File - Holy Cross Parish, Derry, NH

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH
Derry, New Hampshire
A HISTORY
1988 - 2007
By
Edmond A. Drouin
COPYRIGHT - 2007 - Edmond A. Drouin
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in
part in any form.
INTRODUCTION
As we all journey through this life, it is not until we look back that we can
see all the forces that led us to be in the place where we are now. Often we
think we ended up in a particular place because of some personal decisions.
That’s partly true. The other part of that truth, as Holy Cross parishioners
well know, is the force called synchronicity – God’s purposeful planning in
which He’s gently trying to guide us.
It was through these synchronistic experiences more than my own decisions
that I found myself as pastor of Holy Cross Parish, which was only one big
empty field when I finally found my way to East Derry. Could I have
imagined then as I wandered around a rock-covered field eight years ago
that there would be an actual church building in this deserted place?
Truthfully, no.
In fact, in the middle of my second year as pastor, I did not believe that we
would be able to build a church. Parishioners were discouraged. I was
discouraged. So discouraged, in fact, that I was ready to report to the
Bishop that despite everyone’s bravest and best efforts, the Mission in East
Derry was probably not going to have its own church. Before making that
call, however, I prayed over this decision. I asked God to let me know
what it was He wanted for this parish and to send me the grace to see His
will and His way more clearly.
The next morning, a parishioner approached me and said, “Father, if you
need someone to help you get this thing off the ground, I’ll be here to help
you do that.” At that very moment, I knew: Synchronicity was standing
beside me once again! God’s purposeful timing was coming through, giving
me renewed hope and faith in this project that had up to now, been a real
uphill struggle.
Seven years later, I walk into this church, this elegant, simple structure with
a cross that dances in the wind, and I remain in awe of God’s great and
never-ending power, His great and never-ending peace, His great and neverending love that has guided a community of the most wonderful band of
faithful Catholics I have ever had the privilege to serve.
Looking back now, it’s easy to see how God had His hand in this plan all
along. The archetypal story of our salvation history was played out once
again in a tiny place along Hampstead Road. What might appear as a long
and tiring journey for the folks here at Holy Cross has only been a twinkle
in God’s own time. May He continue to bless them and their families with
great joy and gladness as the family of Holy Cross continues on its mission:
to serve God and one another.
Reverend Roger Croteau
PREFACE
When Father Roger Croteau and I first discussed this project three years
ago, we agreed that the story should revolve around the parishioners and the
work they did to build and grow the parish. Of necessity, I have included
many dates, places, meeting minutes and other details.
When Father Roger asked parishioners to share their experiences, many
people graciously invited me into their homes to discuss their recollections.
Several people shared private files and photographs which helped pin down
both dates and details of important events. In addition, I also interviewed
Bishop Christian and Monsignor Molan, and was given access to the
Diocesan file on the parish.
However, the heart of this story is found in the lives and work of our
parishioners, and their trials and triumphs. I hope the book will help all
of us to understand our history and to learn lessons from it which will help
us in our future.
I have tried to explain our complex history accurately; but, as in any history,
there will always be something missing or something stated that doesn’t
quite fit someone else’s perspective. While I know that I collected stories
with an open mind and heart, I apologize for any errors which may have
occurred. May they not deter anyone from realizing the miraculous process
and the hundreds of blessed parishioners who transformed a trailer in an
abandoned field into a place of hope and worship for East Derry.
I owe special thanks to my editor, Lorraine Lordi, and to photographers Bob
Conlon and Rick Voutour. Finally, I owe thanks to Sally Lehmenkuler, our
parish secretary. She uncovered all kinds of parish records and files and
was always cheerfully available to answer my questions.
I have done considerable research for this book, but I have chosen not to use
footnotes so that I could leave the text as a story which we all share. It has
been an honor for me to do this work. I have learned the stories of many
wonderful people and getting to know them has helped me become more
deeply rooted in the parish. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories
with me and, now, with the entire parish.
Edmond A. Drouin
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTERS
I
The Playing Field
1
II
St. Thomas Aquinas Mission Years
7
III
Transition from Mission to Parish
19
IV
Active and Growing
35
V
Middle Parish Years
53
VI
Founding Pastor to Problem-Solving Pastor
63
VII
Moving Forward
79
VIII
A Parish With a Church of its Own
129
CHAPTER I
THE PLAYING FIELD
No parish is built in a vacuum. Nor does a parish function as an isolated
island. Most begin in very humble surroundings, on a playing field with
other organizations.
Holy Cross Parish was built in a very old and abiding field, East Derry, NH.
It was built in a section of town with a long and illustrious religious history.
As we examine the history of our Catholic parish, it is inspiring to note that
the East Derry community itself was founded upon religious desires and
principles as well as a desire for independence, which persists to this day in
this countryside.
Early Roots: The Scots-Irish Religious Community
Holy Cross actually owes its religious beginnings here in New Hampshire to
the Scots-Irish immigrants. According to Joan Fraser, who wrote the story of
the founding of First Parish in 1994 for the parish’s 275 th anniversary, this is
how the First Parish Church in Derry developed.
“After the Reformation, Protestantism became the established religion in
England and the modes of worship as prescribed by the Anglican Church
were vigorously enforced. The Presbyterian Scots resented this and about
1612, they took the opportunity to migrate in large numbers to Northern
Ireland where King James the First had come into possession of two million
acres of land.”
As Fraser says, in time, these Protestant immigrants began to be
discriminated against, just as the Irish Catholics were. These two oppressed
groups became known as the “Scots-Irish.” Beset by poverty and religious
intolerance, the Presbyterians organized a group to sail to New England
where they could make a decent living and enjoy religious freedom. On a
morning in early April, 1718, five ships set sail with 217 men, their families
and 20 ministers. They arrived in Boston on August 4, 1718.
Several weeks later, sixteen families in the group decided to explore the land
along the southern Maine coast. They sailed up to Casco Bay, but the ship
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was frozen in the ice of an early winter. Many spent the winter on the small
ship. Others roughed it out on a barren land. Food was scarce, and illness
was widespread. Amazingly, no one died during that long winter.
In the spring, they set sail down the coast and then up the Merrimack River to
the village of Haverhill where they landed on April 2, 1719. They had heard
of a “fine tract of land” with oak, chestnut, butternut and walnut trees on the
property. It was called Nutfield. The piece of land was some ten miles north
of Haverhill. Some of the men went up to investigate the land and found just
what they wanted. They took the grant of 12 square miles, and had their
families and their former pastor, Reverend MacGregor, join them. The
Nutfield area included today’s Derry, East Derry, Londonderry, Windham,
and portions of Manchester and Hudson.
The families found a unique little brook in the area, which, while only 35
miles from the Atlantic Ocean, flowed west. They called it West Running
Brook. They built their cabins along either side of the brook. Each family
had a long, narrow strip farm of 60 acres which ran away from the brook,
allowing everyone access to water. This early settlement was known as the
double range. They also built two strong garrisons, large fortified houses, to
protect the settlers from Indian attack. This fear of Indian attack was
common along the frontier. However, they never suffered attacks due to a bit
of good luck. Rev. MacGregor had been a college classmate of the Marquis
de Vaudreuil, Governor of French Catholic Canada. The Governor prevailed
upon his Indian allies to leave Nutfield alone, which they did.
On April 12, 1719, Rev. MacGregor preached his first sermon to his small
congregation from a pulpit under a large oak tree along the shore of Beaver
Lake. Rev. MacGregor took his theme from Ezekiel: “ I will place them and
multiply them, and I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever.”
The Nutfield settlers cleared a central area for a common planting ground.
They learned to fish at Amoskeag Falls and began a small linen industry.
They had brought their spinning wheels, hand-cards, foot-wheels and looms
with them. They were adept at spinning linen from flax, which they found
they could grow easily in East Derry. This linen became well known along
the coast and formed the basis for later businesses in Derry.
Nutfield grew and prospered. More people joined them from Ireland in 1720,
the same year that the first road was built to link the Upper Village with the
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Lower Village. In 1722, Nutfield was incorporated as Londonderry. The
charter for the community required that a meetinghouse be erected within
four years. They built a small, well finished house in 1722, and it became the
meetinghouse until 1769 when the present First Parish Church was built. In
1723, they began an elementary school at the church.
Transportation routes helped shape Londonderry. In 1800, the center of town
was in the Upper Village, (East Derry), where the current Taylor Library,
First Parish Church, and the Upper Village Hall are located. That hall was
Londonderry’s first town hall.
By 1822, First Parish Church needed to be enlarged. The parish leaders
selected an unusual method; they cut the church in half across the middle.
Then they moved the east end away 24 feet. They filled in the gap and
reconfigured the new space. In 1827, the town was then divided into Derry
and Londonderry.
In 1848, work began on a railroad to connect Manchester and Lawrence. The
rails ran through Derry. The Depot is today’s Depot Steak House. The
railroad pulled business further west from Derry Village. In 1960, Interstate
93 was extended from Boston into New Hampshire. That also pulled
business further west again but with one difference. This high speed route
pulled people out of Derry to work in the Boston area. Derry and
Londonderry quickly became bedroom communities.
Businesses in town declined, but population soared. In 1900, Derry had
3,500 people. By 1959, the population had risen to 5,900. Thirty years later,
Derry had 30,000 people, many of whom were living in the new
developments of East Derry.
The Development of the Catholic Faith in New Hampshire
It is not known when the first Catholics arrived in New Hampshire. What is
known is that on November 3, 1620, less than three weeks after the departure
of the Mayflower from England, the British Royal Government granted a
patent for the founding of a colony between 40 and 48 degrees north latitude
along the Eastern coast of North America. This grant stipulated that no
Roman Catholic could go to the colony without first taking the oath of
Supremacy to the King as the head of the Anglican Church, something a
Catholic, in good conscience, could not do.
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About the same time, the French government granted a colony along the St.
Lawrence River to a group of French explorers. They called the grant the
Province of Quebec. That grant stipulated that no Protestant could go to the
colony unless he or she converted to Catholicism. At that time, Quebec was
all there was of an organized Canada, and it was populated by Natives and
French immigrants.
So how did Catholics become 28% of New Hampshire’s population by 1997?
Let’s take a quick look at the development of the Catholic faith in New
Hampshire.
The date of the first Mass in New Hampshire is uncertain, but one likely
possibility is during the summer of 1605 when Samuel de Champlain, the
great French explorer, worked his way down the Eastern coast of North
America. He is known to have landed at Odiorne Point in Portsmouth.
Supposedly he carried a priest with him on all his voyages. If that were true
in 1605, then it is likely that the priest would have said a Mass in Portsmouth.
In his History of Catholicism in New Hampshire, 1647-1997, Father Wilfred
Paradis says that the earliest presence of Catholic missionaries in New
Hampshire occurred around 1650 when some Jesuits traveled from Quebec to
New England seeking to convert Native tribes. He also points out that
between 1675 and 1783, the tribes were involved in seven separate wars
involving the English and the French. Some sided with the English, others
with the French. The tribes knew no national borders such as the English and
French tried to establish. Members of various tribes became Catholic, and
they might move back and forth between Quebec and New England. As their
numbers grew, Jesuit missionaries came to western Massachusetts and
northern New Hampshire to minister to them.
By the beginning of the Seven Years War in 1756, ten thousand French
Catholics were living in Quebec with 150,000 British Protestants living in
New England. The North American version of that war ended in 1759 when
the British took Quebec City and, in the final peace treaty, France yielded all
of Canada to the English. Both British and French began moving back and
forth across the border. According to Paradis, at the end of the Revolutionary
War in 1783, only 24 Catholic priests resided in all thirteen states with a
Catholic population of 24,000 to 30,000 and essentially none in New
Hampshire.
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In those early days, the Baltimore Diocese, created in 1789, oversaw all
Catholic activities in the thirteen states. The Boston Diocese, created in
1808, established St. Mary’s in Claremont in 1822 as the first Catholic parish
in New Hampshire. In the 1840's, the Irish potato famine caused a huge Irish
immigration to the United States. Most were Catholic. Forty years later,
poverty drove 750,000 French Canadian farmers down to New England and
into the mills along the rivers.
