Across the street from St. Brendan’s Church last Saturday, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. deflected questions from reporters as he shook hands and gave out free bags of groceries to dozens of residents.

Earlier in the week, local residents received cards in the mail from the “Desk of State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.” explaining, in English and Spanish, that they could exchange the card for free groceries on Saturday at St. Brendan’s School in Norwood.

At mass on Thursday, however, Father George Stewart, the head pastor at St. Brendan’s, told parishioners that the church didn’t condone or support the giveaway and asked that people not attend, according to Sally McCrohan and two other parishioners who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

On Friday, the New York Post reported that, according to parishioners, Stewart told Espada not to hold the giveaway in front of the church, but that Espada wouldn’t listen.

Reached by phone on Thursday afternoon, Stewart said he had “no comment.”

Espada ended up giving away the groceries across the street from St. Brendan’s, on the corner of East 207th Street and Perry Avenue.

When Espada showed up, reporters peppered him with questions about his comments to Stewart. He stayed for five minutes and then left.

“I don’t know who Father Stewart is,” Espada said. “I haven’t read anything. I’m fully engaged and focused on what’s real and the urgent need to provide food for the people.”

Only a select few people who attended the giveaway were from the Norwood area.

One woman, who said she had attended St. Brendan’s for more than 60 years, said she was irate that Espada had used her church to boost his re-election campaign. “We don’t need his charity up here,” she said.