Father Andrew Struzzieri Way (Queens)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of Brookville Boulevard and 137th Road
Honoree:  Father Andrew L. Struzzieri (1947-2020 was born in Brooklyn. He was affectionately known by many as Father Andy. He served as an assistant at Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills, 1975-76, and St. Matthew, Crown Heights, 1976-88. He was pastor at Our Lady of Refuge, Flatbush, 1988-99, and St. Matthew’s, 1999-2012. While at St. Matthew’s, he also served as administrator of Our Lady of Charity, Brownsville. After years of serving in Brooklyn, Father Andrew was transferred to St. Clare in June 2012, where he was pastor until his death. As the leader of the largest Catholic Church in Rosedale, he inspires parishioners to challenge injustices. During the COVID pandemic, he led a distribution at St. Clare’s for individuals who were food insecure. Under his leadership, the church built a strong youth ministry and took an aggressive community service position. He was instrumental in aligning St. Clare’s Church with Queens Power, a community organizing institution formerly known as EQUAL. In 2015, the parishioners organized their first campaign with over 100 attendees, fighting for a traffic sign on Brookville Blvd in Rosedale. Since then they have continued to organize and demand justice for themselves and the communities they live in. During the Summer of 2020, the parishioners rallied and protested against injustice to African-Americans. The Rev. Andrew L. Struzzieri Memorial Endowment Fund has been established to honor his memory of Father Andy. The fund provides household furnishings for newly arrived refugees, medical assistance, grocery gift cards and tuition costs for short-term vocational training programs. (Brooks-Powers)
LL:2022/54