Father Lawrence T. Duncklee

Fr. Lawrence Duncklee, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Inwood, N.Y., had prepared a statement for the parish staff in anticipation of the letter.He said he had observed "a great disrespect for the Eucharist" in some parts of the diocese.

"What I've taught for the 28 years I've been a priest is that the Mass is the celebration of the community," he said.

Father Lawrence Duncklee, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Inwood, N.Y., had prepared a statement for the parish staff in anticipation of the letter.He said he had observed "a great disrespect for the Eucharist" in some parts of the diocese.

"What I've taught for the 28 years I've been a priest is that the Mass is the celebration of the community," he said.

Rev. Lawrence T. DunckleePastor

New Pastor: Father Lawrence T. Duncklee

Father Lawrence Duncklee (seated at table at right), pastor of St. Luke's, Church, Brentwood, talks at an Oct. 30 meeting of the board of directors of Pronto.
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Speaking with Father Duncklee are (from left): Frank Senisi, parishioner of St. Luke's, and vice chair of the board; Nilda Alvarez, Pronto's director; Kathy Bennett, a St. Anne's parishioner ; and (seated behind Father Duncklee), F.J. McCarthy, a member of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities. (TLIC photo by Pete Sheehan)
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Speaking with Father Duncklee are (from left): Frank Senisi, parishioner of St. Luke's, and vice chair of the board; Nilda Alvarez, Pronto's director; Kathy Bennett, a St. Anne's parishioner ; and (seated behind Father Duncklee), F.J. McCarthy, a member of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities. (TLIC photo by Pete Sheehan)
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"It's a natural fit," Father Lawrence Duncklee, pastor of St. Luke's, said of the combined effort.
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"We already had a relationship with Pronto," added Father Duncklee, where the parish supported Pronto and referred some people to Pronto."So our outreach saw fewer than 1,000 people last year."St. Luke's and St. Anne's had for several years been planning to merge their outreach offices, Father Duncklee said."We were serving a lot of the same people.Social services would refer people to both our outreach offices and some people would come to both."We were looking to buy a building to house a common parish outreach," Father Duncklee continued.In fact, St. Luke's had set aside $125,000 for it."We were trying to find the right building," one big enough to serve the needs and equally accessible from both parishes."We couldn't find one."
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The new facility will present opportunities to better serve the people, Father Duncklee said."We have a social worker who comes in to work with the people.We have only one room to work with.We will have more space for that in the new facility and perhaps bring in interns to assist."Father St. Pierre suggested that more volunteers from beyond the Brentwood community, including psychotherapists and people experienced in working with social service agencies and filling out forms, will be drawn to the new, multifaceted efforts.

In addition to the appointments of Bishop-elect Paul Walsh, pastor of St. Patrick's, Smithtown, to pastor of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Roosevelt, and Father Robert Morrissey to the post of bishop's secretary (both announced in last week's issue of TLIC), Bishop Murphy has appointed Father Lawrence Duncklee, pastor of St. Luke's, Brentwood, to be pastor of Our Lady of Grace, West Babylon; Father James Kissane associate pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, East Northport, to pastor of St. John of God, Central Islip; Father Brian McNamara, temporary administrator of SS.
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Father Duncklee was born in Far Rockaway and grew up on Long Island, studying for the priesthood at Cathedral College, Douglaston, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington.He was ordained a priest in 1980 and served as associate pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church, Valley Stream (1980-83); St. Mark's, Shoreham (1983-88); and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Centereach (1993-97).He was chaplain at St. Charles Hospital, Port Jefferson, from 1983-88 and associate director of chaplaincy services for the diocese from 1989-97.He has been pastor of St. Luke's since January, 1997.
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Father Lawrence Duncklee