BELLE HARBOR, Queens (PIX11) — The neighborhood may be at the corner of New York City, but the community was still deeply affected by the Sept.11, 2001 attacks.
At least 70 people from the Rockaways were killed that day in the tragedy that happened at the World Trade Center.
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One of those communities in the Rockaways is Belle Harbor, where St. Francis DeSales Roman Catholic Church lies.
The church, located on the corner of Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 129th Street, lost 12 parishioners on that day. Six of them were firefighters, and the other six worked at the World Trade Center.
The church, located on the corner of Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 129th Street, lost 12 parishioners on Sept. 11, 2001. (Credit: PIX11)
Three days after the last funeral, tragedy struck the parish and the surrounding neighborhood.
On Nov. 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, flying from JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, crashed just a block away from the parish at the intersection of Newport Avenue and Beach 131st Street.
In addition to the 260 people who died on the flight, five lives on the ground were lost. The five people were also parishioners of St. Francis DeSales.
Newport Avenue and Beach 131st Street, the location where Flight 587 crashed on Nov. 12, 2001. (Credit: PIX11)
Memorial garden
On the opposite corner of the church is a memorial garden, which is dedicated to the parishioners who lost their lives in 9/11 and Flight 587.
It was set up by the parish and the late pastor of St. Francis DeSales, Monsignor Martin Geraghty.
“He was a legend here, beloved,” said Father James Cunningham, Parochial Vicar of St. Francis DeSales. “He basically helped this community heal as I don’t think anybody else could.”
The lot was previously a hotel that was closed, and the owner was selling it. The parish decided to buy it, and Msgr. Geraghty spearheaded the idea to build a memorial garden.
Msgr. Martin Geraghty was pastor of St. Francis DeSales in 2001 and helped the community heal following the two tragedies. He passed away in 2023. (Credit: Ed Wilkinson/The Tablet)
In the center of the garden is a statue of Jesus. To the left of the statue is a stone with a plaque listing the names of those who were lost on 9/11. On top of the stone is a cross made from a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.
To the right of the statue of Jesus is a memorial tribute to those who were lost in Flight 587.
The five parishioners who lost their lives in that tragedy were listed on the plaque.
The parish has a memorial garden with plaques listing the parishioners lost on 9/11 and Flight 587 (Credit: PIX11)
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Fr. Cunningham on remembering 9/11, 25 years later
As with many people, there is disbelief that it has been 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. Fr. Cunningham is one of them as well.
He remembers being anxious and unable to sleep. He recalls thinking about his friends who were firefighters. He wondered where they were and the heartache that they were going through.
Fr. Cunningham recalls one of his best friends, FDNY Captain Timmy Stackpole, whom he met when he was a new priest at Good Shepard Parish in Brooklyn.
On the first weekend as priest of the parish, Stackpole invited Father to meet his family and have dinner.
“I always like to describe him as somebody that had all the pieces of the puzzle,” said Fr. Cunningham. “You know, that we have some pieces, but not too many people have all the pieces, and this guy had all the pieces. He was a legend.”
Stackpole was one of 343 firefighters who were lost on 9/11.
Belle Harbor and 25 years later
Father says the neighborhood continues to be a community of civil servants, firefighters, police officers and EMS workers, as it was 25 years ago.
As a priest at St Francis DeSales, Fr. Cunningham has met so many families who were directly affected by the tragedies of not only 9/11 but also by Flight 587.
While he says the people of Belle Harbor are faithful and resilient, the sense of loss never goes away.
“It could be 25 years, but when you lose your father, your grandfather, your husband, your son, that pain never goes away.”
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the parish is inviting everyone to celebrate Mass in the morning. In the afternoon, the kids from the adjacent Catholic academy will gather for a memorial service in the afternoon.
He says for the community to come together and help the kids understand and remember those who lost their lives 25 years ago.
Parishioners lost on 9/11Parishioners lost following the tragedy of Flight 587
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Andrew Cruz is a digital content producer. A native New Yorker, he joined PIX11 in 2009 as a weather producer. More of his work can be found here.
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