Brother Conrad Federspiel, C.P.: 1960s Maintenance
as Ministry
at Cardinal Spellman Retreat, Riverdale, New York
Summarized by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
What was it like to do maintenance at Cardinal Spellman Retreat House? As part of the 40th anniversary celebration, Brother Conrad Federspiel, C.P. agreed to answer this question on April 6, 2007. Friends of Riverdale will agree that his insights breathe new life and understanding into the gospel-worn, concrete edifice on the Hudson River. My summary is based on notes compiled from the taped interview.
Brother Federspiel recalls that he chauffeured some Passionists to Riverdale after he entered the Passionists in 1952. On his most memorable visit, he left Union City, New Jersey and traveled by car up the Palisades Parkway to Alpine, New Jersey. There, he took his car on board the Westchester Ferry. It landed near Getty Square in Yonkers, New York. The ferry discontinued service on December 16, 1956 because it could not compete with the accessibility afforded by the Tappan Zee Bridge, which had opened in 1955.
Riverdale was a short drive from Yonkers. He went down Broadway, past The College of Mt. Saint Vincent. Opposite 261st Street, he turned right onto Palisade Avenue in the Bronx. This brought him past the Hebrew Home. Begun in 1951, it was the former site of the Colored Orphan Asylum which had been the childhood home to singer Ella Fitzgerald. Entrance to the Passionist property required making a right turn at the original Allien estate horse stable. A short quarter-mile roadway hugged the terrain to bring him directly to the Blessed Strambi Passionist Residence. "The natural beauty of the place" captivated Brother Federspiel. There were "huge trees" and a stellar view downhill to the Hudson River. He remembers that there was a caretaker's house on the property "down near the bridge across the tracks."
Brother Federspiel recalls being assigned to Riverdale in 1967. Construction was "quite advanced." He was assigned to work with the project overseer and clerk of the works, Father Christopher Berlo, C.P. Born in 1902, Berlo professed his vows in 1921. He was sent to Germany to continue his studies and was ordained a Passionist priest in 1927. He remained in Germany where he was a major force in the building of the Passionist monastery at Meisberg, Schwarzenfeld in the 1930s. Quickly, Brother Federspiel recognized Father Berlo's keen eye for the details. Everyday, Father Berlo walked about the Riverdale site checking the delivery from each supply company. He wanted to make sure that each vendor "did not substitute or send inferior quality material."
During his first few days at Riverdale, Brother Federspiel recollects how Father Berlo "never said boo to me." Soon he got his first task: put the room numbers on all the doors of the retreat house. Brother Federspiel recognized the best approach was to devise a template system which allowed him to hang the numbers quickly. A couple of days later, Father Berlo asked him how the work was proceeding and was pleasantly surprised that it had been successfully completed. They hit it off. "I came under his wing," says Brother Federspiel. "From there on, I could talk his language." It was the same language that allowed Father Berlo to have the respect of the many artisans and electricians who worked in the building of the Cardinal Spellman Retreat House. These same workers asked Brother Federspiel if he was a union man. In the end they accepted his Passionist status with Father Berlo. When expected "discrepancies" arose regarding the blueprints, a call from Father Berlo to the retreat house architect Brother Cajetan Baumann held great weight. Many times original blueprints were reworked before the project proceeded.
Next
Page: Architectural challenges faced in building Cardinal
Spellman
Return to Newsletter Contents
Feed