Diocese of Manchester
When the Diocese of Manchester was established in 1884, thirty-one parishes
existed in the State with about 45,000 Catholics. The Diocese was established
to oversee this rapid growth and to provide ministerial guidance. The first
Bishop of the new Diocese was Denis Mary Bradley, who served from 1884
to 1903.
During the first 100 years, the Diocese followed a consistent process in
establishing parishes. The people of an area would petition the Diocese for a
parish in their area or within their particular nationality and language. Thus,
many parishes were created to serve many nationalities, including French,
Italian, Polish and Spanish.
Once the Diocese conducted a feasibility study, it created a
area and waited to see how it grew. If things went well, the
become a parish with an assigned name, its own pastor
territory. The Diocese would help the parish build a church
granting generous mortgage terms.
Mission in the
Mission would
and a defined
and rectory by
From 1884 to 1900, twenty-seven new parishes were established. Among
these was St. Thomas Aquinas in Derry. The first Catholic Mass was said in
Derry, in a private home in 1869. Masses continued to be said in homes for
the next 17 years until, in 1885, a mission of St. Anne’s Parish in Manchester
was established in Derry. It took 17 years to become a mission but only three
more years for St. Thomas to become the 42 nd parish in the Diocese. The first
church was built in 1887 at the site where it is presently located. In 1905, the
parish ran a harvest bazaar which raised $3,557. This paid off the entire
parish debt!
However, that church was destroyed by fire in 1914, and a newer, larger
church was built almost immediately on the same site. The new church
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seated 860 people and, to the parishioners’ delight, had electric lights. The
parish became the largest in the state, while nearby towns were granted
parishes to handle the explosive growth.
St. Jude, Londonderry, 1962
St. Anne, Hampstead, 1979
St. Mark the Evangelist, Londonderry, 1981
Since its creation in 1884, the Diocese of Manchester has had eight bishops
and created 100 parishes.
This is the historic playing field upon which Holy Cross would take its place.
It would become an integral part of East Derry, a member of the Diocese and
a mission of St. Thomas set by ancestral groups to create a community of
faith.
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CHAPTER II
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS MISSION YEARS
Just as First Parish Church began under an oak tree down along Beaver Lake
in 1719 and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish began as a mission in a home on
Crystal Avenue in 1880, Holy Cross Parish began as a mission of St.
Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1988. By the 1980's, St. Thomas had become the
largest parish in the NH Diocese with about 10,000 people.
During the late 1980's, the parish had three priests to serve the congregation,
but it also had very limited land. The three priests were Franciscan Friars
whose order had agreed to handle the large parish due to the growing
shortage of diocesan priests. The parish also had a separately run diocesan
elementary school in a residential area in addition to their large, Gothic
church. With its minimal parking space, it used an industrial lot across
Crystal Avenue for weekend parking.
In the mid 1980's, Odore J. Gendron was the Bishop of the NH Diocese. He
had his first pastorate at Our Lady of Lourdes in Pittsfield in 1965. Then, in
1967, he was given the pastorate at St. Augustine, in Manchester, the oldest
French-Canadian parish in the State. On February 3, 1975, he was ordained
Bishop by Bishop Primeau, becoming only the second New Hampshire
Bishop to come to the post from essentially a pastoral background. (When
he was the Pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Pittsfield, he met an altar boy
named James Riel, who would later become the Pastor at Holy Cross.)
Bishop Gendron focused on parish life during his 15-year career as Bishop.
He conducted extensive parish visits throughout the State with priests and
parishioners. The reports of all these visits were prepared by Monsignor
Francis Christian who would later become a Bishop and be of great help to
the founders of Holy Cross Parish.
In 1985, Father Paul McHugh was working in the Diocesan Planning Office.
One of his assignments was to work with the New Hampshire State Office of
Demographic Growth, developing projections on population growth by
areas in the State. Then, he prepared an analysis of where Catholics would
be living and where churches were needed. He found that 4-5 areas in
southern NH needed new parishes. Of these, he recommended that East
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Derry was the foremost area to develop as its population was growing
rapidly. Plus, hundreds of acres of land were available for future building.
Finding the Space
At about the same time, pastors at St. Anne’s in Hampstead and St. Thomas
Aquinas in Derry began pressuring the Diocese to relieve their
overcrowding. Monsignor John Molan, a Vicar General of the Diocese, was
sent to meet with them, and he agreed. In 1986, Bishop Gendron assigned
Monsignor Molan the task of finding a suitable lot for a new church in East
Derry. The lot had to be 10-15 acres so it could accommodate a church, a
parish hall and possibly a school. A rectory did not have to fit on the lot but
needed to be nearby. The lot also had to be on a major local road with easy
access.
Monsignor Molan enlisted the help of Mr. Joseph Fobes, a diocesan
volunteer, who researched available land in East Derry. He reported that an
11.5 acre lot ran along Hampstead Road, which appeared suitable.
Monsignor Molan contacted the owner of the lot, Mrs. Zelda Hilberg, who
was living in an old trailer on the property. She was about 90 years old and
grew and sold flowers from the site. He eventually negotiated a sale of the
property on March 27, 1987, to include the trailer, for the sum of $239,540.
(Regrettably, he didn’t know the lot was also home to a very large and deep
ledge! More on that later.)
Early in 1988, Bishop Gendron asked Monsignor Molan to find someone to
investigate the feasibility of forming a mission in East Derry to see if there
were enough people to form a parish. At first, the mission would be a
branch of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, and Masses and other sacramental
functions would be handled by the Franciscan Friars who were staffing St.
Thomas.
Finding a Leader
Monsignor Molan selected Sister Jacqueline Brodeur of the Holy Cross
Community in Manchester to handle this feasibility function for one year to
conduct the assessment. Sister Pauline Lebel of the same community, who
was working in the diocesan office at the time, recommended Sister Jackie
because of her pastoral work and her desire to work at the grass roots level
with a mission.
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Sister Jackie had a background in pastoral work as well as a Master’s Degree
in Pastoral Ministry from St. Joseph’s College in Hartford, Connecticut. She
had worked in pastoral ministry in Nashua and at Notre Dame College. She
also had an extensive background as a teacher and as a school principal. In
the new mission, she would be named the Associate Pastor while Father
Gilbert Silverio, the Franciscan Pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas, would
function as the Pastor of the Mission.
In early summer, 1988, Monsignor Molan went with Sr. Jackie to visit the
pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Pelham. He had a good background in
forming new parishes and gave Sr. Jackie advice on how to begin and how
to keep the people active. Then, Monsignor Molan brought Sr. Jackie to the
wooded lot in East Derry and showed her what she had to work with. She
had 11.5 acres of trees, an old shed and a house trailer in poor condition off
in the middle of the woods.
One can only imagine what Sister Jackie thought and felt as she stood there
facing her new domain. From those who knew her, she probably took a
deep breath and said, “OK, Lord, let’s get to work.”
Sister Jackie was provided with a list of Catholics in the East Derry area
drawn from the St. Thomas Aquinas records. In an article in the Derry News
(September 16, 1988), Sister Jackie described her mission as “the roots” of a
new church. She said she was looking forward to the formation of a new
community of people and was eager to meet families by making home visits.
In her classic, jovial way, she said, “I’ll be the ‘Fuller Brush’ salesman,
meeting people, knocking on doors.”
She said the Diocesan decision to form a new church would depend on what
happened during her year in the community. “First, you establish a
community, then you start a church,” she said.
During the summer of 1988, Sr. Jackie went house to house to see who
might be interested in starting a new parish. The results were encouraging,
so she reported to the Diocese that it should proceed with the Mission. Julie
Conley remembers that she was one of the first eleven families to join the
Mission. Denis and Beverly Proulx were also among the very early
members.
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Sister Jackie’s “Castle”
The old trailer in the field became Sister Jackie’s home and office. As she
looked it over, she realized she had to go out and scrounge up furniture,
kitchen items, office equipment, and whatever else would make the place
livable. She also got help from her convent and from Sister Pauline at the
diocesan offices. By the time she finished, she claimed this little trailer was
a wonderful place to live, as was the shed out back, which she transformed
into a prayer chapel.
According to Derry tax records, Sister Jackie’s scrounging efforts were a
success!
1964 Trailer
Facility & Contents included: 1 bath; heat: kerosene & electric.
Kitchen
Dishes, Pots &
Pans, Utensils
Source
Holy Cross
Sisters
Living Room
TV,
Lighted Frame
Microwave,
Refrigerator
Mission
Lamps, Curtains
Mission
Can Opener,
Table and Chairs
Mission
Couch & Tables
Holy Cross
Sisters
Office
Typewriter,
Telephone, Filing
Cabinet, Lamp
Source
Porch
Source
Sister Jackie
Source
Mission
Copier, Ditto
Machine, Cabinets
Mission
Small Desk
Holy Cross
Sisters
Filmstrip Machine
Borrowed from
Diocesan office
Radio, Computer
Sister Jackie
Chapel
Tabernacle
Source
Borrowed from St.
Edmond’s Parish
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Sister Jackie lived in the trailer and used it as the parish office, holding
meetings there. Apparently, it needed fumigating, which was never done so
sometimes meetings were held in the company of little, furry creatures. All
God's creatures, great and small! With her natural sense of humor, Sister
Jackie took it all in stride.
During the summer of 1988, Sister Jackie had a group of 40-50 families who
agreed to help build the mission. Dave Breeden accepted the job of finding
a place for Mass and Religious Education classes. He agreed to approach
the Derry School District about the use of the East Derry Memorial
Elementary School gym for Masses. His wife, Diane, a member of First
Parish Church in East Derry, arranged to rent space there for CCD classes
and for some services. The relationship between this old Congregational
Church and this new mission would become very close. First Parish
members remembered their history as a small church begun under a tree in
1719, so they were supportive of another church, which began in a trailer in
the woods 269 years later.
Renting Space
On August 9, 1988, a Franciscan from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
accompanied Dave Breeden to ask the Derry School Board for formal
permission to rent space at the school for a Sunday morning Mass.
According to the Derry News, School Board member Ernest Barka raised
several objections: “We could be putting the school and town at risk. What if
someone gets hurt up there? Church and school should be separate.”
School Superintendent David Brown said, “If we say ‘yes,’ that’s one day of
every seven that other organizations can’t use the school.”
However, a week later, after the rent was settled, these objections became
silent, and the mission could begin scheduling Masses. Initially, that rent
was $16,622 a year but grew to $26,500 by 1998. Rent at First Parish began
at $1,700 annually and never changed much.
Kris Robertshaw remembers she first heard of the St. Thomas Mission from
Friar Peter Walsh, associate pastor at St. Thomas, during the September
meeting of the St. Thomas Liturgy Committee. He said the Mission was
about to begin and asked her to go to the first Mass and help in any way she
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could. He also wanted her to remain involved at St. Thomas as a link
between the mother parish and the new Mission. She said that Father Peter,
Father Bonaventure Bionda, and Father Ed Sobel were all going to say
Masses at the Mission, but their main jobs were still at St. Thomas. Other
people said they heard of the Mission at St. Thomas and looked into it on
their own.
The First Mass
On Sunday, October 2, 1988, thirty-five people walked into the gym of the
East Derry Memorial Elementary School, (EDMES) at 9:30 a.m. They
weren’t there for a basketball game but to go to Mass. The altar was a
folding table, which Sister Jackie had set up. The pews were metal folding
chairs, which each person got out of a storage closet and set up in rows in
front of the folding table. Since there were no kneelers, the early
parishioners were spared from kneeling for nearly 12 years!
The celebrant was Friar Ed Sobel of the Franciscans from St. Thomas. He
arrived at the school, wandered in, and wondered what to do. He had
wanted to be a missionary, but he never expected to meet his natives in a
gym surrounded by basketball posters. Early Eucharistic Ministers recall
having to carefully estimate how many hosts they would need for
Communion each week. They did not have a tabernacle in which to keep
consecrated hosts. Gary Kozicki, Denis and Beverly Proulx recall having to
eat all the extra hosts after Communion had been given out. The small, but
faith-filled group at that first Mass included these early parishioners:
Rick and Kathy Garon
Spud and Joanne Donovan
The Calloways
Kevin and Kathy Manning
Art and Maureen Daniels
The Mulloy Family
The Pomerleaus
Marsha Cournoyer
Bob and Emily Napoli
Steve and Kris Robertshaw
The Vincent Family
Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert
Rose Prunier
Dot Wiley
Nancy Pare
Those who attended that first celebration in the school gym claim they felt a
real sense of excitement. “We have begun! We’re doing this together, and
we will succeed!”
