STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Even after being robbed, beaten and carjacked in front of his West Brighton church Thursday morning, the priest would not take another day off.
Parish priest Rev. Marc Roselli, of St. Mary of the Assumption-Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta R.C. Church, returned Friday morning to deliver his weekly mass inside the Roman Catholic church.
Sporting a black-and-blue shiner under his left eye, Roselli made light of the situation when addressing the flock of parishioners in attendance.
“It looks way worse than it feels,” he joked. “I know it looks bad, but the eye was not hit.”
The priest skipped the junior morning mass, as to spare the children of his injury – but made sure to return for the 12 p.m. service.
Hours before, police arrested two men in connection with the armed robbery, charging both suspects with robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.
In custody are Kerry Pack, 39, of North Burgher Avenue, and Antwine Lucas, 44, of Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, according to a spokesman for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public information.
The suspects approached the priest as he exited his car around 5 a.m. Thursday outside 1265 Castleton Ave., police say. A culprit brandished a black firearm and demanded the victim’s wallet, according to police.
After the priest complied with their demands, a suspect punched the victim in the face, and both culprits fled in the victim’s champagne-colored Ford Fusion, police said.
