Father Andrew L. Struzzieri (1947-2020) was born in Brooklyn and was affectionately known by many as Father Andy. He spent 50 years of his life living the gospel by reaching out to those in need.

Father Andrew served as an assistant at Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills, 1975-76, and St. Matthew, Crown Heights, 1976-88. He was pastor at Our Lady of Refuge, Flatbush, 1988-99, and St. Matthew’s, 1999-2012. While at St. Matthew’s, he also served as administrator of Our Lady of Charity, Brownsville. After years of serving in Brooklyn, Father Andrew was transferred to Saint Clare Roman Catholic Church in Southeast Queens in 2012, where he was assigned and served as Pastor until his death. He used his opportunity as the leader of the largest Catholic Church in Rosedale as an opportunity to inspire parishioners to challenge injustices. During the COVID pandemic, he led a distribution at St. Clare’s for individuals who were food insecure. Under his leadership, the church built a strong youth ministry and took an aggressive community service position. He was instrumental in aligning St. Clare’s Church with Queens Power, a community organizing institution formerly known as EQUAL. In 2015, the parishioners organized their first campaign with over one hundred attendees, fighting for a traffic sign on Brookville Blvd in Rosedale, and they have continued to organize and demand justice for themselves and the communities they live in. During the summer of 2020, the parishioners rallied and protested the injustice of African Americans. After his death, the Rev. Andrew L. Struzzieri Memorial Endowment Fund was established to honor the memory of Father Andy. The fund provides for new household furnishings for newly arrived refugees, medical assistance, grocery gift cards and tuition costs for short-term vocational training programs.