Those LI summers were unforgettable

It began on Memorial Day in 1950 when my parents placed a deposit of $50 on a beautiful three-bedroom bungalow in Mastic Beach. It seemed like an enormous amount to spend, but compared to today’s standards, $3,800 was dirt cheap for a full summer getaway. This purchase turned out to be the best investment our family ever made.

Through the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, we were regular summer residents of 24 Lakeview Drive with loads of weekend visitors — family and friends. We’d take trips to various beaches and create memories galore.
Getting to Mastic Beach from our home in Astoria, Queens, was no easy task. Taking the Grand Central, Northern State and Vanderbilt parkways, Farm to Market Road (now Portion Road), and Sunrise Highway was our circuitous route to arrive at our summer escape. The Long Island Expressway, built in stages from 1940 to 1972, was a most welcome addition, shortening the more than two hours’ drive by half an hour to our “home away from home.”

Eventually, it became necessary for my brothers and me to find work if we were going to have the luxury of being in the “country house.” My dad inquired whether the Mastic Beach Property Owners Association had any jobs for us. It needed beach guards for the four beaches they owned. For my brothers Tom, Richie and me, it was the anchor that kept us in Mastic Beach for those teenage years while my older brothers, Charlie and Lou, found jobs elsewhere.

My days on the beach gave me a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the company of beachgoers and appreciate the beauty of Moriches Bay, and loads of time for reflection. I often wondered whether I could do something other than raking the seaweed and soaking up the rays. I pondered whether the local Catholic Church might have any jobs available.

An answer to my prayers came at the end of the summer of 1966 from St. Jude Parish, which played a formative role in my calling. The pastor invited my brother Tom and me to run a vacation center the following summer. It was a dream come true.

Working with adult and teen volunteers gave us a way to use our time and talents to give the local kids something to do besides hanging around and annoying their parents. Some 150 to 200 boys and girls, ages 6-14, participated in an eight-week program that included Bible study, sports, games, arts and crafts, music, movies, and even field trips to local sites such as nearby museums and theaters. The most memorable trips were to baseball games at Yankee and Shea stadiums.

For four summers through 1970, it was truly a labor of love. Tom and I enjoyed planning and preparing the camp schedule and supervising the activities. We charged a modest fee of $2 per week per child, with rates discounted even more for siblings. Church members donated cookies and fruit drinks, and we provided the children with a wholesome experience. It was the talk of the town, and we loved every minute of it.

After my parents died in 1978, we kept the house for another 14 years but used it
less and less. Those beautiful memories of summers in Mastic Beach will never fade. They
were special days, not to be forgotten. Returning this past August to celebrate the 75th anniversary of St. Jude Parish made the memories come alive and seem like they happened yesterday.

Bishop Raymond Chappetto lives in Whitestone, Queens.