Bishop Joseph Galante formally announced today that the parishes of Maris Stella (Avalon) and Saint Paul (Stone Harbor) will unite and the new parish resulting from the consolidation, Saint Brendan the Navigator, will be established August 4, 2010.
The announcement establishing the new parish has been made in a formal decree, which is published in this edition of the Catholic Star Herald (see p. 23).
It is the nineteenth decree issued by Bishop Joseph Galante in a diocesan-wide reconfiguration of parishes announced two years ago to strengthen parishes and improve pastoral care to the people of the diocese. Another 19 consolidations remain that now are being prepared for by Core Teams and their Priest Conveners.
Reverend Monsignor John T. Frey, Priest Convener for the consolidation, has been named pastor of the new parish for a six-year term.
St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, whose boundaries will be those of the existing parishes, will serve about 700 year-round families. The seat of the parish will be Maris Stella Church, Avalon. St. Paul Church in Stone Harbor also will be retained as a worship site to serve the parish.
The consolidation seeks to reverse downward trends in religious practice by strengthening parishes, improving outreach, and providing a range of ministries that will better serve the needs of the people. The consolidation also addresses a decline in the number of diocesan priests available for ministry, as well as demographic and population change in the diocese.
The Maris Stella and St. Paul churches are within three miles of each other on a 7.5 mile barrier island. The year-round population of the island is about 3,000, but it swells more than tenfold in the summer season.
St. Paul was first established as a parish in 1913, though it continued as a mission parish of St. Ann, Wildwood until 1936. Avalon parishioners over time were served by Our Lady Star of the Sea, Cape May, St. Ann, Wildwood, and St. Paul, Stone Harbor, respectively, until it was established as a parish in 1962.
The Core Team was made up of four members from each parish: Ed Whitney, Nancy Lloyd, Peter Davidson and Bunny Parzych from St. Paul and Joe Breslin, Theresa Montgomery, Carl Mattia and Kay Waters from Maris Stella. The team met for the first time in November 2008.
On April 26, 2009, the parishes joined together for a prayer service and social with the theme, “Sharing our Future Together!” At the prayer service, which included a reading from Psalms and the Gospel of John, parishioners were invited to share feelings of loss, sadness and concern regarding the consolidation. They also were invited to share reflections that would speak to their hopes for the future.
At the end of the service, all those gathered prayed, “O God of love, accept our cares and concerns, our dreams and our hopes. Give us wisdom and strength for all the days to come, to move forward with courage, that we may participate fully in building your kingdom on earth.”
As the Core Team continued to make progress in its work, Monsignor Frey last November wrote to Bishop Galante proposing names for the new parish, compiled from suggestions by parishioners of both parishes. From among those, Bishop Galante selected St. Brendan the Navigator. Alternatively known as “the Navigator,” “the Voyager,” and “the Bold,” Saint Brendan of Clonfert (c. 484 – c. 577) was an Irish-born monastic from County Kerry. According to a medieval tradition, Brendan embarked with fellow monks in a small boat on a seven-year missionary voyage to small islands on the Atlantic. Now the patron of sailors, navigators and travelers, St. Brendan’s feast day is celebrated on May 16 and will be the feast day of the new parish.
With input from parishioners, the Core Team also worked with Msgr. Frey to formulate the parish’s new mission statement: “As a community of believers, we shall strive to follow the mandate of Our Lord and be ever mindful of the needs of others.”
After almost a year and a half of preparation by the Core Team, Monsignor Frey wrote to Bishop Galante in March 2010 to request an evaluation of the readiness of the parishes to merge by the Diocesan Merger Review Committee. An on-site review was conducted on May 26 and found that the necessary canonical, civil, pastoral and administrative preparations for consolidation had occurred.
“Throughout the entire process, I have been both encouraged an inspired by the dedication of the members of the Core Team who gave of their time and talent on behalf of the good of the Catholic people on the island. I also am grateful to Monsignor Quinn, Father Carpinelli, and parishioners from both parishes, all of whom have helped to unite these two communities. I am convinced that the Spirit has guided us through this process and will continue to unite us, help us and light our way as we navigate on this journey of faith together,” said Msgr. Frey. “I look forward to the blessings that the uniting of these two communities will bring to the mission of the Church of Camden and the entire Seven Mile Island.”
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