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Author Archives: Roxanne Torres
Posts: 12 (archived below)
Comments: 2
Reverend John Francis of Woodhaven
If there is anything that unites the diversity in Woodhaven, it’s the Catholic faith. At around eight o’clock in the morning, people of all ages and ethnicities gather in St. Thomas the Apostle church to attend the Sunday Mass. Reverend John Francis is one the pastoral staff that witnesses this gathering.
I had met Rev. Francis a few times in the past when he made visits at home to administer the Eucharist for my grandparents. He’s roughly fifty-years-old and he’s been a part of the local parish for a very long time, long enough to gain a perspective of the neighborhood and the diverse people that makes it up.
During the interview, I will be asking him about his experiences of meeting families who just moved in the neighborhood, senior citizens—like my grandparents—who have been living there all their lives, and of course, the young students in the local Catholic school of the same name. What led him to devote his life to priesthood? I’m also curious about his knowledge of the history of Woodhaven and how he perceives the changes within the community. I’ll also be asking how the St. Thomas Parish helps unite the diverse Woodhaven community and how they accommodate the increasing number of Latin American ethnic groups in the neighborhood. This raises questions of how the church is dealing with budget issues within the parish, as well as within the school.
Additional sources that I will be interviewing are the head pastor of St. Thomas church, Rev. Frank Tumino, the school principal, Joseph Carpenter, and the altar children. I will be asking them about their personal experiences with Rev. Francis during the many years he had served the parish.
Posted in Story Queries
Tagged Roxanne Torres, Woodhaven
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Woodhaven
The neighborhood I am choosing to focus on is Woodhaven, Queens. The estimated population of the neighborhood is roughly 29,000. This population mainly consists of the working and the middle class. Though the neighborhood lacks the bright lights and the skyscrapers that make up the city, Woodhaven still holds some form of excitement and quirks.
Woodhaven’s environment may be a cross between urban and suburban. While the uniform housing development suggests the latter, in just a few blocks, one can easily find oneself surrounded by delis, convenience stores, 99-cent stores, and nail salons under the very noisy railroad of the Jamaica Ave. train station. One block can look entirely different from the next.
These numerous shops and delis resulted from the many small, family-owned businesses in Jamaica Avenue. These businesses create a very diverse community due to Woodhaven’s demographic of mainly Latin Americans and Europeans (i.e. Irish and Italian Americans). These small businesses are also huge sign of the community’s strive to make ends meet in a small neighborhood.
Some of the main issues that Woodhaven’s been dealing with in the past years are noise pollution and illegal conversions of housing units. Noise pollution is not only caused by the railroad right above Jamaica Ave., but also by the ongoing traffic that occurs on the narrow streets. Illegal conversions are mainly caused by large families not being able to afford larger housing units and/or families using housing units to run shops and small businesses.
Woodhaven is not only the place I grew up in, but it’s a neighborhood that is often not talked about enough. I’m very interested in exploring the ethnic and racial diversity that exists in the neighborhood and how it’s affecting not only the businesses around the area, but the relationship between the groups, as well.