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By late 1988, the Mission was holding two Masses at EDMES: 5:30 p.m. on
Saturdays and at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The Mission grew.
The First Committees
Sister Jackie was the fire at the core of this mission. As Denis and Beverly
Proulx recall, she was “all over everything.”
She organized various
functions that she knew would be needed to bring the community together.
One of the first was the Mission Advisory Board, which is normally referred
to as a parish council. The first Mission Advisory Board, formed in late
1988, included these members:
Dennis Filbin, Chairperson
Sheila Olkovikas
David LeFrancois
Charlene Clinton
Don Murphy
Bill DeLong
Toni Kropp
Sidney Gilbert
Chris Corey, Youth Representative
Knowing that sharing food is the traditional way to foster community spirit,
Sister Jackie began the custom of having coffee and baked goods after Mass
so people could get to know one another. Since they had just shared the
Body and Blood of Christ, moving on to sharing food with one another was
an extension of the Mass. Families eagerly signed up to do the baking.
They made cookies, coffee rolls and cakes, which were quickly devoured as
they were all putting away the folding chairs.
Then, too, Sister Jackie started another critical ministry when she founded
the CCD, or religious education program. Sister Jackie asked Nancy Pare to
head this effort, and she did so for 12 years.
Among the early teachers were Joanne Donovan, Catherine Cournoyer and
Cindy Phillips.
Beverly Proulx remembers that she taught the First
Communion class in which her son Michael was a student. Today, he’s 25
years old. Some classes were held in the halls of EDMES while Mass was
going on in the gym. However, the school would not allow the mission to
use classrooms, so cafeteria tables were moved along the length of the
hallways. Some classes were also held at First Parish Church. The CCD
program quickly grew to 300 students.
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Here’s the schedule of those first classes:
Grades 1 & 2
EDMES
Sunday 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Grades 3, 4, 5
First Parish Church
Tuesday 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Grades 6, 7, 8
First Parish Church,
Tuesday 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sister Jackie was listed as Religious Education Coordinator.
In early December, 1988, the Mission became aware of a needy family of
twelve in East Derry. They decided to reach out to help them. Parishioners
each took a heart off a Christmas tree in the gym with the name and age of a
family member, and their wishes for Christmas. Parishioners agreed to fill
the wish, and they also took up a collection to buy a large Christmas dinner
for the family. The spirit was now spreading to those in need outside of the
Mission.
The First “Holy-Day” Celebrations
On December 24, 1988, the Mission celebrated its first Christmas as a
community. The two Masses had one unique liturgical element. Sister
Jackie asked all parishioners to bring a small hand bell to Mass. Christmas
caroling began thirty minutes before each Mass and, at the end of Mass,
there was a reading of “Santa at the Feet of Jesus.” Parishioners all joined
in ringing their bells when the moment of Jesus’ birth arrived. Children of
all ages were captivated by the sounds and the sense of celebration.
In March, 1989, the congregation celebrated its first Easter Vigil on the
porch of the trailer, which had come to be known as “Molan’s Manor” and
had such a sign on it. Parishioners also celebrated a Seder Supper on Holy
Thursday at 6:00 p.m. followed by Mass at 7:30 p.m. Monsignor Molan
came down to preside at these services.
Seder is the traditional Passover week dinner celebrated by the Hebrews
since the Exodus, giving thanks to God for protection as the Angel of Death
passed over every Jewish family protected by the Blood of the Paschal
Lamb. Seder is also that famous dinner known as The Last Supper in which
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Jesus announced the New Covenant. Thus, the Seder dinner connects
Christianity and Judaism, bringing together a common heritage, being heirs
of Abraham and children of God through Christ.
A Mission Growing -- More Masses Needed!
Masses were now held at EDMES on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday
at 10:00 a.m. The Mission had grown so two Masses were needed. The
summer schedule called for only one Mass on Sunday at 9:00 am.
In early 1989, the Mission distributed a brochure that described its
organization, services and people to contact:
·
Liturgical and Spiritual Committee, Chair Melissa Filbin
Plans services, music, trains Eucharistic Ministers,
Lectors and Altar Servers
·
Christian Formation Committee, Chair Sheila Olkovikas
An early version of today’s RCIA program
·
Outreach Program, Chair Toni Kropp
Welcomes new families to the area and to the Mission
·
Social Committee, Chair Kathy Garon
Plans, organizes and runs activities that foster community
Marilyn Kopriva joined the Mission about six months after it began.
Marilyn was a member of the Franciscan lay order and quickly became
involved in the Neighborhood Committee, chaired by Dot Wiley. Each
member visited 20 families in East Derry,
explaining the mission and
inviting families to join the new community.
At this time, Sister Jackie’s salary was $16,866 a year. In addition, the
rental fees for EDMES were $16,622, and for First Parish, $1,700. These
three items totaled $35,188 each year, so the small Mission was in a
financial crunch from the very first days. However, it never lost hope and
continued to work, pray and grow.
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Other Firsts: Spring Fling, Twins and Sociables
On May 19, 1989, the Mission held its first Spring Fling dance at St.
Thomas Aquinas parish hall. The first dance was so successful it held a
second one four months later on September 29 in the same hall.
In September, 1989, after Mass one Sunday, Sister Jackie asked Patti O’Neil
to stand so that the entire congregation could bless her and the twins she was
carrying. Patti says she was never so embarrassed in her life. On December
17, 1989, those twins, Andrew and Paul, were among the first to be baptized
in the Holy Cross Mission. Patti and David recall it vividly because Father
Ed Sobel performed the ceremony at the EDMES gym and did it by total
immersion of each baby boy.
Kathy Garon recalls that Sister Jackie recruited her to be the Chair of the
new Social Committee by telling her that “you have the gifts that are needed
and so you are the new Social Committee Chair.” As so many people
learned, it was impossible to say “No” to Sister Jackie.
Kathy says that all the social events were designed to build community
among a group of strangers, not to raise money -- although that was nice
when it happened. These events included the famous spaghetti suppers held
at the old K of C Hall. Many people volunteered to take part in these
suppers, and an amazing 200 people or more came. The committee’s focus
was tied to Sr. Jackie’s view that “first you build community, and then you
start a parish.”
The social committee also held dances, sleigh rides, penny sales and silent
auctions to promote connections within the community, and as Kathy said, to
sometimes make money, too.
On New Year’s Eve, 1989, the Social Committee held a dance at the old
Knights of Columbus Hall on Brook Street. The dance made a booming
$551.30 according to the records kept by Bob Messier. Profits normally
came from the 50-50 raffle rather than from ticket sales which paid the DJ,
hall rental, food and beverages.
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By this time, Sister Jackie had spent 18 months building the Mission from
the ground up, and she had great success. People who were there in the
beginning recall the enthusiasm, the tight sense of community, and the
strong spirit of hope that filled the community. Some have said they wish
there were a way to recapture that spirit even if they had to return to holding
Mass in a gym. That’s how much these early “missionaries” felt like one
family, united in purpose, faith and love.
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CHAPTER III
TRANSITION FROM MISSION TO PARISH
By 1990, the Mission had grown to 200 families. Religious education classes
were underway, and children were preparing for First Communion. Masses
were being said in the gym at EDMES. Sister Jackie was still overseeing the
growth, and the Franciscan Friars were handling sacramental services.
Social activities were growing. The 1989-1990 New Year’s dance raised
$551.30, and on February 21,
Sister Jackie met with Social Committee
members, Kathy Garon, Bill and Ginnie Corey, Art and Maureen Daniels
and Mimi Mandile. According to Mimi’s minutes, Sister Jackie offered the
opening prayer and included a prayer for Art Daniels who was celebrating
his birthday. They discussed several events on the drawing board, such as a
Las Vegas Night and a Spring Fling.
The Spaghetti Supper and Penny Sale were scheduled for three weeks away,
on March 10. Plans included the following:
Ž
During the spaghetti supper, games for the children, will be
coordinated by Bev Proulx.
Ž
Sister Jackie had 35 prizes for the Penny Sale with more to
come. Mary Gilbert is helping her with this.
Ž
Sister Jackie and Art Daniels will go "scope out" the St.
Thomas Aquinas kitchen. They will make meatballs and
sauce from scratch rather than buy canned Prince products.
Sister Jackie joked that they may "get in the bread line with
the Friary" since the Friars get free bread from a local
bakery!
Ž
Mimi reported that bibs for the children are being supplied
by Papa Gino's. Bill Corey is looking into the legality of
offering beer and wine as opposed to selling it. The team's
comparison shopper, Sister Jackie, will check out BJ's prices
on paper goods, sauce and cheese -- and checkered tablecloths
and Italian music for ambiance!
Ž
Finally, the team agreed to share some of the profits with
Pastor Father Gilbert for the use of the hall.
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Through these social events, people came to know one another and formed
community. Several people have said that such work really built the
community, which Sister Jackie insisted was necessary to grow a parish.
The Spaghetti Supper and Penny Sale were held on March 10, 1990, and
raised $668.91. The Spring Fling Dance was held on May 4, 1990, and 50
couples’ tickets were sold. The profit on the dance came to $190.50 and
went to the building fund. On April 14, the Social Committee met to
evaluate its events and to continue planning. The Spaghetti Supper was rated
as a huge success. The next time, the committee agreed to do the following:
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Bake and prepare more bags for the Cookie Walk.
Price the Penny Sale tickets at 3/$1.00 instead of the 5/$1.00.
Make more garlic bread and salad!
Recruit more table setters as well as a clean up committee.
Then June arrived, and things began changing rapidly.
On June 12, Bishop Odore Gendron retired after serving the Diocese for 15
years, from 1975 through early 1990. Bishop Leo O’Neil automatically
replaced him as he had been named Coadjutor of the Diocese on October 17,
1989, by Pope John Paul II. This meant that he was put in place to be ready
to take over when Bishop Gendron retired.
Bishop Leo O’Neil
Leo O’Neil was born on January 31, 1928, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He
attended Catholic elementary and high schools in Holyoke. In the fall of
1945, he entered the Maryknoll Junior Seminary at Clark’s Summit,
Pennsylvania. He spent four years preparing to become a missionary priest.
O’Neil left the Maryknoll Order in 1949 and spent one year at St. Anselm’s
College in Manchester before entering the Grand Seminary in Montreal in
1950, ten years before Roger Croteau, future parish priest at Holy Cross
Church, entered that same seminary. O’Neil was ordained on June 4, 1955,
and was assigned to work as a parish priest.
O’Neil’s wide-ranging talents and interests allowed the Diocese to use him in
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many capacities. From 1955-1968, he was stationed at St. Mary's Parish in
Westfield, MA, but was also the director of the parish’s elementary and high
schools. On June 29, 1968, he became associate pastor at St. Catherine of
Siena Parish in Springfield, MA. He also taught religion at Ursuline
Academy and was the chaplain at two local convents. In May, 1976, O’Neil
was given his only pastorate at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in
Haydenville, Massachusetts. He had roles in overseeing pastoral planning,
retreat houses, special ministries for youth, the separated and divorced and
the elderly. With such a wide range of responsibilities, he was clearly being
groomed to become Bishop. Four years later, he was made Auxiliary Bishop
of the Springfield Diocese.
In 1989, he was given the responsibilities for developing a diocesan cabinet
and for designing and implementing a program to train priests for working
with the growing Hispanic population. That program eventually had these
priests spend six weeks in Puerto Rico to learn the Spanish language and
culture. Bishop O’Neil spent the entire time in Puerto Rico with them.
On October 17, 1989, he was appointed the Coadjutor of the Manchester
Diocese. This position prepared him to take over the Diocese when Bishop
Gendron retired on June 12, 1990. According to many, Bishop O’Neil
became the most popular Bishop in the Manchester Diocese’s history, and
quickly became known as “The People’s Bishop.” He had a lively sense of
humor and a close rapport with the young. During one Mass, he walked
down the center aisle at the recessional and high-fived all the children who
could reach him.
