In the autumn 2015 edition of Today’s Marists, the official publication of The Marist Fathers and Brothers of the United States Province, Fr. Juan Gonzalez, s.m., a Marist who served many years at both Harper Woods Notre Dame and Pontiac Notre Dame, talks about the work he is doing in a Brooklyn, NY, parish. “Padre,” as he was called at Notre Dame, spent the following years at Harper Woods ND: 1977-79, 1981-85, 1999-2005; and at Pontiac ND: 1994-99.
Fr. Juan Gonzalez, s.m., is with parishioners in the St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise church in Brooklyn, NY.
Marist pastor Fr. Juan Gonzalez, s.m., has served nine years at the largely Caribbean St. Francis-St. Blaise parish in Brooklyn, NY.
For the last nine years, Fr. Juan Gonzalez, s.m., has shepherded a parish in the heart of the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY. The merged parish of St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise (SFA,) assumed territory in 2011 previously held by St. Ignatius parish in Brooklyn.
The parish is well-attended by three language communities: English, Spanish and Haitian. All three cultures are embraced and thrive within the parish. Fr. Paul Frechette, s.m., a former pastor at the parish and now provincial of The Marists USA, recently sat down with Gonzalez to discuss what is happening at the parish.
Gonzalez speaks during a pep rally at Notre Dame in 2000.
The boiler in the church died in the fall of last year and it was cold. The parish finance commission had decided to raise funds for a new boiler and I suggested they set a goal at half the $80,000 needed for the new boiler and they insisted on raising it all. In the end, they raised a total of $95,000. They celebrated their shared victory with a reception in the back of the church after the Masses one Sunday. It is a very generous parish.
Festival
We hold a one-day parish festival, which points to another example of parishioner generosity. The leaders of each ministry in the parish take a booth. There is a Festival steering committee and they meet with the leaders. There is a raffle that brings in $30,000 in one day!
Lay Leadership
The lay leadership of the parish is a joy. We have a good parish council, a strong finance commission, RCIA team, St. Vincent de Paul is active. The lay leaders are taking ownership of their parish.
Ministry Fair
The Ministry Fair is something to see! It is held every two years in the auditorium of the school and lasts the whole weekend. People sign up, choosing from among 40 ministry offerings. New Lectors, hospitality committee, ushers, bereavement, RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.) Requirements for RCIC, which involves any child after fifth grade to eighth. This past Holy Saturday, we had 17 celebrating different sacraments: 12 adults completed their sacraments, six middle schoolers were baptized and three adults also. We had 24 last year!
Growing Faith
It is a joy to see the faith of the parish grow. Twice a year, Fr. John Sadjak, s.m., [former principal, teacher and president of Notre Dame] offers a Monday evening mini course on various Scripture themes. One year he did one on the Infancy narratives of Luke and Matthew, another year on the Creed, and this past Spring, Mary in the Scriptures. The attendance is between 40-50 per session!
Novena
The parish has a novena to the Holy Spirit for Pentecost. The parishioners lead it and focus on the seven fruits of the Holy Spirit. There is the monthly first Friday devotions with a Holy Hour as well. The Triduum during Holy week fills the church each year. The liturgy commission is quite active. We have recently had a parishioner ask about the Marist Laity group.
What would you describe as some of the particular challenges here?
The lay parish leadership needs more faith formation, but most are fully employed so aren’t able to participate in diocesan programs. The program is a two-year course. The diocesan programs adjusted and offered a 10 week program in three languages, and many from the parish were able to go and came back to the parish enthusiastically.
Another challenge is for the parish to move its attention and energy beyond the confines of the parish building and property to the larger neighborhood and its many issues and the diocese. Evangelization is one ministry they would like to develop. The diocese has come into the parish and helped the parish staff set up some goals for these efforts.
Changing Neighborhood
Gentrification of the many apartments and buildings of the parish and many parts of Brooklyn is another challenge. Manhattan’s rents are now so expensive, that many New Yorkers are now moving to Brooklyn for its convenient rentals and mortgages, plus its solid public transportation system. Brooklyn does have prime real estate, and these new hipsters are pushing out the low income families. Many of the hipsters are not church goers. Brooklyn is now known on the international market for all of the above reasons, and its near access to Manhattan.
Merger
The St. Ignatius merger was not an easy one. It involved two different cultures and traditions. For one year, there were two worship sites for Fr. Juan and his team, St. Ignatius parish and SFA. The preaching at SFA focused on the parishioners to be open to the new members coming from St. Ignatius, and the preaching at St. Ignatius focused on asking the parishioners to be involved in the “new” parish. SFA and St. Ignatius was and is a new parish and concept. SFA was not “in control.”
There were two different parish choirs to integrate. As it turned out the 12:30 Mass at SFA is now ministered to by the former choir of St. Ignatius. This move was initiated and driven by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. In 2010, the whole Diocese of Brooklyn did a self study and this merger was one of several changes that were suggested. In 2011, the bishop made a decision to reconfigure the diocese. There were to be two worship sites for the first year and one Triduum, at SFA. In 2012, the bishop decided to close the two worship sites, and provided some assistance of the diocesan pastoral planning process to the two parishes.
The final merger was ritualized the final week. One day was dedicated to the saying goodbye to the worship site of St. Ignatius. The Jesuits came to say goodbye one evening. A bishop celebrated the last Mass there. Then another day, St. Ignatius parishioners processed to their new home and St. Francis parishioners met them half way. St. Ignatius’s St. Vincent de Paul Society didn’t come to the merger.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.