Msgr. Gerald Langelier was remembered at his funeral on Friday as a man who taught others the meaning of love. Photo Courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn
Hundreds of people packed the pews of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills for the funeral of Msgr. Gerald “Jerry” Langelier last week, remembering the institution’s pastor of almost 30 years as a man of great heart and integrity who loved nothing more than spending time with worshippers.
“Jerry was yoked not only to God and to Christ, but to the parish,” Msgr. Ronald Richardson said at the funeral of his longtime friend with whom he was ordained in 1961. “…Jerry was yoked to you, to this parish for almost 30 years – what a record in this day and age.”
Langelier, 78, the pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Mercy, located on Kessel Street, died Friday, July 19. He was found unresponsive at the bottom of his pool at his home in Southold, Long Island, just before 5 p.m., according to police.
Born in Long Island City, Langelier served at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Far Rockaway, Blessed Sacrament in Jackson Heights, and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kensington before being named the pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in 1984. As pastor, he led the church, rectory, convent and school until he retired in 2007.
Langelier was remembered at Friday’s funeral as a man who would go to great lengths for those he served – as well as someone who loved tradition, including faithfully watching his beloved Yankees.
“I hope and pray..this loyal Yankees fan will be heard to chant, just once, ‘Let’s go Mets,’” Richardson said, drawing laughter from the large crowd.
Richardson, whose parents knew Langelier’s mother and father well, garnered chuckles when he remembered his friend’s love for the color blue – an admiration which the Forest Hills parishioners fondly recollected.
“One of Jerry’s great loves was the color blue,” Richardson said, smiling. “He had blue Buicks; he bought blue kitchenware; the laptop he bought was blue.”
Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills was led by Msgr.
Gerald Langelier for nearly three decades. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
And the reason for all things blue? Laughter rippled throughout the church as Richardson remembered that Langelier’s passion for his favorite color came from being a lifelong fan of the Yankees.
As someone who “helped people to know and love our traditions,” Langelier was “an example to those of us – priests and bishops – of how to be yoked to people,” Richardson said.
“From this yoking, you learn how to love,” he said. “…You learn to be a human being.”
Many of his former parishioners at Our Lady of Mercy – a church founded in 1927 that now serves about 1,300 families – said they consistently felt loved by Langelier, including Forest Hills resident Pia Parham.
“I lost a very good friend,” said Parham, a longtime member of the church who knew Langelier for decades. “I know he’s in a better place, but we are going to miss him here.”
Langelier is survived by his brother, Robert, of St. Petersburg, Fla. He is buried in Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing.
By Anna Gustafson
