November 20, 2009

MARLENE QUARONI | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 10.07.09

POMPANO BEACH | St. Elizabeth of Hungary parishioner Maureen Wilt stood in a front pew at the church with tears in her eyes. She was there to welcome parishioners from nearby St. Joseph Haitian Mission who had brought the Blessed Sacrament to St. Elizabeth after the last Mass at their church Sept. 27.

“I feel sad for them,” said Wilt, a St. Elizabeth’s parishioner since 1975. “They just lost their home. We’ll make them feel at home. We’re blessed to have them.”

Along with 13 other churches in the Archdiocese of Miami, St. Joseph Mission, established in 1979, was forced to close for economic reasons. The mission served the Haitian community by helping immigrants acclimate to the United States. It provided social activities, counseling and Masses in Creole.

As of Oct. 1, the mission merged with St. Elizabeth. The closing Mass at St. Joseph was a time to say farewell, with tears and hugs for Father Ferris Brutus, St. Joseph’s pastor. Father Brutus has been reassigned as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in Homestead.

St. Joseph parishioners also expressed sadness and anger at the closing of their church.

“I feel terrible,” said Carole Jean-Pierre. “I’ve been coming here for 10 years. Because my son has Down syndrome, he wasn’t able to receive holy Communion. Father Brutus worked with him so that now he is able to receive the sacrament. Father Brutus means a lot to my family. I don’t know why they made the decision to close churches.”

“Why did they do this to a Haitian church?” said Seliquet Etienne. “I have been at this church for 25 years. Now we have to go to a different church. Yes, we have only one God, but we worship differently. I have Haitian friends who work on Sunday mornings and can only go to church in the evening. We had an evening Mass, but St. Elizabeth will only have Sunday Masses in Creole at 7:30 a.m. and noon. This could drive some people to Protestant churches.”

Although the people of St. Joseph will miss Father Brutus, Father Fritzner Bellonce, a Haitian priest who has been at St. Elizabeth since June, will be there to serve the Haitian community.

“I feel terrible for them,” said Father Bellonce. “We will try to continue their ministries. They are leaving the place they built themselves. This is the first time they’ve seen anything like this.”

In order to make the transition easier, St. Elizabeth of Hungary youths stood at the entrance of the church with signs that read: “Welcome St. Joseph’s” and “St. Elizabeth’s loves St. Joseph’s.” Other St. Elizabeth parishioners formed a welcoming line, greeting and introducing themselves to St. Joseph parishioners.

Father Paul Kane, St. Elizabeth of Hungary’s pastor, read a statement to the new parishioners in English, followed by Father Bellonce reading in Creole.

“On behalf of St. Elizabeth of Hungary I welcome you,” said Father Kane. “I know this day is very sad for you. You bless us and we welcome you as sisters and brothers. You are home here. Since the announcement of your mission’s closing, we have been praying for you, and today at all our Masses we prayed in a special way.

“Today’s Gospel invited us to pray in one spirit – one spirit who speaks all languages. The language of God is the language of love. We all speak the same language,” he continued. “The Holy Spirit is here with us to bring us consolation, hope and joy in our sorrows. We rejoice and thank God for you. We ask you to continue to share the very gifts of the Holy Spirit that were so alive for the 30 years that you remained together. The doors of St. Joseph may be closing, but I know your hearts remain wide open. Welcome! Bienvenue!”

The congregation greeted his words with applause.

 

Archdiocese of Miami Front Page

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