From The Peopling of New York City

Interview Transcript

I interviewed Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether of the St. Sebastian Church on 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. While attending a Friday morning mass, I noticed a predominately Latin American crowd, a handful of South Asians, some Caucasians and a few East Asians. Most of the South Asian people at the mass were either middle-aged men and woman or families with infants or young children. After mass, some families gathered and talked to priests or to each other, placed donations in a basket or exited the church.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Hi, my name is Yasmin Zakiniaeiz and I am doing a school project at Hunter College. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about the church?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Sure.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: I am interested in exploring the relationships between various religious communities in Jackson Heights. But before I begin, I just wanted to let you know that if for any reason you don’t feel comfortable answering a question, you certainly don’t have to.

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Okay that’s fine.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Do you have any questions before I begin?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Actually… yes. How will this information be used?

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: The interview transcript will be posted on a school website and used only for research and school purposes. Also, no pictures will be used unless you give me permission in writing to take a photo of you.

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I would rather you not take any pictures of members of the church but you can definitely take pictures of the outside of the church.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: I’ll make sure to do that. When did you first become a member of the church?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I believe it was 1991 when I first became a part of the church.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Why did you choose this church?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I grew up in the Woodside area and I feel very attached to this neighborhood.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: When was this Church first founded?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I believe the St. Sebastian Church was founded in the 1890’s, but the population has drastically changed since then.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: How?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Now it is an extremely busy and diverse community. Also, the Church was not this heavily populated until after the building of the St. Sebastian Catholic School in 1994. Parents and children began coming to this church more often.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: How does this Church serve the community? Does it hold special events for kids?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Sure! St. Sebastian holds lots of events such as festivals, meetings, fundraisers, raffles, counseling, and concerts. And as a matter of fact, the St. Sebastian School Parent’s Association holds these raffles in the school auditorium with food and door prizes for the kids.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Are all religious groups and races welcome in this Church?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Of course, everyone is invited to God’s Church.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Does this church maintain relationships with other religious groups?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Yes, like I said, we keep our church open to everyone.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: In what ways?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: We hold events for the general public and all religious groups are invited.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: That’s great. For this project I am trying to examine cultural contact between religious groups within the South Asian community. What would you say is the general make-up up the St. Sebastian Church attendees?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: We have people coming from all over New York City! They come from various ethnic backgrounds. A large percentage of the parishioners are Hispanic, which is why we conduct mass in both English and Spanish at different times of the day. I would say that there is a substantial amount of South Asians, Whites and Asians.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: From the mass this morning, how much of the parishioners would you say were South Asian?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I would have to say roughly between twenty to twenty-five percent.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Have you heard about the currents religious riots in India between Christians and Hindus?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Umm, I actually heard about it on the news and from some of the South Asian families that come to St. Sebastian.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: What have they told you about the riots?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I know it has affected many people’s lives and they are upset about what is happening to their families back in India.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: How do you feel about the riots?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Umm, I don’t know much about it but I think its unfortunate when people turn on each other, especially those of the same country.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: How do you think it has affected your South Asian parishioners?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: You know, it must be hard for them to cope with what is going on. I’m sure it affects them and their families very much. I really appreciate the fact that you mentioned this. I will definitely be more sensitive to this when speaking to South Asian parishioners.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Have you noticed any distinct tension or dislike among parishioners of your Church?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: I like to utilize a sense of confidentiality when dealing with parishioners as well as other church officials…so…I’m not sure I would like to answer that question….

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Have there ever been any objections in regards to the changeover within the congregation?

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: Umm…no, not that I am aware of.

Yasmin Zakiniaeiz: Well, I think that’s about it for my questions. Thank you very much for your time.

Parochial Vicar David Fairwhether: God Bless you and good luck. --Yzakiniaeiz 06:09, 4 May 2009 (UTC)