St. John of God Church in Somerset is a modern building set back from the street, but it is also a church rooted in Portuguese traditions and family histories. Its lawn and landscaping provide a peaceful transition from busy Brayton Avenue to the spiritual home of its community.
Few normally step on the well-maintained lawn, but that changed recently, when it was the site of a meeting and celebration by the parish family as they discussed their transition from part of a collaborative back to an independent parish.
And, yes, the families maintained their distance and wore masks.
“We are alive again!” a young parishioner posted on Facebook.
About 100 parishioners sat on chairs that they brought from home. They ranged from college students to senior citizens. Because of the state mandates, most offered virtual hugs, but the precautions couldn’t hide their feelings. It was a celebration.
The Rev. Jason Brilhante, recently appointed parish administrator, will be returning on June 30 to the leadership position that he held until about a year ago when the Diocese of Fall River created the Mount Hope Catholic Community by bringing together three parishes. The St. John of God community of faith was obviously happy with the decision of the Bishop to restore him to his position and the parish to its previous status.
“I feel like we’ve been reborn,” another parishioner said.
As the group gathered, Father Jason reached out informally to parishioners and made all feel welcome. It was the kind of personal touch that the parish had been missing for the past year.
When it was time for the meeting to start, he encouraged people to get up, move and sing “I Need Your Love” by Shaggy which played over a speaker system set up by Mike Monte.
It was a non-traditional start, but then again, this was not a normal church meeting. Between the regulations restricting reopening churches and the unusual move away from the Diocese’s recent trend of merging or collaborating, the group knew that this was a unique response.
“You know this is an opportunity,” Father Jason said, stressing that more changes may be coming but for now, this was a “blessing.”
The official meeting began with a prayer and with a reading from Corinthians 1:12 about the how each part of the body is important. He used that to transition into a call for people to use their gifts to help the parish, to donate supplies, to clean the church according to state regulations, to serve as ushers to ensure social distancing, and to help provide funds.
“We all need to help,” Father Jason said, stressing that Carlos and John, the church’s sextons can’t do it alone.
Like most churches whose collection baskets have not been passed during the pandemic, some bad news is that St. John of God Church will likely face a deficit this fiscal year, he admitted. To help raise funds, Father Jason provided some examples of cost savings already put into practice and offered creative ideas like a “drive through” feast this summer.
He also announced that the parish secretary will be retiring and that he was working on posting a job description. Father Jason also suggested that the parish will need to plan a party when restrictions are lifted. That’s what families do.
In good news, he shared that a chance meeting with a person resulted in a major new donation that would support an adult faith formation program. FORMED (Formed.org) was created by the Augustine Institute. It provides solid Catholic Films, and other teaching material on a digital platform.
“I’m very grateful to the anonymous donor for covering the cost to access FORMED and share it with all parishioners of St. John of God,” Father Jason said, adding:
“This resource will provide excellent catechetical material to all parishioners to learn more about the Catholic faith, which I hope reinvigorates parishioners’ hearts to grow even more committed to practicing the faith.”
Despite what has been posted on social media and shared in other places, the parish is not opposed to working with others. In fact, Fr. Jason suggested that if current restrictions remain in place for faith formation classes, it might worth collaborating with the nearby Catholic Community of Somerset and Swansea to provide flexibility in terms of space.
Father Jason also solicited input on a new Mass schedule, and asked volunteers on different parts of the lawn to see what people thought would work. Based on the feedback, the popular 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday is expected to return, and the Sunday schedule may include a Portuguese Mass at 8:30 a.m. and an English Mass at 10:30. A letter will announce the official decision.
“Change is good, but the Mass schedule was set without consulting the parish and moved the 11 a.m. family Mass to 8:30 and the Portuguese Mass to noon,” a senior suggested, “Neither worked for the community, but I guess it did for the priests.”
By the sound of the applause, the parish seemed happy with a potential return to what had been a successful schedule in years’ past. In fact, the times are still carved into the sign in front of the church.
After encouraging people to sign up as an usher to help ensure social distancing in the immediate future or to volunteer to help with the mandated cleaning after each service, the gathering ended with the group singing and dancing along to “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang.
“The meeting was wonderful,” a woman from the choir said, “I feel so optimistic and blessed!”
There was also an appropriately distanced line to volunteer, but several groups of people could not leave without a little more discussion about the past and future of the parish, or to just to check on an old friend again.
“We missed you!” was heard more than once in the crowd.
The sun may have been setting, but hope was rising in this community who had moved through the darkness of “stay at home” orders, collaborations, closed churches and COVID deaths and illness to a second chance. They seem ready for the challenge.