The First Pastor at Holy Cross
On June 20, 1990, Bishop Gendron selected Father James Riel of Merrimack
“Priest Coordinator of the Catholic Community in East Derry and as Campus
Minister/Chaplain at Trinity High School in Manchester.” Bishop Gendron
had known Father Jim since he was a pastor in Pittsfield and Jim Riel served
as an altar boy in his congregation.
James Riel was born July 3, 1957, in Concord, New Hampshire, and
graduated from St. Anselm’s College in Manchester. He then entered the
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major seminary of Christ the King in Aurora, NY, and was ordained by his
former mentor, Bishop Odore J. Gendron at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in
Manchester on April 30, 1983. He was 26 years old.
He was first assigned as Associate Pastor at St. Joseph’s Parish in Nashua,
NH, on June 15, 1983. Four years later, he was transferred as Associate
Pastor to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Concord. One year later, he was
transferred to Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Merrimack, NH, before his
transfer to Holy Cross in 1990.
Shortly after his arrival in East Derry, the Mission held an outdoor picnic
reception at EDMES for Father Riel so he could meet his parishioners. At
this time, Holy Cross did not have a rectory, so Father Jim continued to live
at the rectory in Merrimack and commute to East Derry. Some time during
August, 1990, Father Riel, who, by then, had become known as Father Jim,
got together with the Mission Advisory Board members and told them that
they were going to be named a parish, but they had a big job to do first.
He asked them to think of who they were and imagine what they wanted their
parish to be called. He said he would narrow the suggested names down to
three and then let the congregation vote on the name they wished to carry
forward. The final three names proposed for the parish were St. James, for
Father Jim; St. Francis, for the Franciscans; and Holy Cross, for Sister
Jackie’s order, Sisters of the Holy Cross. The vote went overwhelmingly for
Holy Cross.
On September 11, 1990, Bishop O’Neil formally established Holy Cross
Parish as a “quasi-parish,” which meant a parish under development. Holy
Cross was the 131 st parish to be established in the Diocese. It was also the
only parish which Bishop O’Neil established during his seven year reign as
New Hampshire’s “People’s Bishop.”
In the fall, Father Riel obtained a list of 980 Catholic families in East Derry
from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. He wrote to many of them asking them to
consider joining Holy Cross. George Strout received a letter and, after he and
Geri attended a few Masses in the school gym, they joined the parish.
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Holy Cross Parish Comes Into Being
On December 16, 1990, Bishop O’Neil wrote this letter to the newly formed
parish:
“My dear People: Peace and Grace! ‘Rejoice! I say again.
Rejoice!'
These words of St. Paul, which begin today’s second reading, give the
third Sunday of Advent its name, ‘Gaudete’. They are the words I
would like to greet you with today as I designate Holy Cross, East
Derry, New Hampshire, a quasi-parish; set its boundaries and name
the Reverend James Riel your first pastor.
“Rejoice! I say again. Rejoice!” The Franciscan Fathers of St.
Thomas Parish, Sister Jacqueline Brodeur, Father Riel and all of you
have done a tremendous job in bringing your community to this day.
But the work has just begun!
You begin actively, now, to build for the future. Your new beginnings
coincide with the implementation of the pastoral plan, RENEWING
THE COVENANT - New Hampshire Catholics in the 1990's.
But you also begin this new adventure in anxious times. The economy,
the danger of war are of major concern for all of us. These challenges,
however, make us more aware of our dependence on God. The world
needs a Savior now as much as it did at Christ’s birth. The
establishment of a new faith community is a symbol that we know that
our faith, our values, our Church are essential elements in our lives.
Advent is a time of preparation–sometimes quiet, sometimes frenzied.
The establishment of a quasi-parish and the preparation required to
become a viable, full-fledged parish will demand patience and longing,
somewhat similar to the mood of Advent. It will, at other times, be
filled with the joyful excitement of an approaching Christmas.
The diocesan pastoral plan will help chart your course because it
clearly defines what a parish community is all about. But I urge you,
as you begin to prepare for the future, to build solidly. Jesus warned
that we should not build on sand, but on rock–the rock of faith. Our
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Catholic faith is a precious gift, a rich tradition. You are privileged in
a singular way to assure that our faith will be well-established in East
Derry. You will be the founders of a new local church.
I urge you to be rooted in the Eucharist. Make certain that Liturgy,
right from the very start, is the center of your community. Be certain
that every celebration is done with the utmost care–that music, prayer,
reading, presiding, serving, celebrating offer God the best possible
worship.
Pay careful attention also to your religious formation and education
programs, especially as they regard our young people. The seeds you
sow will be the harvest of the Church for years to come.
I want to thank Sr. Jacqueline Brodeur in a very special way. Your
parish and her religious congregation share the same name so, in a
sense, she will always be a woman of Holy Cross. On behalf of the
entire diocese, I offer her our admiration and our gratitude for a
splendid job in helping you to form your new faith community.
You are all aware of the work that remains to be done. The surest way,
the only way is through prayer, and then knock on doors. Don’t be
bashful to invite people to join you. Go for it!
Asking for your prayers and pledging mine, I am your friend in
Christ.
+ Leo E. O’Neil, Bishop of Manchester
Bishop O’Neil also enclosed a boundary plan which divided the parish into
nine areas, which were subsequently used by the Neighborhood Networking
Committee to recruit new parish members.
Parishioners quickly discovered that Father Jim was an imaginative and
creative liturgist and preacher. His dedication to the liturgy was in line with
Bishop O’Neil’s advice. His tendency toward creative and theatrical effects
led to many of the symbols still used in the parish.
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For example, Father Jim’s cross was a “very powerful symbol in the early
church” according to Denis and Bev Proulx. Chris Pare had made it in 1989
for Sister Jackie, but it was damaged and had to be destroyed a few years
later. Reportedly, Father Jim needed a larger cross since he was taller than
Sister Jackie. The cross hanging in the lobby is still referred to as “Father
Jim’s Cross.”
During Father Jim’s first Lent in 1991, he brought a six foot cactus into the
gym at EDMES. He also set up small baskets each with different colored
pieces of paper in them. He asked people to take one of the papers and write
their name on it. Then, he asked all who had red papers to come up and hang
them all around the cactus. The next week, he had all the green papers hung
on the cactus and so on, week by week, until, at Easter, the cactus looked
fully in bloom with colorful paper, symbolic of the risen Christ.
On Good Friday, 1991, Father Jim carried the heavy, black, wooden cross
down the aisle at the school gym to the foot of the table which served as the
altar. He turned to the congregation and held the cross up, supported on his
shoulder, for each person to come forward and venerate it. The cross was
large and heavy, and Father Jim was a slight man. Naturally, he tired and had
to shift the cross from one shoulder to the other as people came forward.
With an energized community, Holy Cross was a vital parish even though it
did not yet have a church. Its religious education program was active, due in
no small part to the new pastor livening up religious services in order to
interest young people. For example, he often invited children to come up and
sit or stand by the altar so they could feel closer to the ceremony. While the
spirit of the parish was growing, though, it had one major problem: to find a
way to build a church and classrooms. Part of the problem included deciding
on the design. The other part was to figure out how to raise the money
needed. Parish finances are always a concern in young parishes, but for this
community, the financial burden seemed overwhelming, as the financial
report for July-June, 1990-1991, shows:
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Income
Sunday Offerings
Monthly Helper
Rel. Ed. Fees
Total Income
Expenses
$43,902
$ 4,215
$ 4,488
Salary, Fr. Jim
Salary, Sr. Jackie
Rent EDMES
Rent First Parish
$ 52,605
Total Expenses
$ 9,887
$16,866
$16,622
$ 1,700
$45,075
BALANCE $7,530
Besides the overwhelming job of actually financing and building a church,
another dramatic change took place. Sister Jackie left the parish during the
summer of 1991. It was a difficult decision for her, but after much prayer,
she moved on to become Principal of St.Thomas Aquinas School.
Two years earlier, Sister Jackie came to a patch of woods in East Derry and
was told to start a Mission. It was her job to attract members, form a
community, arrange the services, get people to hold classes and other
meetings in their homes, raise money, and make the group of wanderers into
a solid, supportive community. All that without knowing a single person in
East Derry. She also lived in an old, decrepit trailer along with a few
uninvited furry creatures. As so many parishioners attest, without her
courage and grace, Holy Cross would not be a parish today.
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CHAPTER IV
ACTIVE AND GROWING
As 1991 began, Holy Cross Parish was active and growing. The enthusiasm
that resulted from becoming a formal parish carried over to the next set of
tasks to be undertaken, old ones as well as new. Liturgy, music and religious
education would evolve over time but would always be part of the critical
base of the parish. The two new daunting tasks were to build a church and to
raise the money to pay for it.
Father Jim’s Enthusiastic and Creative Contributions
Father Jim began to make his impact on the parish through the inventive
liturgies he designed. He was creative and willing to take risks in his
ceremonial designs. People noticed that he wasn’t going to do the same
things the same old way. He was also a powerful and fascinating preacher.
Several parishioners said he was the best preacher they had ever heard. This
combination of inventive liturgies and fine preaching helped attract new
members to the young parish.
In order to have all ministers come together in the liturgy, Father Jim began
the practice of having Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Servers meet
with him before Mass for prayer and reflection. The idea was to have Lectors
realize they weren’t simply going to read scriptures; they were going to
proclaim those selections and make them come to life for the congregation.
Eucharistic Ministers weren’t simply going to hand out wine and wafers, but
they were holding and sharing the Body and Blood of the Lord. Father Jim
wanted the young Altar Servers to appreciate that they were helping the priest
celebrate the service. They needed to behave as competently as adult
ministers.
Father Jim was also very interested in including the children in the liturgy.
After the sermon, Nancy Pare would come forward carrying a lectionary.
Father Jim would bless her and call all the CCD students to follow her out to
classes. Then he would invite the remaining small children to come up and
gather around the altar while he finished the Mass, thus making them feel that
they were connected to the Mass in an important way.
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Having the young people near to the altar was a wonderful experience for
them, but it didn’t come without some interesting moments. One Christmas,
the gym was packed with people, and the folding table altar had been put up
on perches to be higher so more people could see better. Many children were
gathered around the altar. As Father Jim was saying the consecration, an
Altar Server fainted and fell, knocking a couple of other children over.
Father Jim looked more than a little worried as he tried to reach for the Altar
Server, hold the chalice, and steady the table. Fortunately, pediatrician Sid
Gilbert was nearby to help out.
At one Easter Vigil, Father Jim was walking through the aisles, sprinkling
people with holy water using a switch. The Altar Server was carrying the
large bowl of water along behind him. Every time Father Jim dipped the
switch into the bowl and drew it back, he sprayed the Altar Server in the face.
At first, he didn’t realize that he was giving a good shower, but when he did,
he tried to be a bit more careful. However, at the end, he turned and really
sprayed the Altar Server. Gotcha!
A Young Parish, Growing
The parish was growing by word of mouth and the work of parishioners. The
Neighborhood Networking Committee was out visiting families and inviting
them to join the parish. Many of the young families met other young families
at the ubiquitous soccer matches and school events where they spoke to their
young friends and invited them to look into Holy Cross.
Families such as the Garons, the Phillips and the Robertshaws were very
active in the church and in the community. In general, many people had
questions about the church group meeting in the gym. That led to discussing
what happened and how things were done and to invitations to “come and see
for yourselves.” Just as Sister Jackie used personal invitations to staff church
needs, the Neighborhood Networking Committee went out and issued
personal invitations to join the church.
