DeSales Media: https://vimeo.com/717372170

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