Organization, teamwork help merger process

Photo by James A. McBride

Father Tony DiBardino, pastor of the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, stands with, from left, Tony and Kathy Puchowski and Beth Sinclair, three individuals who helped in the merging of three parishes into the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit.

MULLICA HILL — Beth Sinclair and Kathy and Tony Puchowski believe good will come from the merging of three parishes into the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit.

Beth, secretary of the core team, believes in the treasure aspect of stewardship and gives funds to her church “with a grateful heart,” she said.

Stewardship for Tony is helping to welcome new members to new or expanded ministries.

The parishes of Holy Name of Jesus in Mullica Hill, St. Joseph in Woodstown, and St. Ann in Elmer were the three parishes in the merger. Both Mullica Hill and Woodstown are worship sites.

Beth has worked for Subaru for 35 years and marketing is her talent.

“I’m a good organizer and a good typist,” she said. “As secretary I organized the meetings, took notes, and made sure everything that had to be done was done.”

Father Tony DiBardino, pastor of the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, noted that Beth was a key part of the meetings.

“I’ve worked with her for awhile,” said the pastor. “In addition to the core team, she’s our coordinator of adult faith formation in the parish. She’s also one of the most organized people I’ve ever seen. As secretary she kept exceptional records which are good compilations of things done.”

Beth said she was approached by Father DiBardino — at that time pastor of Holy Name of Jesus — to be the recorder at deanery meetings.

“I went for one meeting and I stayed for the rest of them,” she said.

“Now that the merger is finished, we must consider the next phase, which is how do we build a vibrant community and a vibrant parish?”

When Bishop Joseph Galante first came to the Diocese of Camden, he made it a priority to visit the parishes. “He spoke to us about building vibrant parishes,” said Beth. “This is a lifetime process. Our relationship is a life-growing experience and it’s never ending.”

She believes the entire merger process “was very, very painful for a lot of people. Some went through a grieving process because they were losing their community, their family, especially parishioners from St. Ann because the site was closed.”

“But people already were seeing benefits,” she averred. “Mullica Hill and Woodstown are the worship centers. We’re hoping someday to build a church.” The Masses alternate each Sunday at both locations.

According to Beth, who has been a lector for 25 years, youth groups are beginning to see plenty of benefits with the merger and meetings are being held to expand the RCIA. “There’s really a good solid process in Mullica Hill,” Beth noted, “and we’re now using this process for Woodstown.”

Scripture study through the Camden Biblical Institute is being offered in two places.

“Another area that’s blending in,” she pointed out, “is the music ministries. Groups are coming together and making beautiful music.”

Beth said she is happy about the development of the laity. “I went through a diocesan parish leadership program years ago,” she explained. “It was a huge benefit for me. It’s also wonderful to see the lay ministry formation program.”

Tony Puchowski’s situation is similar to Beth’s. He wasn’t an official core team member but, instead, was a volunteer on a subcommittee.

“It was the communications committee,” he said. “Letters had to go out, press releases had to be sent to newspapers, and announcements had to be made. Anything to get the word out. Each member of the team was responsible for certain areas. My wife, Kathy, was responsible for liturgy. Communications was under that.”

Kathy Puchowski said she was running the transitional committee for the merger and her husband joined in. He helped but was not an official member of the core team.

Kathy was in charge of the transitional liturgy committee for the team.

“Wherever the liturgy was celebrated,” she said, “I would recommend the scheduling for all liturgical services at the worship sites,” noting that it was a “great job” giving recommendations to the parish and “even to myself.”

The two worship sites, Mullica Hill and Woodstown, allow people to decide which place to go for Mass, she said, and pointed out that parishioners will alternate between the two sites.

“We don’t have one site big enough for everybody,” Kathy said. “Mullica Hill seats 550 people and Woodstown, 350. And both sites have their own cemeteries; Holy Name of Jesus at Mullica Hill and St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Woodstown.”

Right now Kathy is chairwoman of the parish finance council. “That’s a new job for me,” she noted.

While on the core team, Kathy used to help Father DiBardino with the Weston Team retreat to Weston, Vt. “We would plan that all year long,” she said. “Ten of us would go and we’d take about 40 people with us. This was in October but I didn’t go this year.”

In Weston, Vt. the people would stay at a priory of the Benedictine monks and each person was assigned a condo, Kathy said, with one large condo for meetings. This year only team members from St. Ann and St. Joseph went to the retreat.

Kathy is a member of the parish women’s guild and Tony is a fourth degree Knights of Columbus, an organization he’s been with for 15 years. Kathy was president for three years of the women’s guild “but I really couldn’t do much because of my work with the core team. Right now my focus is on the finance council.”

Kathy had been a lector and Eucharistic minister but when Father DiBardino became pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish he suggested she focus on one area. “So I took Eucharistic ministry,” she said. “And I’m still doing that and enjoy it very much.”

Tony was a member of the pastoral council until the merger, then a new council was formed but he opted not to move on. He joined the Stewardship Committee.

“Basically the committee is kind of a feeder for other ministries,” he pointed out. Committee members recently put cards in the pews asking people to fill them out and join a ministry where they can use their time, talents, and treasure.

“We will call these people,” Tony said, “and invite them to come to a meeting. Our job is to find the right people for ministries. We’re hoping to have a fair this year after the Masses so people can see what the ministries are all about. And we’ll even serve doughnuts.”

For more information on stewardship contact Deacon Russell Davis, Office of Stewardship, at 856-583-6102.