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The Annual Spiritual Report submitted to the Diocese contained these
figures:
MEMBERS
1990
Total Number of Homes
Total Number of People
Total Number of Adults
Total Number of School Children
Total Number Infants/Toddlers
1991
1992
182
634
325
262
47
287
947
557
307
87
417
1,405
823
435
147
172
32
15
219
218
42
30
290
278
57
43
378
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Elementary Students
Junior High Students
High School Students
Total
SACRAMENTS
Number of Baptisms
Number First Communions
Number Confirmations
Number of Marriages
10
30
3
0
31
47
1
1
34
54
18
2
Notice that the number of parishioners nearly doubled in two years as did the
number of children in religious education classes. The religious education
program was booming. This parish, without a church or hall, had one of the
most energetic programs in the Diocese. Some classes were held in the
hallways at EDMES while Mass was going on. Other classes were held at
First Parish Church in the afternoon or evening. By 1992, the program had
378 students taught by 26 volunteer teachers.
The program was headed by Nancy Pare who brought tremendous energy to
the task. She didn’t have an office, so her living room became the office.
Files were stored all over her home. Staff meetings were held in her kitchen.
With all the work involved in running a large and diverse program, you can
imagine yourself lasting for one year and then running for cover. Nancy
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didn’t run. She stayed at it for 12 years. To continue the analogy, if Sister
Jackie was the mother of the parish, Nancy Pare was the older sister who
cared for and taught the parish’s children.
She had lots of help from mothers in the parish. Cindy Phillips, who had two
young boys at the time, got involved because they were in the CCD program.
At one point, she taught two different classes in a year. It was hectic because
she and Dana were working, and they were having a new home built in East
Derry.
On October 4, 1993, Father Jim wrote to Bishop O’Neil concerning parish
progress. Among other items, he mentioned that they had 500 registered
families and over 400 children in CCD. He thanked Bishop O’Neil for
coming down to participate in “one of the four First Communion celebrations
for the 67 children who came to the table of the Lord for the first time.”
While the parish endured some ups and downs, the CCD Program was an
outstanding success from the earliest days to the present. That success has
been noted by people outside our parish. In fact, in 2004, the parish invited
the New England Director of Vocations for the Felician Sisters to join in a
series of vocation workshops for teenagers. Sister Mary John does this work
across the region and normally finds a dozen CCD students in parishes she
visits. She was astonished that Holy Cross had 100 students present. She
couldn't believe that a small parish could be doing so much. She was also
amazed that the parish had a 12-year history of religious education without a
place of its own for years.
Development and Social Activities: Fund Raising and Compassion
The Social Committee was also active under the leadership of Kathy Garon.
Its minutes of 1-20-91 mention that the New Year’s Dance had 81 people
present and raised $260, mainly from the 50-50 raffle. Kathy and crew were
planning a sleigh ride and were discussing holding a meeting for all parish
volunteers. An Easter egg hunt was also planned, to be held between the 8:00
a.m. and l0:30 a.m. Masses. This lively and passionate group also held
spaghetti suppers and penny sales.
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Spaghetti Suppers
If you look at all the people behind the scenes of one of these famous
spaghetti suppers, you’ll find a whole host of people involved, as is
evidenced in the supper planned for March 29, 1992:
Volunteer Sign Ups
Mike & Sharon Allen
Justin & Manda Bloch
The Coreys
Laura Donnellan
Jack & Sandra Dowd
Jean Driscoll
Joe & Melanie Endyke
Tony Gallo
Dianne Harper
Teia Katavola
John Kellaway
Donna Leitner
Donna Morse
Beverly Proulx
The Sobodachas
Kris Robertshaw
Linda Spear
Steve White
That's 24 volunteers for just one spaghetti supper!
Their Shopping List
75 lbs. hamburg @ $1.29/lb.
3 dozen eggs
10 lbs. grated cheese
1 case #10 tomato puree
1 case #10 crushed tomatoes
10 large cans tomato paste
50 lbs. spaghetti
Tea, coffee, sugar
Tablecloths
Centerpieces
40 lbs. salad
4 gallons salad dressing
50 loaves of bread
10 lbs. butter
Paper plates, napkins, bowls
Toilet paper
Knives, Forks, Spoons
Hot and cold cups
Orange Drink(BurgerKing)
Paper Towels
All this to serve 300 people!
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Now, organizing the tasks!
SET-UP
Jack Dowd
John Kellaway
Rick Sobodacha
Tony Gallo
Jean Driscoll
SERVING
Donna Leitner
Linda Spear
Joe & Melanie Endike
Steve White
COOKS - MEATBALL MAKERS
The Coreys
Art Daniels
Jim Donnellan
Linda Spear
Bobby McDermott
Deb Donnellan
Mary Missert
Mike & Sharon Allen
CLEAN UP
Jack Dowd
Tom Bloch
PENNY SALE
Teia Katavola
DECORATING
Steve Wilbar
Cindy Phillips
Kris Robertshaw
COOKIE WALK
Betty Sobodacha
ADVERTISING
Deb Donnellan
TICKETS
MUSIC
Bev Proulx
Dianne Harper
nd
Dianne Harper (2 Seating)
All in all, this amazing group sold $958 in tickets and made $784, which
went to the Building Fund.
-39-
The Holy Cross Cookbook
Food for the soul as well as the body was obviously a centralizing force in
this parish! In 1993, the parish wrote and produced a cook book, which
contained hundreds of recipes, from Teia Katavola’s “Bourbon Sauce
Weiners” to Judy Monahan’s “Million Calorie Cheesecake” to Mario
Iannacone's “Our Daily Bread Bagels.” Father Jim submitted his special
recipes, too, including “The Rectory Surprise,” a tasty dish of “tri-colored”
macaroni, cheese, tomatoes and sausage.
Perhaps the most precious recipes in this volume, however, are in the “This
and That” section. Try following these directions in order to make an
unforgettable pizza or once in a lifetime chocolate chip cookies written by the
CCD first graders!
Pizza: Buy dough at a store in a bag. Flatten it out. Make it round.
Put the sauce on. Put the cheese on. Put extra cheese on and stuff. Put
in the oven for 10 minutes on 30 – 40 degrees.
Chocolate Chip Cookies: Eggs, Milk, Water, Flour, Chocolate Chips,
Sugar. (Nuts optional). Mix it up. Put it on a cookie sheet. Cook at 60
degrees for an hour.
The parish was growing in spirit and community, as is also evidenced by the
sixty-four communicants of the 1993 First Communion class, taught by Julie
Corderio, Mrs. Kaminski, Joelle Ingram, Mrs. Ferdinando, Danielle
Martineau, Mrs. Stagnone, Jared Raymond and Mrs. McLaughlin:
Jeffrey Blood
Erin Bowser
Jonathan Conley
Tyler Endyke
Eric Gaudes
Meghan Mahoney
Christine Miley
Jennifer O’Neil
Megan Parent
Julien Belanger
Angela Sante Fe
Nicole Chaggaris
Tiffany Cormier
Matthew French
Sean Kennedy
William McLaughlin
Daniel O’Neil
Brett Stratton
Victor Ross
Thomas Burns
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Sarah Brown
Ryan Brown
JoAnn Dodge
Alexander Garrison
Daniel Goulet
Emily Euriech
Kelli Murphy
Nicholas Pendergast
Gregory Proulx
Jamie Boraczek
Jocelyn Soucy
Amy Carroll
Sarah Brussard
Jamie Intoppa
Danielle Delaney
Lisa Magee
Kari Giesler
Christopher Phillips
Lindsay Reddington
Christopher Matrumalo
Nicole Russo
Stephen Poirier
Patrick Wood
Sierra Faist
Kerrin Dawe
Amy Landes
Leah Gaspari
Christine Mulvaney
Melissa Simpson
Stephen Poirier
Adam Rice
Kevin Wright
Jennifer Madarese
Richard Dupere
Kristen Cournoyer
Cassandra Jewitt
Melissa Ferdinando
Meagan Moran
Jesse Lockhart
Michael Stagnone
Brett Schucheraba
Kathyrn Pelland
Michael Surrette
Victor Ross
“Love One Another”
The nurturing community spirit planted by Sister Jackie blossomed with
hope and life once again in July, 1993.
One morning, Kris Robertshaw, one of the parish founders, noticed a small
lump on her breast. She went to her doctor immediately. The exam and a
biopsy showed a malignant growth, which the doctor diagnosed as cancer.
Kris was admitted to the Bon Secours Hospital in Methuen where she
underwent surgery and, in the following days, began lengthy sessions of
chemotherapy. She recuperated at home during most of this time but had to
go down to the hospital for the therapy.
The treatment weakened her, and as Kris said, she had daily bouts of nausea,
which made it hard to care for her family. At the weekend Mass following
her surgery, several people told Father Jim about her illness and wondered
what they could do to help. He suggested that a group of women cook dinner
for the family each evening. He told Kathy Garon that she would be a good
one to get this organized.
Once again, Kathy rose to the occasion. She phoned 30 women who agreed
to prepare full course dinners one day a month. They delivered the meal to
Kris’ door at 5:30 p.m. They also found other ways to help. Some drove her
to the doctor’s office and chemo sessions. Others drove her son to soccer or
basketball practices.
-41-
Kris remembers this outpouring of compassion and caring as the highlight of
her parish experiences. This is one fine example of Holy Cross Parish’s
mission spirit: to go forth and do the Lord’s work with and for one another.
It is faith in action, the concrete example of what the Lord meant when He
said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
The Development Committee
In the Spring of 1992, Father Jim set up a Development Committee to raise
money to build a church. Dana Phillips, an early member, says they were
supposed to work closely with the Social Committee on events. Their focus
was raising substantial sums of money while the Social Committee focused
on developing community spirit and raising some money. These folks made
up the Development Committee:
Father Jim
Bill Corey, Chair
Art Daniels
Steve Wilbar
Brenda Willis
Dana Phillips
At this time, Dana told Father Jim that he wasn’t sure he should be on the
committee as he wasn’t Catholic. Father Jim had seen Dana and Cindy as
regular parishioners but didn’t notice that Dana never received Communion.
Dana told him that he had heard about the RCIA program, which Don and
Nancy Gallant conducted, and he was wondering if he should enroll. Father
Jim encouraged him to do that and to aim for baptism and confirmation
during the coming Easter season. Dana did and became one of the parish’s
most dedicated and devout members.
According to Dana, the two separate committees felt in a tough spot since
the Building Committee made little information available to them and they
didn’t know how much money they were supposed to raise. Nor did they
know what the planned church looked like or what it might cost. When
Dana raised this concern with Father Jim, he was told “not to worry.” It
would all be laid out once they had it together and ready for presentation.
Despite the lack of detailed information, these two committees had a basic
idea of what they needed to do. Dana and his group began to focus on
events that could raise significant amounts of money.
The Social
Committee, which had been running spaghetti suppers and other events
necessary for building community spirit, knew it could never raise the cash
needed to build a church.
-42-
One Cent at a Time
The major money makers which the Development Committee worked on
were the Penny Sales. They got advice from Donna O’Connor who had run
some in another parish. This event became a very good fundraiser and, over
the years, brought in about $7,000 each time. Dana said these Penny Sales
required a lot of work but they were successful. So Dana and the group kept
working on Penny Sales, Silent Auctions, T-shirt Sales, Spaghetti Suppers,
and Dinner Dances.
The Penny Sales and Silent Auctions required dozens of people to do the
work. They ran for two days, Saturdays and Sundays. The silent auction
involved obtaining from stores and parishioners fairly expensive items which
were displayed on tables with a pad on which to write a bid. As the day wore
on, others could come by and write in a higher bid. At the end, the highest
bid won the item. Over the span of two days, many people came back to
check on preferred items and raise the bid.
The development team also sold some items via raffles. They would have
250-300 items for sale, many of which were substantial and brought in good
money. The Penny Sale portion was mainly for children because they needed
something to do while their parents silently shopped. A person could buy a
block of numbered tickets at, say, $1.00 for 20 tickets. As children moved
around the Penny Sale tables, they could drop one or more tickets in the box
beside the item they liked. At the end of the two days, someone drew a
number from the box and the person who had that number won the item.
People who liked an item might drop 20 tickets all in the same box to
increase the likelihood that their number would be drawn.
People stayed for quite a while during each day for the food concessions and
to visit with friends. The crew used a unique approach to these sales as you
didn’t have to be there when the numbers were drawn. Every person who
bought tickets had her name entered into the computer system, which Bob
Lehmenkuler set up. It tracked the name and number so when the winning
number was drawn, they could simply look up the name and number.
