SFX grant recipients give tours of their blessings
reprinted from Fairfield County Catholic December issue
BY CITLALLI SANTIAGO
BRIDGEPORT — In celebration of the fund’s namesake, Foundations in Faith toured two of the parishes partnering with them through the St. Francis Xavier Fund for Missionary Parishes. The two parishes on the tour—Our Lady of Good Counsel and St. Peter—are located in Bridgeport. Kelly Weldon, director of Foundations in Faith, said, “Our parishes and pastors juggle countless responsibilities, and often they’re overwhelmed by facility issues or a lack of resources to support their ministries. This forces them to spend much of their time troubleshooting maintenance and fundraising when their true calling is to shepherd and save souls.”
The mission of the St. Francis Xavier Fund is to alleviate the financial burdens of urban churches that exhibit strong leadership, are pastorally vibrant, and reflect outstanding missionary outreach.
“These are not poor parishes, far from it. They are rich in faith, vibrant in spirit, and led by strong, dedicated pastoral and lay leaders,” said Weldon. “Their missionary spirit is truly exemplary, which is why we do these tours.”
The tour started at Our Lady of Good Counsel, where members were greeted by the pastor of the parish, Father Adriano Biccheri, and led down to the church hall. The parish is operated by the Koinonia St. John the Baptist community, and religious sisters from the community were there to greet members as well and elaborated on the growth of the parish. Members of the parish spoke about the founding of houses of prayer in parishioners’ homes. One of the important events they have done is the coronilla, in which they pray the Rosary for the Divine Mercy of the Lord.
Our Lady of Good Counsel also made a video about their parish in which showed pictures and videos with their parishioners celebrating holidays such as Christmas and wedding anniversaries. They also have a lot of youth involvement, which enriches the younger generations of believers.
The group was then led up to the church, and the music ministry performed a song made up of a guitar, drums, and singers, singing about how God’s presence is always and forever. One of Foundations in Faith’s grants allowed for more equipment and instruments for the parish, as well as a TV monitor for the lyrics to the songs and more.
Sister Katka, a member of the Koinonia John the Baptist, said that they received $4,000, which went towards liturgical supplies, missalettes, vestments for the altar servers, Easter candles, books for Spanish-speaking parishioners, and sacristy equipment.
The last stop at Our Lady of Good Counsel was the rectory, which is being remodeled. Workers are improving the building with plans for the clergy and sisters to live in once it is complete.
The next stop was St. Peter Parish in Bridgeport, with Father Alexis Moronta. As the evening was creeping in, the Christmas lights decorated the rectory and around the church sparkled, and a manger was being built at the front of the church in preparation for the Advent season.
The tour started with the parish’s history in the 1900s. The church was a predominantly Irish parish, which then turned into a predominantly Hispanic parish. Once inside, Father Moronta emphasized the stained glass windows, which depicted the life of St. Peter, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the nativity scene, the Ascension of the Lord, the Transfiguration of Jesus at the altar, and the Crucifixion of Jesus above the choir loft.
St. Peter’s grants from Foundations in Faith were aimed at the parish’s children, as the children in faith formation benefited from them with materials needed for their education. The parish has recently added a youth choir and musicians. The grant allowed for more equipment, allowing the children to be heard by the rest of the parish.
The grant also went towards the books needed for the new Bible study, which is held every Tuesday. Member attendance increases with every session.
A future goal for the parish is increasing opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration, which the parish currently has every Friday. The aim is to have perpetual Adoration in the near future. In September, the parish held a 40-hour Adoration period over the weekend, with someone always in the presence of the Lord.
Parishes receive these benefits from the grants given by the St. Francis Xavier Fund. Help is needed to sustain a parish and its community and grow in faith.
John Mitchell, the board chair of Veritas Catholic Network, was in attendance and said, “I think it would be great to continue doing these kinds of things with parishes that many of us may not be aware of.”
“Our goal is to spotlight these beautiful communities of faith, helping them shine and draw others in. We want to inspire onlookers to follow their example: praising Jesus with genuine reverence and devotion,” said Weldon.
