Rockville Centre teen helped create an altar for the ages

A Rockville Centre church has been given a new outdoor worship space thanks to the efforts of a teen parishioner.

Christian Carbonaro, 15, recently spearheaded a complete rebuild of an outdoor stone altar that had fallen into disrepair at the Church of the Ascension, which his family has attended since 2014. To fund the effort, he said he raised $10,000 — exceeding his original goal of $7,000 — through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.

Carbonaro pursued the project as part of his Eagle Scout Award, the highest achievement within Scouting America. He is a member of Troop 332 in East Rockaway.

“My parents and I were looking for places important to us around our community that had aspects I could help fix or beautify, and we noticed that the outdoor area of our church was kind of looking aged,” said Carbonaro, who described the previous altar as a “little tower of bricks” with a granite top. “The outdoor altar is something that I think is really instrumental to our church since we use it for important services, like on Easter.”

Before starting the project, the Oceanside High School sophomore said he got approval from the Rev. Kevin Morris, the church’s rector, and together they finalized a design for the piece. The new 3,000-pound altar, created by R. Barany Monuments in Lindenhurst, is made of granite and marble and includes the church’s logo as well as an inscription detailing the history of the church, built in 1888, Carbonaro said.

The outdoor improvements didn’t stop there. Carbonaro, along with fellow scouts, family and friends, also repainted part of the church’s exterior, repaired potholes on the property, power-washed a stone walkway and sandblasted an iron cross that is believed to date to the Civil War, he said.

Excess funds were donated to the church for future improvements, Carbonaro said.

“The church gives a lot to the community, and I wanted to give right back to the church,” he said.

Morris is pleased with the gift.

“The new stone altar is the centerpiece of our garden, which is a quiet little oasis right in the middle of the village,” Morris said.

“The altar is a beautiful reminder that the garden is not just a green space, but also a sacred space set aside for prayer and reflection. It will be a place of worship for generations to come, so Christian’s project will have a lasting impact on the life of this church.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.