Father Joseph David Colbert (1933 – 2000) Father Colbert led the restoration of St. Pancras Church and maintained and improved St. Pancras School. Father Colbert was born in Brooklyn and was baptized in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, educated at St. Francis of Assisi School, Cathedral High School/College and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception (Huntington, New York). Father Colbert was ordained on May 30, 1959, at St. James Pro Cathedral in Brooklyn. Following his ordination, Father Colbert ministered to the people of the Diocese as an Associate Pastor at St. Mel’s Parish in Whitestone, New York, as an Associate Pastor and, later, as Pastor at St. Pascal Baylon Parish in St. Albans, New York and as Pastor at St. Pancras Parish in Glendale, New York. Father Colbert led the restoration of St. Pancras Church, improved the grounds, and maintained and improved St. Pancras School. He made St. Pancras “the showcase of the eastern seaboard”. He loved being present at school assemblies, class masses, students’ day programs and graduations. He always stressed to the students that they everything with “grace, dignity and poise”. Father Colbert was also a lover of the arts, and he incorporated this love into his life and his homilies. He approached all that he did with vigor, energy, and pride. Father Colbert continued as pastor of his parish until his death on October 10, 2000.