Faith on the Island: Our Lady of the Isle

This is the second in a series about religious institutions on Shelter Island.

Since 1907, Our Lady of the Isle Roman Catholic Church has functioned as a spiritual family center that prides itself on its commitment to lending a helping hand, not only to members of the congregation, but to the Shelter Island community at large.

The history of Catholicism on Shelter Island dates back to the early 19th century. Though a large number of Catholics lived on the Island at the time, they had no local priest or church to minister to them. Those who wished to practice their faith had to migrate to St. Agnes in Greenport every Sunday, a trip that, in those pre-ferry times, was exhausting and often dangerous, especially in the dead of winter.

In 1902, Reverend Peter Quealy, then the pastor of St. Agnes, saw the need for an Island church and bought the land on which Our Lady of the Isle now stands. Lacking the resources to build a church, local Catholics reached out to the Island’s wealthy summer residents for financial backing, and were fortunately obliged.

Interestingly, most of these obliging summer residents weren’t Catholic. The construction of a Catholic church was in their interest because they needed hired help to run their houses, and many qualified Catholic job applicants refused to accept positions unless they were able to attend mass on Sundays. The church was finally built in 1907.

SERVING THE WHOLE ISLAND
Today, Our Lady of the Isle officially serves 283 households, not including second homeowners and visitors.

According to Father Peter DeSanctis, the congregation has a mixed demographic, with a relatively equal proportion of elderly and young people regularly attending Mass on Sundays. He emphasized that it’s a very family-centered space — a statement evidenced by the fact that his sermons are regularly punctuated by the fussing cries of infants.

Our Lady of the Isle self-designates as a “parish” instead of a “church” because it aims to serve not only its congregation, but the entire Shelter Island community through projects like Outreach Apostolate, which has donated $22,426 in food, medical, utility and other miscellaneous expenses in the past year alone.

“Our Lord in the Tabernacle isn’t just interested in practicing Catholics. He’s interested in everybody,” Father DeSanctis. “Lapsed Catholics. Practicing Catholics. Non-Catholics. Everybody. It would not fulfill the Lord’s mandate if the church just contented herself with those who show up.”

Among the church’s seemingly innumerable community initiatives, there is a basketball group, a Little League and a Religious Education program — a kind of Sunday School — for young children. The church collects donations for the Shelter Island Food Pantry and Cub Scouts program. It also partners with St. Mary’s Episcopal and Shelter Island Presbyterian churches to organize and run the Vacation Bible School, an ecumenical children’s religious program in late July.

QUIETLY, DISCREETLY
Father DeSanctis, Our Lady of the Isle’s pastor, has lived a life of service — to the church, to the Island and to our country. He grew up on Shelter Island and attended Shelter Island schools. His family was involved in Our Lady of the Isle throughout his childhood. Though he’s only served as the pastor for the past 10 years, he’s been involved in the church’s community for four decades.

“I’m now marrying those I baptized,” he said.

A U.S. Army veteran, a Fire Department volunteer, a member of the Lions Club and the American Legion, Father DeSanctis has done his fair share of good deeds.

“Father Peter never says ‘no’ to someone who needs something,” said Katie Springer, the parish’s Senior Cantor. “If there’s a family or couple who are married and they have a need for their child and haven’t been to church in decades, Father Peter will go to their house and make sure that they feel comfortable.”

Ms. Springer, who has a husband and four children who are also active in the church, said she most enjoys the community involvement aspect of Our Lady of the Isle. “It’s easy to be a Catholic here,” she said. “Everybody is so supportive.”

Father DeSanctis said that the best qualities of people on the Island are gratitude, self-reliance and tendency toward understatement “Shelter Islanders want to ‘take care of the matter’,” he said.”Islanders do not like drama. They prefer to quietly and discreetly — God willing — solve things.”

BECOMING HUMAN
Since the election of Pope Francis in 2013, it’s widely acknowledged that Catholicism has taken a more progressive turn. Though still anti-abortion, holding firm to an all-male priesthood and an advocate of pre-marital celibacy, the Pope has expressed tolerance toward homosexuality and come out in support of efforts to combat climate change.

When asked about the challenges that come along with practicing a socially conservative denomination of Christianity, Father DeSanctis said, “In those types of delicate matters, I personally prefer to work one-to-one.”

He went on to express admiration for Pope Francis, adding, “Part of the job of the Church is to make people realize that our Lord is especially interested in those who feel themselves to be on the outs. Or suppose someone is involved in a given lifestyle so they decide that they are not welcome, but it’s the opposite. They are welcome.”

Asked why he thinks people go to church, Father DeSanctis thought for a moment, before saying,“People go to church to become a human being. Our Lord in the Tabernacle was and is the human being.”