By Joe Pisani
BRIDGEPORT — Six years ago, 13 members of Our Lady of Good Counsel Chapel were summoned to a meeting with Bishop Frank J. Caggiano about the future of their small faith community.
For an hour, they told the bishop how important it was to them, and he listened patiently and sympathetically. But attendance was very low and the church couldn’t sustain itself.
As the meeting was about to end, Lisa Landone, who hadn’t opened her mouth, said a prayer to the Holy Spirit and told him, “I’m afraid to speak” … and before she could form any thoughts, she blurted out, “Bishop, I am afraid to speak!”
Surprised, he asked, “Why are you afraid?” And she responded, “Because I’m afraid I can’t show you our heart, that I won’t be able to convince you that we will be the church that will take your vision and make it real, that we will be something new, and that if you bring your ideas here, we will be your petri dish.”
Then, they played a video she had made. According to her account, the bishop paused and told the group, “I’m not making any promises, but I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to pray about it.”
And he did. And so did they, along with a lot of other people.
Today, Our Lady of Good Counsel Quasi-Parish, which they affectionately refer to as “The Little Church That Could,” is a thriving faith community at 163 Ortega Avenue. They have seen the Holy Spirit at work, and Landone says, “He gives us hope that surpasses all understanding, even in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances.”
Landone still recalls the time her mother Janet first told her to start going to the chapel because it needed parishioners. She took her mother’s advice and joined the effort to save the parish.
Landone also remembers the response of music director Lorrie Wesoly, who upon hearing the church would probably close, promptly said, “I’m going to start a choir.” She did … and the “Wing and a Prayer Choir” is still going strong.
Despite plans to close the chapel over the years, the bishop saw the faith of the people and believed that if it was the Will of God to keep it open, the Lord would provide. And then sometime new and exciting happened.
Through the efforts of Bishop Caggiano and Deacon Patrick Toole, Chancellor and Secretary of the Curia, the community of Koinonia John the Baptist came to Our Lady of Good Counsel with the goal of making it “an oasis” in the diocese.
The bishop named Fr. Adriano Biccheri the Priest Moderator of the parish, and he is joined by Sister Maire Close, Brother Michael, Sister Letizia, Sister Aide and Sister Katka.
Koinonia is a Greek word that means “fellowship, sharing in common and communion,” and its mission is “to promote the New Evangelization through activities, training programs and the formation of a community.”
Deacon Toole, who was intimately involved in the process, said, “All the credit goes to the bishop really.” He recognized the commitment of the parishioners and gave permission to increase the number of Masses and worked with the Koinonia to take over the quasi-parish. There was such enthusiasm that several hundred people attended a recent Mass that Bishop Caggiano celebrated there.
“That parish has a very special place in my heart, and I’m so grateful the Koinonia came,” said Deacon Toole. His affiliation with the parish goes back to the previous administrator, the late Fr. Seraphim Rohlman, who was a personal friend and a professor who taught him when he was studying for the diaconate.
At one point, they both went to the original Our Lady of Good Counsel Church outside of Rome, where Father celebrated Mass and was given an icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel that hangs in the chapel today.
“I am really excited about the future,” Deacon Toole said. “I love the Koinonia, and the people of the parish, who are deeply faithful. They never once complained about what the diocese did. They just kept praying and building their community to support one another, and it was a real honor for me to work with them. They are the salt of the Earth.”
There’s another lesson Deacon Toole takes away from the success of Our Lady of Good Counsel — the importance of small communities of faith.
“We have to try to foster and build strong vibrant communities of faith,” he said. “When you meet these people you realize that. They love and support one another. This model of what we created with the Koinonia and the quasi-parish, which the bishop created, is a little bit of what will renew the Church.”
Father Adriano Biccheri agrees.
“The members of the parish were open to us and our community, which is founded on the Word of God, service and friendship,” he said. “The active members of the parish share the same passion to transform the church into a center of evangelization and were happy to join these efforts.”
A house of prayer has been formed at Our Lady of Good Counsel, and people are encouraged to do the same thing in their homes and invite their family, friends and neighbors for one hour a week of reading the Word of God, praying and furthering the fundamental mission of Koinonia, which is to draw people back to the Church.
“We came to Our Lady of Good Counsel to build it up like an oasis,” Father said, “We accepted this proposal because of Bishop Caggiano’s vision to renew the diocese with the New Evangelization, which is the charism of Koinonia.”
Father said older parishioners work in harmony with the newer Spanish members, who have young children. During Spanish formation classes, the English-speaking members assist by caring for the children of the Spanish-speaking members.
“When I think about our church, I think the best way to live together is involving the people in different ministries, so I am fascinated how it serves the Holy Spirit, giving room for people to grow in different ways, from children to young people, adults and the elderly,” he said.
During the months when the chapel was closed, Landone posted a prayer on the website that said, in part:
“If only more people would have walked through your doors each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. to receive the Holy Eucharist and feel the unmistakable presence of our Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Mother.
“If only more people would have known we believe they would have come, to pray, to cry, to feel less lonely, to be accepted unconditionally, to sing and be joyful, to belong and to be embraced by the unique and diverse family of every kind of people that call Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish home.
“They would have felt the warmth, seen the genuine smiles, experienced the hope and the hugs and the gratitude. They would have been part of the laughter shared after Mass in our community room, where everyone is invited and everyone is family.
“Our dear beloved church, we tried so hard that more would know that the True and Unconditional Love of Christ lives here and we are on fire for this purpose. This is Christ’s home and all are welcome in this place no matter what, no matter who. This is Christ’s home and we are His servants, His children. This is Christ’s home and everyone who enters is equally loved by Him and is deserving of our love and respect and help. This is Christ’s home, and we never forget that…”