-43-
According to Sally Lehmenkuler, their Penny Sales drew more and more
outsiders who came because these events were so well run, had such great
prizes, and the computer aided system was unique. She said some of the
people were almost professional Penny Sale players. They would buy $25$30 worth of tickets and go around stuffing the boxes for things they really
wanted.
These fundraisers did three things well. They brought large numbers of
people together for food and for meeting one another. Secondly, they
brought people to work together in planning and conducting social events.
Finally, these events raised significant amounts of money to go toward the
new church.
Here’s a story of the spaghetti sauce delivery man. Mike and Sally Dion
made a very large pot of nice, red spaghetti sauce for one supper. Mike
loaded the pot into the back of his new van and took off for the K of C Hall
to deliver it. Alas, along the way, he had to make a quick stop in traffic.
The van stopped just fine, but the pot discovered the force of inertia and kept
moving until it tipped over and spread gallons of red sauce all over the van.
Mike said it took him weeks to get the van clean again.
In terms of raising money, these events worked very well. Each Penny Sale
raised $7,000. Dinner Dances raised $6,000 and Spaghetti Suppers raised
$750 to $900. By the time the church was built, these teams had raised
nearly $400,000 through their combined efforts!
The Struggle to Build a Church: Faith & Dedication
On June 27, 1991, almost a year to the day after his arrival in East Derry,
Father Jim felt he was ready to work toward building a church for his young,
growing parish. Holy Cross had grown to 220 families, and he knew that the
St. Thomas records showed another 980 registered Catholic families lived in
East Derry. The potential for greater growth was clearly in front of the
parish since these families all lived in the territory defined for the parish.
Father Jim began writing letters to these families inviting them to join the
new parish.
Father Jim had come to know many of his parishioners and was ready to
recruit for the two major committees.
First, he wanted a Building
-44-
Committee which would focus on designing and building a suitable church.
Second, he knew he needed to form a Development Committee which would
focus on raising the money needed to build the church.
He convened his new Building Committee in the venerable trailer on the
evening of June 27. The Committee included these people:
Father Jim Riel
Jim Rogers, Chair
Patti O’Neil
Tony Gallo (Builder)
Rick Garon
Bob Pomerleau
The group had some very useful experiences. As chairperson, Jim Rogers
and his family joined the Mission in the spring of 1989 when his nephew
asked him to be his sponsor at his confirmation that fall. Jim accepted, and
he and his family became active parishioners. Shortly after they joined,
Sister Jackie recruited them to become Eucharistic Ministers, bringing the
family closer into the fold. Later, when Father Jim asked him to become the
project manager of the Building Committee, Jim readily agreed since that
was a role he played in business.
Patti O’Neil and her family had joined the Mission in the first days. Her
husband David attended the first Mass and their twins were among the first
children to be baptized in the parish. Patti had previously served on a
building committee for East Derry Memorial School.
As the committee began its work, it faced major challenges: how to design,
build, and finance a church from scratch, which might cost a million dollars
or more. Here are a few of the daunting tasks they faced:
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
How to design a Catholic church as opposed to
a public building.
How to identify and contract with appropriate
architects, soil engineers, construction companies
and fund raising firms.
How to deal with the Diocese and its Building and
Financial Committees.
How to raise enough money so they could begin construction.
The Committee also faced two outside pressures beyond their control. First,
the Derry School District had just raised the rent for the EDMES gym to
$2,400 per month, which added to the parish financial concerns. Second, the
-45-
parishioners were starting to ask when they would have a real church instead
of a gym. Like the Israelites in the desert, they were understandably
impatient to see something tangible after all their efforts.
To cope with these stresses, the committee held monthly meetings and
assigned various tasks to members of the committee, which included these:
Ž
Conduct a survey of the parish to determine what the
parishioners would like in a church as a way to involve
others in what was going on.
Ž
Learn more about the site, other than the trees on their
11.5 acres.
Ž
Prepare a plan to present to Bishop O’Neil and the
Diocesan Building Committee.
Ž
Obtain a kit on the process of building a church.
Father Jim had ordered this.
Ž
Contact architects to see what they could do for
the parish.
Ž
Set up a method for communicating their progress
with the parishioners.
Over the next couple of months, the members reviewed the kit on how to
build a church, they prepared a questionnaire, and they sent it out along with
a packet from the Neighborhood Networking Committee. They made plans
to visit St. Joseph’s Parish in Epping to learn what it had gone through to
build its church. Father Jim learned that the Diocese recommended seating
for 400-500 in the church, given that a parish might hold two or three
Masses on a weekend for 1,000 to 1,500 people. The group held off on
meeting with an architect until it had the parishioners’ responses on the
questionnaire. The members never did visit Epping to see the new church
and to meet with the builders. They also did not set up a communication
group to let the parish know what was happening. Remember: this was a
handful of people trying to do the whole job of building a church!
The committee did hold a clean up party on November 16. There were a
number of fallen trees, tangled shrubs and boulders on the lot, and it was
difficult to walk through the lot. They realized that, eventually, architects
and soil engineers would need to walk the lot, so they decided to clean it up
-46-
to make that easier when the time came. Psychologically, cleaning up the site
would give the parishioners hope that their new church was going to be built.
They invited several dozen parishioners to come with yard tools,
wheelbarrows, lawn bags and brush cutters. This party became a model for
later activities as well as a sign to the parish that work toward building a
church was beginning.
Overall, 149 families replied to the committee’s questionnaire. From their
responses, these were the items that most parishioners wanted:
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
A colonial style church
A church hall attached to the church
Religious education classrooms in the church hall
Phased timing of building the various buildings
Jim Rogers put together a general timeline of necessary activities leading up
to a possible ground breaking for the church. The timeline spanned from
March 15, 1992, to June 1, 1993, when he thought ground breaking could
occur. The activities covered selecting an architect, general building design,
and selecting a construction manager, as well as a contractor.
The Building Committee’s “Memorable” Diocesan Meeting
Father Jim called and set up a meeting with the Diocesan Building Board to
review their plans. That meeting took place on March 19, 1992. Building
Committee members had been meeting for ten months and felt it was time to
let the Diocese know where they were headed. The following were present
for the meeting:
Msgr. Molan, Chairman
Mrs. Barbara Comer, consultant
Father James Riel
Patti O’Neil
Msgr. Olkovikas
Cullity & Fobes(Bd. Members)
James Rogers
Apparently, when Father Riel began to introduce members of his team,
Msgr. Olkovikas cut him off by saying, “We don’t need to know who these
people are. The bottom line is that we cannot discuss building a church.
You need 50% of the total cost up front, and you don’t have anything near
that.”
-47-
According to Patti O’Neil, this was a new diocesan policy because other
parishes had not paid back their loans in a timely manner. As a result, the
group felt little support from the Diocese, perhaps because the land the
Diocese had purchased for Holy Cross was quite expensive and not all that
well suited to building a church. Father Riel and his team needed this
support to walk them through the common steps of building a church.
The Diocesan Board wrote up the minutes of the meeting.
“Father Riel and members of his building committee are looking for
ways to give the mission a worship space of its own and relieve it of
the over $20,000 annual rent now being paid out to the neighborhood
school district. Mr. Rogers had drawn up a time schedule for such a
project envisioning a June 1, 1993 date for ground breaking. To this,
Monsignor Molan took immediate exception on the basis of financial
considerations.
At this point, Monsignor Olkovikas arrived at the meeting and
proceeded to clarify the position of the Central Fund in such a project.
He emphasized that the mission must have 50% of the cost of the
project on hand. That 50% must be entirely in liquid assets; no
pledges or saleable land may be included in it.
At present, the mission’s income is sufficient to pay the abovementioned rent, diocesan assessments and the parish’s share of the
priest’s salary. The only savings are a $30,000 bequest on deposit
with the Central Fund; however, it is understood that when the parish
is established, St. Thomas Aquinas, as the mother parish, will provide
a dowry, the percent yet to be determined. There is also a debt of
$220,000 for the land, which the mission will eventually have to
assume. Obviously, a campaign for funds will be necessary, but with
only 300 families under the present dark economic situation the
potential is limited.
To avoid the cost of a church that normally runs close to $1,000,000,
Board members mentioned several alternatives, including prefab
construction, a steel building, a multi-purpose building or basement
church, which could later serve as a parish hall or religious education
center. One of those present cautioned against cheap construction.
-48-
The representatives of the mission departed, a bit discouraged, since
they feel that in order to raise funds there must be a church, but to
build a church they must have funds. The Board realizes their
situation and will continue to work with them to seek solutions.”
Back in East Derry, the group, admittedly dejected, shared the results with
the rest of the committee, and Father Jim appointed the Development
Committee that was previously mentioned.
Finding the Way
In November, 1992, the committee met with George E. Razoyk of
Architectual Design Concepts. Mr. Razoyk walked them through the
process of designing a building. ADC would develop a building and site
plan. The parish would be responsible for obtaining a topographical map of
the site and having a wetlands study done as well as a design of the septic
system. The committee was impressed with Mr. Razoyk and his ideas on
designing a church.
On September 13, 1993, the committee hired the firm of Eric Mitchell &
Associates, Inc. to conduct a feasibility study on the site of the proposed
church. The committee had concerns that the unfortunate combination of
some ledge and some wetlands might make the construction of a church
unfeasible. This study dragged on for more than a year before the two weeks
of work was done.
On October 4, 1993, Father Jim wrote to Bishop O’Neil, requesting
permission to hire an architect as well as report on parish status and progress
in building a church.
Dear Bishop O’Neil:
I write to you today to thank you for the support you have continued
to show towards the parishioners of Holy Cross and particularly
towards me as I have labored in the development of our growing
community.
-49-
I would also like to thank the Diocesan Mission Fund for its
continued support of our efforts by granting funds to our community
to meet the expense of my salary once again this year.
Please allow me to share with you news of our progress as well as
some of our future plans and requests for your consideration. To date
we have close to 500 families who have officially registered as
parishioners of Holy Cross. This year we have over 400 children and
young adults enrolled in our Religious Education Program. We were
overjoyed that you yourself could be present at one of four First
Communion celebrations this Spring as 67 children came to the table
of the Lord for the first time. Bishop Gendron delivered encouraging
words to our community and was impressed with our progress as he
visited us to confirm 16 young adults last March.
Our Ordinary income for FY 92-93 rose to $77,000. Over and above
that, because of special appeals, gifts and donations, we were able to
meet “The Bishop’s Challenge,” by depositing $80,000 in the
Diocesan Central Fund to bring our total deposit to $134,328.76.
While there is a larger story to be told about our progress, we are
certainly proud and encouraged about where we find ourselves today
and pray that the Diocese shares in those same sentiments.
In the near future, we will be conducting a Preliminary Plan and
Feasibility Study of the parcel of land purchased by the Diocese on
187 Hampstead Road to determine how much of the land can actually
be developed.
We would ask permission to begin the process of interviewing and
selecting an architect who would help us develop our program to its
schematic phase. We would ask that you consider asking the Diocesan
Mission Fund to grant us a loan for the purchase of an existing home
in the area for a residence and office space, or for the purpose of
building a residence on the existing site, whichever is more feasible or
in line with our Master Plan.
Although a delicate matter, I would request that St. Thomas Aquinas
be reminded of their responsibility to provide a dowry and make
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provision in their budget to meet that obligation in the timeframe
given to them as stated in your second letter to them dated, June 8,
1992, the first letter being December 12, 1990.
Once again I thank you for your continued support and for your
consideration of our requests. I look forward to your reply and
promise you my continued prayers.
Sincerely yours,
Rev. James A. Riel
Bishop O’Neil replied to Father Jim on November 5 and told him that he had
passed the requests on to Msgr. Molan for action. Across the bottom of the
letter, Bishop O’Neil wrote in a bold hand: “Way To Go, Jim!”
Father Jim and the Building Committee were greatly encouraged by the
Bishop’s comments and the prospect of action. However, the diocesan staff
dragged its feet once again and did not reply to him for a year. A year!
During that interlude, new people joined the parish with enthusiasm and
agreed to help out in many ways, but understandably, many early
parishioners were getting impatient.
