A staple of the Mineola community, the Corpus Christi Parish, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year and a committee has already been meeting for the past year to ensure that the anniversary will be one to remember.

Festivities for the yearlong celebration will begin on January 21 with a opening Mass at 11:15 a.m., followed by a luncheon at 1 p.m. at the New Hyde Park Inn. Other festivities include a lecture series that will take place on Feb. 22, May 10, Sept. 13, Oct. 1 and Nov. 29.

In addition, there will be a 100th anniversary ball at the Floral Terrace on June 15. Formal invitations will be sent out to parishioners. On June 17, there will a 100th anniversary Mass at 10 a.m. On Sept. 16, there will be a parish picnic at Eisenhower Park, beginning at 10 a.m. with an outdoor mass and then on Dec. 2, a closing Mass for the anniversary year will be celebrated at 11 a.m., followed by a spaghetti luncheon at Fitzgerald Hall.

Father Kenneth Winkler, the Pastor of Corpus Christi, wanted to make sure the 100th celebration of the parish was a well-noted anniversary so a committee was formed to plan the festivities. The committee consists of Jessica Behrman, Elizabeth Conlon, John DaVanzo, Anne Marie Ely, Mary Ann Fenter, Barbara Fischer, Mary Fitton, Ann Galante, Marie Hehman, Brian Mannix, Dolores Mischler, Sally and Charlie Patterson, Mary Peppard, Mary Reilly, Mary Semelrath, Barbara Wasielewski and Jackie Weber.

In addition to the festivities, a large legacy quilt is being made with each square of it representing an aspect of the Corpus Christi community. The quilt will be displayed in the church lobby once it is completed.

The parish also expects Bishop John Dunne, who was once a part of Corpus Christi, to return for its anniversary.

Mrs. Conlon has been a member of the parish since 1952 and said she didn't want to see its anniversary go by without getting involved in it.

Since Corpus Christi means Body of Christ, parishioners think of one another as a family and the parish is like a home.

Former Mineola Mayor and current Receiver of Taxes for the Town of North Hempstead Ann Galante remembers moving to Mineola from Queens in 1969. It was that same year that the current Corpus Christi Church building was erected. Mrs. Galante recalls walking in for the first time on Christmas Eve. "It was like a Christmas present," she said.

A lot of community leaders have been associated with Corpus Christi. Mrs. Conlon, Village Trustee Maryanne Warnecke, Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell as well as Ann's son Joe Galante attended the Corpus Christi School. Joe Galante currently serves as the school board's president.

With 2001 only days away, the Corpus Christi community, which members say is a community within the village, will have an entire century to celebrate. "It's nice to reaffirm your feelings about the church," said Mrs. Conlon.

The yearlong festivities will give everyone, residents of all ages, a chance to celebrate the parish's longevity and prosperity, Mrs. Galante said.

Since churches are a part of a community, Mineola is fortunate enough to have one with a long history.