The timing couldn’t have been more appropriate.

On July 5, as the nation continued to celebrate its 233rd birthday, three Long Branch parishes – Our Lady Star of the Sea; Holy Trinity and St. John the Baptist – with diverse histories and taproots in three centuries celebrated an inaugural Mass as one new community: Christ the King.

The symbolism of the moment, echoing as it did, the literal merger of 13 individual, distinct and sometimes fractious colonies, was far from lost on Bishop John M. Smith.

Before a standing-room-only assembly in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church – one of two worship sites in the new parish – the bishop wove Scripture, American history and human experience into a homily that pointed to a vibrant future for Christ the King even as it recognized the rich and not infrequently poignant chapters of the past.

Addressing the congregation, as “dear brothers and sisters,” the bishop said that he drew inspiration from Scripture and from the Fourth of July celebrations the day before as he prepared his homily for the Mass.

“I thought about the timing while watching the fireworks on television from New York City,” said Bishop Smith, who had come to preside at the first Mass and install Christ the King’s first pastor, Father Juan Daniel Peirano.

He reminded everyone how the founding fathers came to the table at Independence Hall with “their own ideas,” not unlike the faithful in the church before him who represent diverse heritages.

The founding fathers, he said, “were farmers, scholars, soldiers, lawyers from the north to the south” of what would become the United States. “When they came together, it was not easy for them to be one with each other. In order to do that, each had to be willing to sacrifice something for the good of the rest.

“It’s an appropriate image of what’s happening in Long Branch,” said Bishop Smith, who acknowledged that like the colonists, not all parishioners have warmed to the merger.

He talked about the fact that each parish was founded by immigrant communities: the Irish, first at Our Lady Star of the Sea in 1886. “They were servants, immigrants, the underclass of their day and they needed a church.

“Another group came from Italy and founded Holy Trinity” in the early 1900s, he said. “The Irish had been lucky. They spoke English,” the Italians had a language barrier to contend with as had the next group of arrivals, Spanish speaking immigrants from all around Latin America who began arriving in the middle of the 20th century.

“Each group (established) a church within walking distance of (their homes) so they could worship in their own way. Like the 13 colonies, we’ve come a long way since then,” said Bishop Smith, who extolled the real faithfulness of all the communities.

That circumstance and changing times mandated a need for change was made plain during the formal reading of the reasons for establishing the parish by Msgr. Joseph N. Rosie, diocesan chancellor. Recognized were the “need for better stewardship, appropriate use of clergy and promoting optimum use of the facilities.”

These reasons emerged from the eight-month-long Monmouth Central Deanery Study in 2008.

Bishop Smith alluded to the study in his homily.

“What’s happening in Long Branch came about in a painful process and it caused fireworks you read about in the press,” he said. “It is never easy to make a decision such as this.

He expressed hopes that the members of the new parish would “become one” and will come out every year to celebrate the birth not only of the nation on Fourth of July but the parish of Christ the King as well.

His words came shortly after dozens of parishioners of St. John the Baptist Parish left the Mass to show they were still upset that their church, a few blocks away, was closed in May because of safety concerns.

Wearing T-shirts that read “Save St. John the Baptist Church,” they stood during a portion of the Mass to call attention to the situation said Victoria Collett, a member of that congregation for more than 20 years. “We wanted the bishop to see how we feel,” Collett said.

Even as she spoke outside the church, however, hundreds of faithful inside including many from St. John the Baptist, listened attentively to the bishop and warmly afforded their new pastor, Father Peirano, two standing ovations.

Among them was Lucy Bradshaw, a member of St. James Parish in neighboring Red Bank who “came to support Father Daniel. We loved him when he was at St. James,” she said. “He was a mover and shaker there and we were sorry to see him go.”

Jeanne and Andrea Esposito, long time members of Holy Trinity, were there too.

Jeanne Esposito, valedictorian of the first graduating class at the now closed Holy Trinity School, said the family had just returned from visiting the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Situations are similar there, she said. “Where we were, three churches had just merged because of a shortage of priests. It’s not just our church,” she said. “It’s not just America.”

Her husband added: “We are united by faith…Faith is the reason we come to church.”

At a reception at Holy Trinity following the Mass, Father Peirano, who is fluent in English, French and Spanish, introduced his parents, Carmen and Juan Antonio Peirano to scores of parishioners and received the congratulations of many people who had come to celebrate the occasion.

As he has over the last few months, he noted that everyone is welcome to participate in the life of the new parish.

“This was a beautiful day and I think that God has blessed us to become one," Father Peirano said.

“We come from different traditions to become one with Jesus and we need to be in peace.”