GASPORT — One hundred and fifty years of celebration at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church came to a close Sunday morning.
It was a day of mourning, remembrance and hope for what lies ahead.
What was started by a group of faithful parishioners ended the same way — every pew was filled to capacity with member’s past and present for the final Mass of the parish’s existence. As part of the diocese’s “Journey in Faith and Grace,” St. Mary’s will officially merge with Lockport’s St. John the Baptist next week.
The two and a half hour ceremony concluded with the transfer of property to St. John’s trustees and the removal of the sacred oils.
Royalton-Hartland graduate Sarah Heuer and her family lead the solemn procession carrying the Oil of the Sick. Parishioners carrying the Oil of the Catechumens, used for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and marriage, followed close behind.
“Let us remember the times we gathered in joy and sorrow,” said the Rev. Joseph Badding, the weight of the day’s significance etched on his face. Serving with him were the Rev. James Waite with St. John’s and the Rev. Francis Skupien, pastor at St. Mary’s for 17 years. “This church building has been a place of blessing for us. ... There are many memories that we hold close to our hearts.”
“This is not the end; there are new beginnings.”
St. Mary’s in Gasport began in 1858 on $800 donated by local families and a plot of land on East Avenue donated by resident Michael Brady. Together, they built a modest 30- by 40-foot building for weekly services.
The parish steadily grew and improvements were made on the original building. Priests were shared with the neighboring communities of Barker, Newfane and Middleport until the first pastor, Msgr. Arnold Schneider, was appointed in 1968. In the years that followed, Skupien and the Rev. James Streng served the Gasport community, as well.
The closing of St. Mary’s marks the first time in a decade the church will be separated from St. Stephen’s in Middleport. The parish will soon merge with Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s in Medina to form Holy Trinity. A final mass of celebration will take place at 8:30 a.m. July 6.
Parishioners at both St. Stephen’s and St. Mary’s became a close knit community through the unique family education program “Generations in Faith,” Badding said. Many members of St. Stephen’s attended the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s to pay their final respects. Among the families present were the Dauphin’s, the Rausch’s, the Anderson’s, the Brown’s, the Donnelly’s and the Szklany’s.
Two St. Mary’s parishioners involved in the construction of the current church building, Claire and Edith Winters, received a special anointment.
Cathy Miller, one of St. Mary’s newest parishioners, spoke of the kindness she has received from the church community. She attended Sunday Mass there for the first time in December — more than 30 years since her last — unsure of where it would lead.
“I looked around this church and I felt peace for the first time in a long time,” she told the congregation. “I would not have come back the second week if you had not welcomed me the first week.”
“We need to take this with us wherever we go.”
Skupien spoke with similar optimism, reminding teary parishioners that the restructuring will allow Catholics at both churches to merge their gifts and talents. When he was the pastor at St. Mary’s, there was always someone willing to help, he said.
“You folks are the church,” he said.
“Walls are down and we’re trying to redefine who we are,” Badding said. “There’s going to be new ways of gathering as Catholics.”
“The mission of Christ is more important than preserving who we are. ... It’s about doing the will of God. ... Whatever we are called to do, we will do.”
In honor of St. Mary’s, two pieces of art work will make their way to St. John’s sanctuary for the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday celebrating the official coming together — a piece of St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus and a piece of Mother Mary holding the Eucharistic Body of Christ in her lap.
A dinner reception will follow the celebratory Mass at St. John’s, Waite said. His hope is that both parishes will “grow together as a single community of family and faith.”
“Love conquers all things,” Badding said.
In the last moments of the closing ceremony, parishioners were invited — one by one — to trace their hands over the altar’s cross.
The Father’s Day brunch in the basement social hall afterwards was filled with conversation and laughter as they took time to reflect on their good fortune.
Local News
June 16, 2008
CATHOLIC MERGERS: St. Mary’s in Gasport says goodbye.
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