Tears were shed and bittersweet memories were shared as hundreds of faithful gathered for the last weekend Mass in the parish that holds the prestigious distinction of being founded by a saint.
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The decision that St. Peter Church, Riverside, which was established by then Bishop John Neumann, fourth bishop of Philadelphia, in 1863, would suspend operations and that parish activities would be transferred to St. Joseph Church, Beverly, was announced Jan. 25 by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. Since 2008, St. Peter Parish and St. Joseph Parish had been merged and created the new Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish.
The June 25 Mass, which drew a standing room only crowd, was celebrated by Father Phillip C. Pfleger, episcopal vicar of Burlington County, and concelebrated by a number of priests including Father Gerald Johnson, pastor of Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, and Conventual Franciscan Father Jude DeAngelo, a former parochial vicar in St. Peter Parish, who was homilist.
Before the Mass began, the faithful were invited to join in an outdoor procession that went from the old church building that was built in the 1880s to the adjacent current church whose construction was completed in May 1955. Leading the procession were altar servers and members of the Knights of Columbus. An encased statue of St. John Neumann was carried and choir members who led in the singing of hymns such as “How Great Thou Art” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
In his homily, Father DeAngelo, who now serves as chaplain and director of campus ministry in The Catholic University of America, Washington, asked the congregation to reflect on what might be said about the parish “if these sacred walls could talk.”
He then enumerated examples of sights and sounds that have been seen and heard by the generations of parishioners who have worshipped in the church over the years – children receiving their Sacraments, the choir singing, the joy and laughter of families enjoying the annual carnival and the commanding voices of the priests who have served in the parish as they preached their homilies.
“These are the sights and sounds of our parish,” said Father DeAngelo. “These are the memories not of one generation but many generations of wonderful people. Here, generations of German, Italian, Portuguese and New World immigrants, found a home within these walls.”
Now at this Mass before St. Peter Church would suspend operations, Father De Angelo said, “we hear our own weeping. We mourn the loss of this sacred place and all the memories of our past and the dreams that will never be,” he said, acknowledging that along with sorrow there are also feelings of anger and fear.
“In spite of all that we feel, we must listen for one ore voice – the voice of Jesus Christ,” he said. “In the end, it is not our friends and neighbors that draw us to practice our faith, it is Christ alone who calls us to himself. It is the same Christ who calls us to worship in St. Joseph Church building and in every other Catholic Church. It is Christ who formed St. Peter’s community and he calls each of us not to abandon the larger community of believers, the Universal Church.
“No church building defines us as Catholic Christians,” Father DeAngelo said. “You are the living stones that constitute Christ’s Church – not this precious building of brick and mortar. You are the edifice of God’s love for all people. You are the Church and Christ is your heart and mind and you are forever his own.”
In the five months since it was announced that St. Peter Church would suspend operations, parishioners with long histories recalled many childhood memories, especially their days attending the parish school, the annual carnivals, receiving their Sacraments and the joy of being able to worship in a community where faithful cared for one another.
“This is a close knit parish,” said 92-year-old Eleanor DiVece Ruehmling, a member of St. Peter Church for 84 years who was active in “so many” ministries. “I’ve shed so many tears and have so many fond memories.”
Lifelong member Gerri Mingin smiled as she talked about the years that she would help “take care of the altar” by tending to the linens and handling various other chores.
Sometimes, she said with a smile, “I would be the only one in church. It was just me and God and I would really pray as I worked.”
Then, as tears welled, Mingin shared that another special memory about her beloved parish community was the support she received when her 26-year-old daughter, Tara, died 14 years ago.
“Today is very emotional, heartbreaking,” she said.
Lifelong member Frank Flaherty, a seminarian for the Diocese of Trenton, spoke of how his vocation to the priesthood “certainly had its roots in St. Peter’s Parish.”
He said he began thinking about the priesthood seriously in his late teens when Father DeAngelo had been assigned to the parish and meeting with other Franciscan priests and brothers. Though Flaherty realized “It wasn’t the right time” for him to pursue a vocation, he remained active in the parish, serving as a volunteer religious education catechist and teaching seventh and eighth grade Confirmation for 30 years. Flaherty noted there were many nuns from Riverside who had entered the Franciscan order in Syracuse, N.Y., as well as several young men who entered religious communities from the parish. Flaherty eventually decided to enter the seminary and pursue studies for the priesthood for the Diocese of Trenton, then mentioned the now late Msgr. Richard Tofani as being another diocesan priest who hailed from St. Peter’s.
Having the opportunity to serve as a seminarian at the closing Mass, Flaherty said he was struck with emotion and his eyes filled with tears several times throughout the Mass.
“This was the church where I received all of my Sacraments, buried both of my parents, witnessed the Confirmations of so many of my students,” he said. “My dream was to one day celebrate Mass there as a priest of the Diocese of Trenton.”
While Flaherty said his biggest fear is that “our wonderful community of believers will be fractured and dispersed,” it is his hope is that the community will heal and move forward, “cherishing the past and building a stronger future.”