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Community Corner

Brother Richard Contino: Teacher, Author and San Remo Resident

Brother Richard Contino moved to San Remo from Bay Shore in 2008. Since his arrival, he has published two books and become a very active member of our local community.

Brother Richard Contino was born in Bushwick, Brooklyn to parents Frances and Emanuel.  He and his twin sister, Grace, a now retired New York Police Department sergeant later moved with their parents and an older and younger brother to Maspeth, Queens where Richard lived throughout his adult life.

In 1991, he made a very life-changing decision to join the religious order of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn.

Although Contino jokes that in a practicing and traditional Italian family "somebody always goes in" to a religious order, his decision was based on his own true devotion and love for the Catholic Church. Throughout his life, Contino always felt a true connection to the church he loved.  

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His ministry with the Franciscans began with a teaching job at . Contino said that his business experience with running a large office of 700 employees prepared him for his time in the classroom.  After teaching at St. Anthony's, Contino was moved to Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, NC where he taught Theology. He returned to St. Anthony's in 2003 to become the Chairperson of the Theology Department and was named formation director (in charge of the ongoing spiritual development of his fellow brothers) and novice director (in charge of the new entries into the Order). He was also elected a council member for the Franciscan Brothers. 

"I have the best job in the world! Every day I go into the classroom and talk about Jesus Christ," said Contino. 

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When not teaching, he's writing. In 2008, Contino published his first book entitled These Sacred Days: Walking with Jesus Through the Sacred Tridiuum. This year, Contino published a companion book entitled To the Stable: Encounters on the Way to the Stable, based on Contino's personal thoughts and Gospel reflections for the Advent/Christmas season. 

"My hope was to bring others to a deeper understanding of what we have come to call the Christmas story," he said.

Throughout the Advent season, Contino will be doing a number of speaking engagements at St. Joseph's, St. Anthony's and with various prayer groups. Contino currently leads a prayer group here in Kings Park and teaches RCIA classes (a program for adults who wish to become Catholics) at St. Patrick's Church in Bay Shore. He intends to spend his Christmas holiday with family and friends and some time offering hospitality to two young people who have shown an interest in becoming Franciscan Brothers.

Contino moved to the Franciscan's Noviate House in San Remo three years ago where he lives with three other Franciscans and couldn't be happier about his decision. "I really love the neighborhood. Kings Park is full of wonderful people and has a great parish." 

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