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Our 125th year of serving the people of God in Coney Island Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace History: Part 6 The Phoenix Rises into the Next Millenium

Beginning with the arrival of the new millennium. a renewed interest in Coney Island took place as new generations, eager for the summers at the free beach along the Boardwalk and curious about the old cradle of amusements parks, came by the tens of thousands. Recalling the free-wheeling raucous days of Coney island, the Mermaid Parade became an annual tradition every June, and Nathan’s Annual Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest became a national sensation. The decrepit BMT elevated terminal was about to shuttered and demolished (with the exception of the West End steel structure added a few years after the rest of the concrete station had been completed) in 2003 in preparation for the building of a new, modern and airy terminal that would really help spark Coney Island’s revival.

Rev. Patrick J. West, the popular pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish, was appointed to succeed Fr. Bellantonio, and he immediately went to work in turning things around in the parish. The Diocese of Brooklyn closed Our Lady of Solace School in June and Fr. West set out plans for leasing the building. Eventually, part of the school was leased to HeartShare Human Services and the rest to the City’s Board of Education for the creation of commercial sports management high school.  Upon purchasing a small Roland electric console piano, a full-time music ministry was established in 2002 with James Pfister as its first Music Director, and choirs for both English and Spanish Masses were formed. Repairs were made to the church’s badly-decaying roof. Social outreach programs were established and Catholic Charities started a weekly food pantry from the rectory’s basement. In partnership with the Police Athletic League, Fr. West established the Our Lady of Solace Baseball League, one of several successful and popular programs reaching out to the youth of the parish. The liturgy itself had become more vibrant under Fr. West and attendance began to slowly tick upward. With Religious Education Coordinator Augusto Lucero, Fr. West established one of the finest CCD programs in the Diocese. On October 1st, 2003, Robert Weigel, formerly the associate organist at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills, Queens, arrived to take over as music director, organist, and cantor after the departure of James Pfister.

On December 8th, 2003, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a new parish hymn written and composed by Mr. Weigel was introduced. Titled “Our Lady of Solace,” it was quickly adopted by the parish and added to all of the church’s hymnals.

In February of 2004, Fr. West organized a Mardi Gras fundraiser at Gargiulo’s Restaurant to raise money for much-needed roof repairs; the roof leaked like a sieve during heavy rainstorms. The effort was worth it; funds were raised beyond expectations. Almost completely ignored by the Diocesan newspaper The Tablet over recent years and with the great tower no longer seen from the Belt Parkway, most former parishioners thought that the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace had closed and that the parish no longer existed.  When Fr. West commissioned the creation of the parish website, more and more former parishioners discovered that their beloved parish was still very much alive and they were eager to add their support.  Later that spring, the first version of the Youth Choir was established. Mass attendance (Saturday 5:00 PM Mass being the exception) and collections were on the increase, and Fr. West achieved the highest percentage of parishioner participation in the Annual Catholic Appeal in the Diocese of Brooklyn over several years. Through generous gifts from parishioners and others who simply wished to give, the church received new lighting and a new sound system.

Rev. Patrick J. West,  pastor of  Shrine Church  of Our Lady of Solace from 2002 to 2012 The Rodgers Classic Cambridge 785 organ that replaced the old  Odell/Hilborne Roosevelt  tracker instrument