How Our Lady of the Magnificat looked prior to 1940 (Photo Jimmy Engle collection)
Our Lady of the Magnificat Roman Catholic Church celebrated its 100th anniversary with special events the weekend of Aug. 13. A reception with raffles was held on the church lawn on Saturday with wine, cheese, and light bites and raffles; and a celebratory mass was offered on Sunday. The church’s annual blessing of the waters was conducted at the beach on Monday.
The church recently completed renovation projects at the rectory, including replacement of its original 100-year-old windows and repair to many damaged exterior shingles, all thanks to a generous donation from a parishioner.
“Founded in 1920 as a mission of Saint Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore, Catholics from the mainland quickly began to build their bungalows around the little church and form a community of faith that would endure beyond a century,” Father Eric Fasano wrote in the Ocean Beach Centennial Journal last summer.
He also included some interesting factoids: The church was designed by Architect Raphael Hume and built by John Orr. Its steeple tower would be added later in 1940. And perhaps most notably, it used to face west on Ocean Road. At some point it was decided to turn the church so it would face north as it stands on Midway to this day – but the clover-leaf walkway on the grounds still hints to a time when she faced in her westward direction.
“The fact that the church is 100 years old, it’s pretty remarkable. It’s the same age as Ocean Beach,” said Judith Russell, a parishioner at the church for the past 27 years, said.
[Our Lady of the Magnificat] was founded in 1920 as a mission of Saint Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was never an opportunity to celebrate, according to Russell.
“The next thing you know, we have really a great groundswell of support and help and it all came together. We brought a lot of people to celebrate during the mass on Saturday evening and then the reception on the lawn of the church afterward,” Russell said.
Photo by Robert Sherman
Our Lady of the Magnificat holds a special place in the hearts of parishioners who have worshiped there, exchanged marriage vows, christened their children, and mourned for their departed. Its presence is also a source of meditation and comfort for Fire Islanders at large who have taken in the building’s quiet beauty, enjoyed the music of the church bells bringing peace to the day, and of course there is the occasional osprey who feasts on freshly caught fish while perched on the steeple’s cross.
May the Magnificat hold steady on Fire Island for another hundred years.
Reporter Lucie Lagodich also contributed to this article.
