The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Valley Stream's The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, located on Central Avenue, has been around for nearly six decades, and it's starting a year-long celebration of its 60th anniversary. Although the official celebration won't begin until Oct. 12, a dinner and dance will take place on April 17.
 
"This parish has a real sense of pride in it," said the Rev. Peter Dugandzic, the parish's pastor. "Some parishioners have been here since the mass was held in the garage."
 
When Rev. Andrew McKeon came to Valley Stream to establish a parish, the area where the church stands were just farmland. Church officials say residents helped convert an old farmhouse and two garages into the parish's first church and school, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1950, parishioners assembled for Christmas Eve Mass for the first time.
 
Having attended Church of the Sacred Heart for 53 years, John Urgo remembered the old wooden building. “Father McKeon was an excellent man. I was always taken care of by him. "He was like an old-fashioned Bing Crosby priest."
 
Urgo said that he attended the church school and remembers the strict manner in which the nuns were. He received his first communion and confirmation at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Valley Stream and got married there as well. "The nuns were tough," he said. “I caught my fair share of beatings. However, it was a different experience from public schools. Fights never broke out. It was as if we were a family.”
 
The original parish building could not accommodate the ever-growing number of people as the parish expanded around parts of Valley Stream. As the congregation decided to build a chapel, parishioners raised funds by going door to door. Archbishop Thomas Molloy from the Diocese of Brooklyn dedicated the completed chapel in June 1953. 
 
In the early 1960s, the new Diocese of Rockville Centre — which was formed in 1957 — granted the parish permission to build its first full-sized church, and on Feb. 7, 1963, a new 950-seat church opened its doors.
 
The founder of the church, McKeon, died in 1966. He was buried in Valley Stream. Several months after that, Blessed Sacrament hired Rev. Clement Walsh as its new pastor.
 
The parish peaked in 1970 when there were 4,100 registered families. One of the parish's volunteers at the parish's social outreach program grew up next to The Church of the Blessed Sacrament and remembers when it was built. "There was an open lot there," Gluck recalled. "I watched it build up. That's where I got my roses when I was a girl. As someone who does not drive, I enjoyed being so close to it."
 
Gluck recalled how McKeon was sometimes misunderstood by parishioners. "He was a quiet man, and some didn't feel they could warm up to him," she said. “But I most definitely did. When I worked at Bingo, he used to come down and compliment us on our work. To be appreciated was a great feeling.”
 
There have been six other pastors in the parish since Walsh died in 1987. As of June last year, Dugandzic has joined the parish.


Ellis Carpet Cleaning Valley Stream

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