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CHAPTER V
MIDDLE PARISH YEARS
It is difficult to simplify the process undertaken by any complex
organization made up of so many different people. With this parish, welldefined and well-led plans kept parishioners doing good work and meeting
their goals. During this difficult time, where the people were struggling to
build a church, liturgy, religious education, and social and development
committees were making excellent progress and doing fine work.
In early 1994, Kathy Garon, Joanne Donovan, Nancy Pare, Cindy Phillips,
and others went to a retreat in Biddeford, Maine. During the opening
session on a Friday evening, the priest conducting the retreat said to the
sixty people present, “I am going to give each of you a nail and I want you
to keep it with you throughout the retreat. When you sleep, keep it nearby.
When you eat, have it by your plate. During group sessions, keep it in your
pocket or purse. On Sunday noon as we prepare to leave, I will explain it all
to you.”
As the weekend progressed, people wondered what the purpose of the nails
might be. During the retreat, the Holy Cross parishioners were anxious, as
they had heard through a contact at the Diocese that Holy Cross Parish was
probably not going to happen. Kathy said that she was slowly coming to
terms with whatever God willed. While she was prepared to see the dream
fail, she and others would keep working at it as hard as they could.
At one large group meeting, a representative from each parish explained
what they were doing back home. When the Holy Cross group explained
what they were doing in East Derry, some people said: “How can you
possibly call yourselves a parish? You don’t even have a church!” Some
believed it was blasphemous to hold Catholic services in a Protestant
church. Kathy and the others explained that they were building a parish and
would be building a church and that their faith was solid. They also used
Father Jim’s comment that they could be a church wherever they met
because our Lord said, “Wherever two or three of you gather in my name, I
am with you.”
At the concluding retreat Mass on Sunday, the priest asked everyone to
bring their nails up to the altar. He then explained that the nails were to
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remind them that Christ died for their sins so they wouldn’t have to, that
Christ had nails pounded into His flesh so that they wouldn’t have that pain
and that, if they remembered all Christ had done for them, they could fight
their way through any problems. He also told them that several people had
come to him to discuss the trials the Holy Cross group was experiencing
and what a wonderful example of Christian commitment they showed them.
The priest then put all the nails in a box and presented it to the Holy Cross
group and told them that it was the sixty people’s intention that they use
these nails in the walls when the church was finally built. Kathy said, “I cry
kind of easily, but we all had tears in our eyes at that moment.”
They brought the box of nails back to Father Jim and told him the story. He
took a few of the nails and pounded them into his large black cross. Cindy
Phillips recalls that he asked people to take a nail and carry it around for a
few weeks. He told them the nails represented their sins and, during Holy
Week, he brought in a hammer and had people drive their nails into his
black cross. After a few years, there were too many nails in the cross, so
they were removed.
To this day, Holy Cross Parish hands out nails during Lent and replaces the
holy water in the church with nails, too.
Growth Slowing
Not surprisingly, parish growth slowed in the mid-1990's over the delays in
building a church. By late 1997, the number of parishioners had declined
from 600 families to about 269 families. The parish was in a serious
downturn.
Despite this trend, though, the Building Committee began work on
conducting an engineering feasibility study to determine what the parish
land could handle. They knew the land had some ledge as well as some
wetlands. However, they did not know how extensive these natural
conditions were without engineering assistance.
In late November, 1993, the Mitchell Engineering Company finally sent a
proposal of what it would do. On February 11, 1994, Father Jim replied to
Mr. Mitchell that the parish would like to go forward with the proposal’s
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Part I:
“This phase will include obtaining the existing aerial photography from the
town and walking the site. A Soil Scientist will do a preliminary evaluation
as to the amount of wetland on site. With this information, we will prepare
concepts which take into consideration the soils, slopes, setbacks, parking,
building orientation and access. These concept plans can be presented to
you and your building committee for review. The cost of this phase would
be about $1,250.”
In early May, 1994, Bishop O’Neil invited Father Jim to meet with him at
his residence to discuss the progress of the Holy Cross Parish. As a result of
that meeting, Father Jim wrote to the Bishop on May 20, 1994, citing the
two major agreements he had reached with the Bishop:
1.
That we be given permission to conduct a Feasibility Study on
land purchased by the Diocese at 187 Hampstead Road, Derry,
NH, to determine if the land is feasible for our future needs.
2.
That we be given permission to develop a Master Plan which
would detail various phases of development from a Basic Shell
to the Finished Product. This would of course involve an
architect.”
At this time, the Building Committee still had not received the engineering
report from Mitchell Associates. That held up looking for an architect
which, in turn, delayed other actions. Finally, on July 12, the Building
Committee was able to meet with Eric Mitchell to discuss his study. Father
Jim and Jim Rogers met with Eric Mitchell. The minutes of that meeting
cover the Feasibility Plan in detail. Mr. Mitchell’s drawings broke the
church’s 11.5 acres of land into three pieces:
A.
1.
5.5 acres of 42 grade soil, well drained with a 4% slope.
2.
4 acres of wetland and poorly drained soil classified as
Hydric “A” and Hydric “B” soils. Hydric “A” is standing
water, Hydric “B” is poorly drained soil.
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3. 2 acres of isolated land on Colony Brook. Well-drained
soil with a possible easement for a footpath. If sited with
setbacks and drainage site might have a value of
$25,000 - $30,000.
B.
C.
5.5 acres could support
1.
A Church, 100' x 250' = 25,000 sq. ft. and seat 700 people.
2.
A Hall, 150' x 160' = 24,000 sq. ft. and hold a capacity of
200 people.
3.
Town Parking requirements:
Church, 700 people at 1 space per 3 people = 234 spaces
Hall, 200 people at 1 space per 3 people = 67 spaces
4.
Estimated Sewage Loading:
Church 700 people at 5 gpd per ppl = 34,000 gpd
Hall 200 ppl at 126 gpd per ppl = 24,000 gpd
two septic systems would be required.
Questions to be Considered:
1. Building Size. Church. Hall. Combination
2. Sewage Disposal
3.
4.
5.
Parking. Higher/Lower use
Water. Fire Protection. Protective well.
Building Phase Out
6.
7.
Recreational Use. Hall. Grounds
Isolated acres. Rectory site
This summary of the Mitchell Report is the one Jim Rogers wrote up for the
Building Committee files. He also noted that Mr. Mitchell said, “Tight site,
but do-able.”
Father Jim sent the report to Msgr. Molan on August 31 and asked for
permission to move on to hiring an architect. On September 14, 1994,
Joseph Fobes replied on behalf of Msgr. Molan that the Bishop had agreed
to hiring an architect. Mr. Fobes enclosed a list of architects who had done
recent work for the Diocese.
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At this point, the Building Committee knew the limits of the land and had a
list of architects who were acceptable to the Diocese and had been referred
to a group of priests who had experience in building churches. Bishop
O’Neil had shown his support for them and granted them some of what the
group requested. Thus, the Building Committee had made some progress in
overcoming the contentiousness of the March meeting.
From September through the winter, the Building Committee worked to
find architects to interview, and to learn what they needed to know in
conducting such interviews. According to Jim Rogers, they requested
proposals from twenty firms, got fifteen replies and interviewed six of these
firms. The interviews were held at parishioner David LeFrancois’ legal
office during February, 1995.
Another Change in Plans
By May, 1995, they had settled upon their choice, George E. Razoyk of
Architectural Design Concepts from Bradford, Massachusetts. The group
had originally met Mr. Razoyk in November, 1992, after he had called to
introduce himself and the committee had invited him to attend a meeting at
Jim Rogers’ home with Father Jim in attendance. Mr. Razoyk gave the
group an overview of what an architect would do and what they would have
to do.
Once they chose ADC, the group moved along quickly to develop a
contract. The fee was to be $60,000 and the early deliverables were as
follows:
Ž
Building and Site Plan. That drawing to be given to the
Fund Raising firm for use in raising the money
Ž
A general estimate of expected costs
Ž
The parish was to obtain a topographical map of the
site, have a wetlands study done and take responsibility
for a septic system design
Once Msgr. Molan received a copy of the proposed contract, he wrote to
Father Jim on July 24 that the contract seemed too broad and that the
Diocesan Building Board felt that any building at Holy Cross would have to
be done in two stages. He pointed out that this usually means that the
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second stage would be undertaken a decade later by a new pastor and
parishioners. He suggested they limit the architect to a rough design of stage
two buildings and specific plans only for the first building.
Msgr. Molan sent a second letter on July 24 to Father Jim. This letter
concerned another financial problem in the parish. He cited Bishop O’Neil’s
concern about Holy Cross’ participation in the diocesan capital campaign.
The campaign had two modules: (1) Catholic Charities support,(2) a share
of any capital campaign conducted in the parish. They had seen nothing
from Holy Cross and asked for a meeting with Father Jim the following
week.
The Building Committee kept working through the fall, discussing with the
architect whether the front of the church should “create a serene and
embracing effect,” which was Father Jim’s view or “make a bold
statement,” Butch Razoyk’s view. In November, Father Jim and Butch
Razoyk met with Father Grace of the Office of Worship. His job was to
approve the liturgical elements of the design and to see that they were in
line with the guidelines set out by Vatican II. He liked what he saw and
approved the design.
The Building Committee planned to show the church design and plans to
the parish on the weekend of December 3 and 4, 1995. After parishioners
saw the design and the possible costs, some people thought the proposed
design was too elaborate and too expensive. As the Building Committee
moved through the first half of 1996, it was still discussing steeple design,
whether to have a sloped floor and what should be built first, even though
the Diocese told them they had to build the church first. Butch Razoyk kept
drawing possible designs and attending committee meetings, all of which
chewed into the $60,000 contract.
In June, 1996, their architect, Butch Razoyk, submitted a bill showing that
$50,606 had been paid on the contract but that another $10,000 was now
due. About a month later, Butch Razoyk came in with plans and a “final”
probable cost estimate: $5,536,000. These numbers did not include any
costs for furnishings in the church or halls.
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A Parish Rectory
In May, 1996, the parish bought a nearby house to serve as the rectory. The
house was located at 4 Belle Brook Lane, diagonally off the back parking
lot of the proposed church and within easy walking distance of the church’s
proposed location. The property had 1.65 acres, a building of 2,400 square
feet, 2 1/4 baths and was 3.5 years old. The home cost $160,000 and was
paid for by the Diocese, which granted a mortgage to the parish for that
amount. The payment of that mortgage was deferred until the church could
be built.
The house belonged to a couple who had divorced, and the building had
fallen into poor condition by the time the parish bought it. A team of
parishioners, including Spud Donovan, Bob Lehmenkular and a dozen
others worked to repair and spruce up the building to use as a rectory. Bob
says that doors had to be replaced, several window sills had to be replaced,
walls had to be patched, and various sections of paint had to be re-done.
The work took several weekends and many nights.
While the repair work was going on, Sally Lehmenkuler and Nancy Eurieck
formed a housewarming committee to gather the basic necessities for the
rectory. It was empty and Father Jim had few domestic items. As Nancy
wrote in a letter to all parishioners, “Living in a rectory with other priests
for many years has not lent itself to accumulating many personal and/or
domestic items.”
They invited everyone to participate in contributing one of the needed
items. They prepared a master list of 140 items and reviewed it with Father
Jim. He told them he had some money from the Diocesan Mission Fund
with which he could buy the basic furniture. He also pointed out a few items
he already had. What follows is a sampling of items on the list:
Garden tools, shovels, hoses, bird feeder, gas grill, kitchen
tools, dishes, a food processor, sheets, pillows, blankets,
radio, TV – and gift certificates to Shaws, Sears, and Wal-Mart.
Sally and Nancy scheduled the housewarming party for Sunday, September
15 between 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the EDMES gym. They distributed a
diagram of how the gym would be set up, where Father Jim would be,
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where the gifts would be placed and where the food and drinks would be.
They recruited 42 people to do the baking for the reception.
On the selected Sunday, they all gathered at the gym where they met so
often for Mass. They had music, good food and, as Sally says, “About 200
gifts since some people brought things that weren’t even on our lists.”
Father Jim was seated near the entrance where he could greet all his
parishioners as they entered. The gift tables were right beyond him so
people could show him the gift, place it on the table and move along. Sally
said it was well attended and the response for needed items was great. As it
neared the end, Father Jim admitted to her that he was tired.
