STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 Even after being robbed, beaten and carjacked in front of his West Brighton church Thursday morning, the priest would not take another day off.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sporting a black-and-blue shiner under his left eye, Roselli made light of the situation when addressing the flock of parishioners in attendance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks way worse than it feels,\u201d he joked. \u201cI know it looks bad, but the eye was not hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The priest skipped the junior morning mass, as to spare the children of his injury \u2013 but made sure to return for the 12 p.m. service.<\/p>\n
Hours before, police arrested two men in connection with the armed robbery, charging both suspects with robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Deputy Commissioner of Public information.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s wallet, according to police.<\/p>\n
After the priest complied with their demands, a suspect punched the victim in the face, and both culprits fled in the victim\u2019s champagne-colored Ford Fusion, police said.<\/p>\n