Bishop blesses first permanent home for Perrysburg parish |
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Written by LAURIE STEVENS BERTKE, Chronicle Writer
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Friday, 05 December 2008 01:00 |
PERRYSBURG—Long before the parish broke ground for its first building, hundreds of Catholic families found a new home in Perrysburg Blessed John XXIII.
Now members of the Catholic parish in northern Wood County are celebrating the completion of their community’s first permanent home, a parish life center on North Dixie Highway between Perrysburg and Bowling Green. Instead of heading to Perrysburg High School or Christ Lutheran Church in Dowling to attend Mass Nov. 22 and 23, families crowded into Roncalli Hall for the first time to celebrate the Eucharist.
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| Bishop Leonard P. Blair gives the homily in the temporary worship space
of the new parish life center for Blessed John XXIII, which the bishop
blessed during Mass Nov. 23. (Chronicle photo by Laurie Stevens Bertke) |
The temporary worship space in the parish life center takes its name from Angelo Roncalli, better known as Blessed Pope John XXIII. It seats about 550 people for Mass and will also be used for speakers, religious education programming and parish social events.
A standing-room only crowd spilled into the gathering space outside Roncalli Hall for the 10:30 a.m. Mass Nov. 23, during which Bishop Leonard P. Blair blessed the 14,770 square-foot parish life center.
The bishop reflected on the significance of patron Pope John XXIII, who said ìhis hope was for a new Pentecost in our dayî when he convened the Second Vatican Council a year before his death in 1963.
"He made it clear that the faith is unchanging, but our need to present the faith and to live the faith in new and renewed ways was urgent," said Bishop Blair during the Mass. "What a perfect patron for a new parish in our diocese at this time."
The Diocese of Toledo created Blessed John XXIII in July 2005 at the recommendation of the Parish Futures Task Force, making it the first new parish in the diocese in nearly three decades.
Bishop Blair offered special thanks to those who have since offered hospitality and assistance to the fledgling parish, including representatives from Perrysburg High School, Christ Lutheran Church in Dowling and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Haskins who attended the Mass.
"Jesus says that if you give so much as a cup of cold water to someone because they belong to Christ, you will not be without your reward. Certainly the people who have helped Blessed John XXIII have given more than just a cup of water, and so we know that the Lord will bless you for all that you’ve done," said Bishop Blair.
"The kindness, the generosity, the openness of all these people is a lesson for all of us," added Father Herb Weber, pastor, as he asked the Lutheran representatives to stand for recognition at the end of Mass.
Since its inception, the Catholic parish has held meetings in the Lutheran churches and has celebrated Masses at Christ Lutheran Church and Perrysburg High School. Events have also been held in homes, subdivision clubhouses, facilities at neighboring Catholic parishes, the Knights of Columbus Hall and elsewhere.
Parish staff have worked from their homes, from a space at Rossford All Saints and most recently from a small office in a Perrysburg shopping center.
"It’s so good finally having a place to call home," said Michael Puppos, music director. "I think now that we’re here, we’re going to really learn to cherish having these resources at our hands."
In addition to Roncalli Hall, the building includes offices, meeting rooms and a full kitchen. "Every room here has three or four purposes," said Fr. Weber.
He noted the large gathering space outside Roncalli Hall where the community can gather for fellowship after Masses, continuing the strong ministry of hospitality that has been a hallmark of the parish.
Fr. Weber said the parish life center cost about $1.75 million to build, with an additional $750,000 spent on infrastructure. Hundreds of parish families supported construction of the building through a capital campaign called ìField of Faith,î and many also donated furnishings, helped with the moving process and built the platform for the altar in Roncalli Hall.
Many liturgical items are from closed churches in other parts of the diocese, including a crucifix and several hundred wooden chairs with green upholstery from the former Toledo St. Mary and an altar, ambo, credence table and presider’s and deacon’s chairs from the former Lyons Our Lady of Fatima Church.
As excited as parishioners are about their new home, Fr. Weber said everybody knows that ìmore important than the building is the parish.
"That’s what people are excited about," he said. "This parish has been an opportunity for people to start new with their faith."
Parishioner Tim Vapenik said he appreciates the welcoming community he has found at Blessed John XXIII.
"It’s more than going to Mass," agreed parishioner Fred Eberly. "You get here early and you leave late."
Fr. Weber said the parish offers dynamic liturgies and additional outlets to learn about the faith, like small faith communities, men’s and women’s retreats and Bible study groups.
It uses an intergenerational model for religious education, which pastoral associate Marla Overholt said is supplemented by youth groups for students from the third grade through high school and an online tool called Call to Faith eConnect. The Web site allows her to direct parish families to age-specific lesson plans they can work on between group meetings, and Mrs. Overholt said it gives parents the tools they need to teach their children about the faith.
Blessed John XXIII now has 614 registered households, and Fr. Weber said the median age of parishioners is 32.
The next phase for Blessed John XXIII is to build a dedicated church on the north side of the parish life center, closer to the road, but no timeline has been established yet. The Diocese of Toledo also intends to develop 25 acres of the property into senior housing through a partnership with Franciscan Services Corporation, the sponsored health and human services ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania.
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Last Updated on Friday, 06 February 2009 09:38 |
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