Farewell mass held for Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello as he prepares for move to Williamsburg
It was a bittersweet occasion for Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello on Sunday, January 22 as the beloved pastor of St. Bernard in Bergen Beach celebrated a farewell mass as parishioners and dignitaries alike wished him well on his new venture: becoming pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg.
“It was a beautiful ceremony,” said Gigantiello, who will maintain his roles as vicar for development and director of parish giving programs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn throughout his transition. “It was a full house. Most of the parishioners and people in the neighborhood came out for the mass to bid me farewell. It was very emotional.”
Gigantiello, who also heads the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens and Futures in Education, as well as hosting the hit NET cooking show “Breaking Bread,” will be replaced at St. Bernard by Reverend Monsignor Joseph Grimaldi.