NEW CANAAN— Parishioners from across the Diocese of Bridgeport gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of collaboration through parish partnerships while encouraging more parishes to connect and pursue goals together.
“We are on the path now of the revival of our Church, to work as a larger parish family,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, emphasizing “The One” mission in the diocese, to focus every aspect of the Church on bringing individuals closer to God. “Tonight, we are celebrating walking with each other, as parishes have joined in a friendship with other parishes.”
Parish leaders and parishioners from St. Mary Parish in Stamford and St. Thomas More Parish in Darien previously met in June and were excited to share how their partnership has evolved and helped both parishes flourish in many ways.
St. Mary’s pastor, Father Gustavo A. Falla said he was grateful for the support and guidance not only from sister-parish St. Thomas More but also Foundations in Faith and the St. Francis Xavier Fund.
“St. Mary’s has secured $98,000 in grants that has helped us to cover the study of our church for the work that needs to be done,” said Father Falla about the more-than 100-year-old French Gothic church on Elm Street in Stamford which has been plagued with water leaks and is in need of restoration.
The additional funds needed to get drawings and put the work out to bid came from St. Thomas More, donating $48,000 of its 2021 Annual Bishop’s Appeal (ABA) overages to the St. Mary Water Infiltration project, at the suggestion of Joseph Gallagher, Chief Development Officer for the Diocese of Bridgeport. In June, St. Thomas More made a second donation of $50,000 to offset costs of the renovations starting this fall.
Father Falla was also happy to share that the parish secured $2.225 million in funding in the form of a loan from Fairfield County Bank to begin the restoration work needed which includes fixing roof flashing and gutter issues, replacing missing or damaged slate on the historic church as well as repairing water damaged areas.
The parish is also planning to sell one acre of property it is not using to repay the loan, a project that is expected to begin in mid-October.
As parishes throughout the diocese meet and exceed their ABA goal they are working together to form relationships with other parishes to continue to support the overall mission of the diocese.
“Collaboration has always been a part of the church,” St. Thomas More pastor Father Paul Murphy said. “We are one Church and this is one way of manifesting that.”
Father Murphy said he was grateful for the enthusiastic support of those gathered and noted how worshiping together brings out the best in everyone including how the communities of music and youth ministries are collaborating throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport.
“This is a true collaboration and celebration of the people of God building up the universal Church,” said Father Murphy, adding that an overarching goal is to make the church a better place to be in many different ways including elevating the community, its spiritual leaders and the physical places of worship.
“It ought to be beautiful. It ought to be a place worthy of worship,” Father Murphy said.
Kelly Weldon, director of Foundations in Faith, an organization that provides comprehensive support to enhance pastoral care for parishes and programs in the diocese, said that the number one ingredient for a good partnership is listening.
“We listened to the St. Mary team as it related to their needs. The SFX Committee has been an enthusiastic partner with them and has provided grants in the amount of $65,000 to move this project along,” Weldon said. “Our priests take care of us, and it’s our job to find ways to support them.”
St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport is another example of how parish partnerships, community commitment and support can help faith flourish. St. Charles Borromeo merged with St. George Parish in July.
St. Charles Borromeo’s pastor, Father Abelardo Vasquez, and its Director of Religious Education, Deacon David Rivera, said they are able to serve several different communities speaking four different languages with the support of funding from the St. Francis Xavier Fund, which has allowed them to expand the parish’s Urban Center for everyone to gather.
In fact, they said three years ago they had about 150 students now they have close to 450 students for religious education instruction.
“Our RCIA is flourishing with 63 catechumens and we have 45 kids in the youth group. We are meeting the needs of the Haitian, Brazilian and English communities,” Deacon Rivera said. “We want to show everyone the beauty, culture and reality of what it is to be a Catholic.”
Brian Young, who hosted the event at his home in New Canaan, co-founded SFX with the bishop. Young and Joe Sindelar were presented with blue and white baseball hats with “SFX” embroidered on them as a gift of gratitude for their ongoing support.
Young said he is excited about the good work being accomplished by the St. Francis Xavier Fund and he is pleased to see the progress being made in connecting parishes together.
“It’s so exciting to see where we are,” Young said of the collaborative work being done throughout the diocese. “We need each other. Our kids and our grandkids need to know we are all a part of the universal Church,” he said.
Bishop Caggiano agreed.
“I am grateful for what we have done in 10 years,” Bishop Caggiano said, “and I am hopeful for what the next 10 years will look like.”