The next couple of days, Sally and Nancy wrote out most of the 200 thank
you cards for Father Jim. Nancy concluded in her parish letter of July 15:
“This is really an exciting time for Father Jim. After many years of
commuting from Merrimack to East Derry, he can finally work and live
among us in a place called home. Let’s welcome him with open hearts, open
arms and show him what his presence really means to us in this parish
community.”
A few days before the housewarming, Jim Rogers and several other men
had driven to Merrimack and packed up all Father Jim’s belongings to bring
back to the new rectory in East Derry. However, a few days after the party,
Father Jim decided not to live in the rectory. He said he didn’t like living
alone and would prefer to keep living with his fellow priests at the rectory
in Merrimack.
Many parishioners had also begun to notice that Father Jim didn’t seem to
be well physically, and some people were worried about his health. When
Dana and Cindy Phillips spoke to him about how concerned they were for
his well-being, he said he would be fine and not to worry about him.
A Change of Plans
On February 16, 1997, Father Jim was called to a meeting with Bishop
Christian who was filling in for the gravely ill Bishop O’Neil. When Father
Jim returned to the parish, he told Jim Rogers and the Building Committee
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that he might be transferred to a larger parish due to the growing shortage of
priests in the Diocese. Father Jim said the Bishop realized Holy Cross had a
large debt, but the parish could not be allowed to do any more until “they
can stand on their own feet financially.”
When this was discussed at the Building Committee meeting, Butch Razoyk
told them to “pitch what we have and let them bring it down" (meaning - Go
with the original plan). Once again, the committee was torn between feeling
hopeful and helpless. The team continued talking about maybe building a
hall and classrooms first, which would relieve them of the high rental costs
and enable them to build up some money for the future. However, the
Diocese wouldn’t budge. They had to build a church first.
Parish members were leaving for other parishes. Friends were saddened to
be parting under the strains of not getting a church built, but many felt they
had no choice but to find another church. In mid-1997, Holy Cross Parish
was floundering. But those remaining were a people of strong faith and a
deep commitment to their Catholic roots. They held on to the hope that they
would soon realize the next step more clearly.
However, the person to lead them on the way at this time would not be
Father Jim. On Sunday, August 31, 1997, he said his final Mass at Holy
Cross Parish. He stood in the EDMES gym and said,
“I would like to express my gratitude for all the warmth and support that
you gave me last weekend as I announced that I needed to take a leave of
absence. The people who sat beside me will continue to guide the direction
of our parish until I return. Please hold them and me in your prayers and
please remember that the chair is still mine. My address while I am away
will be:
Rev. James Riel
St. Michael’s Community
13270 Maple Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63127
Welcome Father Roger Croteau who will be replacing me during my
absence. I ask that you give him your support during this time because of
the unfamiliar surroundings at the school and area.”
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CHAPTER VI
FOUNDING PASTOR TO PROBLEM-SOLVING PASTOR
In August, 1997, Father Roger Croteau was preparing to take a one year
sabbatical to which he was entitled. He had been Director of Treatment and
Chaplain at the Hillsborough County Jail in Goffstown, New Hampshire,
for twenty-three years, and at 58 years of age, he was understandably
weary.
A week before leaving his post and planning a few well-deserved months to
renew his spirit, Father Roger received a phone call that went something
like this:
“Hello, this is Father Roger.”
“Well, how are you doing, young man? This is Frank.”
("Frank" was Bishop Francis Christian, a NH Bishop whom Father
Roger had known for many years. Father recalls feeling that
something was up. Bishops don't normally call to chat.)
“I’m doing very well and I’m just wrapping things up here so I can
go on my sabbatical.”
“You might want to hold off on that for a bit, Roger. I may have
something for you to do.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you just yet.”
“Why not? Where is it?”
“I can’t tell you that, either. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days. Be
patient, and I’ll be talking to you soon.”
Father Roger recalls thinking, “There goes my sabbatical!”
A few days later, Bishop Christian called again and told Father Roger that
he was to go to East Derry to take over the Holy Cross Parish. The present
pastor, Father James Riel, who was ill, was leaving for treatment. Then the
Bishop explained Father Roger’s future role.
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“I never heard of a Holy Cross Parish. Where is it?” Father Roger
asked.
“It’s at, wait a minute, here it is: 187 Hampstead Road.”
“What? You just said it was in East Derry. Has it moved to
Hampstead?”
“No, it’s out in East Derry. All you have to do is drive down there
and head east from the town of Derry. East Derry Road turns into
Hampstead Road out beyond some fire house, I think.”
“What do you want me to do? Am I just filling in for a bit?”
“It might turn out to be a bit longer than that. The parish has
problems, and I want you to straighten up the ship and get it moving
forward. Be there tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Father Riel will
meet you and show you around.”
Over the years, Father Roger had taken on many special assignments for the
Diocese. Often, he filled in for departing pastors until someone was
appointed to the post. Other times, he was sent in to fix a serious problem.
It sounded like that kind of job this time.
Despite looking forward to his long overdue sabbatical, being an obedient
servant, the next morning, Father Roger packed his two suitcases, some
books, his paintings and equipment, and drove off for the wilds of East
Derry. He found East Derry Road, followed it east but never found the
church. He turned around and drove back to the fire house he had passed. A
fireman told him where the property was but also told him there was no
church, just an old trailer on the land. Father Roger thought, “Oh boy, this is
strange.”
Father Roger returned to the wilderness, his eye out for an old trailer. When
he spied the trailer, he also saw another car parked along the side of the
road. A woman got out and introduced herself as Mrs. Muriel Riel, Father
James Riel’s mother. She said she would lead Father Roger to the rectory
on Belle Brook Lane.
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Father Roger followed her to the rectory, and she led him up the front walk
and into the house. Father Riel was seated in a chair, staring straight ahead.
He and Father Roger spoke briefly. Father Riel gave Father Roger the keys
to the trailer, to the rectory and to the school gym. He also gave him the
names of a couple of families.
Mrs. Riel said they should show Father Roger the school and how to get
there. Then she drove the three of them over to East Derry Memorial
Elementary School where they told Father Roger he would say Masses in
the gym. They showed him where all the equipment was stored along the
back of the stairs. Father Riel told him the hours of Masses and that there
was a team of parishioners who set up the gym for services.
When they returned to the rectory, Father Jim gave Father Roger a
computer that wasn’t working and a box with some parish records. Father
Roger had many questions: What are the problems here the Bishop alluded
to? Is there a Parish Council and who is on it? Where are the parish files?
Father Roger could see that Father Riel was feeling poorly, so he kept his
questions to himself. Mrs. Riel bid Father Roger goodbye and drove off
with Father Jim. They would never meet again.
Father Roger sat down in his new rectory, which was set up like an office
rather than a home. He soon learned that both Julie Conley, the parish
secretary, and Nancy Pare, Religious Education Director, had been using
the house as parish offices since Father Riel had never lived there. He
thought about his new assignment: “Right the ship and get it sailing
forward.”
Here he was in the middle of the woods, no ocean in sight, no church. He
didn’t even have the rectory to himself. He knew no one, and he
understood there were some problems to deal with. He thought, “Maybe
this is isn’t all that different than taking over the jail. I didn’t really know
what I was getting into there, either. Well, I better get unpacked, go get
some food and write a sermon.”
The next day was Saturday, September 7, and he had his first Mass at the
school at 5:00 p.m. That afternoon, he arrived at the school an hour early
and found people setting up tables and chairs. He introduced himself and
met Lanie Medwid, Spud and Joanne Donovan, and a couple he recognized,
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Denis and Beverly Proulx, whom he had known from his hometown,
Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Soon, more people arrived. He found the atmosphere friendly, but he
sensed an underlying confusion. Who was this thin priest? Where did he
come from? What was he here to do? Was he here as a temporary
substitute? Many parishioners may have thought that he was there to close
the parish down. They knew the parish and the diocese had several
differences, not the least of which was over building a new church.
Father Roger Croteau
Roger Croteau was born on July 25, 1939, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He
was the second of seven children of Leon and Laura Croteau. The family
lived close to Sacred Heart Parish where they worshiped. They didn’t have
a car, so they walked to and from church in warm or cold, dry or wet
weather.
In 1945, as WWII was ending, Roger started first grade at Sacred Heart
School in South Lawrence. Roger was a very good student but found that
he enjoyed drawing more than anything else. He was a voracious reader, so
he digested his texts quickly, leaving him more time for drawing. He had
been creating art as long as he can remember. For example, his earliest
recollections of being an artist centered around playing with his food. He
used to make castles of mashed potatoes enclosed in walls made of Spam.
He also built palm trees with green peppers. He said as a young boy, he
liked making edible sculptures. He must have been a delight at the supper
table.
He also shared an experience about the day he came home from school with
soaking wet shoes. The budding artist within him was excited and he
started to tell his Mama about his colorful adventure.
“Non, non! Right now, you take off those wet shoes. I just cleaned this
floor this morning! Mon Dieu!” his mother said.
Once he had his wet shoes off, he found his socks were also wet, so off they
came. Then he sat down and told Mama about the big puddle he had found.
He said, “It was round and deep, and the colors were very beautiful. If you
moved around it, the colors changed so I walked out into the middle to see
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how they looked from there. They were great, deeper tones and wonderful
ripples from my feet!”
One of his favorite memories of Sacred Heart School was the time in 5 th
grade when his mother gave him a paint set with oils and several brushes.
His career as an artist moved up from the mashed potatoes and puddles to
real paint. By the time he graduated in June, 1953, he was already drawing
and painting with skill.
He went on to spend four years at Central Catholic High School. While
there, he did well at his studies. He graduated in June, 1957, and moved on
to Merrimack College in North Andover, a few miles from home. Initially,
he majored in accounting, but he found that he hated it. He has called it the
worst experience of his life. He left college to try working at the former
Bay State Merchant National Bank but found that, too, was tedious and
boring, except for the occasions when he was involved in solving problems
with reconciliation systems.
In 1960, while working in Lawrence, some people at the Lawrence Eagle
Tribune who had heard of Roger’s artistic skills asked him to paint portraits
of both presidential candidates, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The
paper wanted to use the portraits in a story. Roger agreed to try the
assignment. He said he had a good result with the Kennedy portrait, but he
couldn’t get a good result with the Nixon portrait.
When the Kennedy one was finished, and after Kennedy won the election,
an editor at the paper called a friend in the new administration and
suggested that they invite Roger Croteau to the White House to present the
painting to the President. It was agreed, and Roger flew off to Washington.
When he went to a meeting at the White House, he was told he must have a
necktie. He didn’t own a tie. It was the 60's, after all. So he went off in
search of a tie. Nearby stores knew the game and had all their ties priced
sky high. He bought one, wore it once, and kept it as a souvenir. He
presented his painting to President Kennedy, and it hung in the White
House for several years.
A Calling to the Priesthood
One day at work, he happened to meet Bishop Ernest Primeau of the
Manchester, NH Diocese. As they talked, he was surprised to find that the
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Bishop knew of his excellent academic record at Merrimack College, a
small Catholic college. Bishop Primeau asked if Roger might be interested
in going into the seminary. Roger told him he might try it to see how it
went.
Bishop Primeau said he had a need for more priests in New Hampshire and
if Roger were interested, he would welcome him into the Diocese after
ordination. He offered Roger the chance to study in Rome. In those days,
Bishops would help students with seminary expenses and could open doors
to the best seminaries. To study in Rome was a great opportunity. But
Roger turned it down. He traveled eleven miles from Lawrence to
Merrimack College, but that was it for traveling.
Bishop Primeau tried another popular option for French Canadian students.
He offered Roger the chance to attend “La Grande Seminaire” in Montreal.
This time, Roger decided to go. In 1961, La Grande Seminaire was still the
foremost French Catholic seminary in North America. Many FrancoAmerican students went there if they were fluent in French. The Catholic
Church in northern New England had a large percentage of priests of
French-Canadian ancestry.
Seminary Life in Canada
Roger entered the seminary in September, 1961, and found he enjoyed the
rigorous academic life even though it was conducted entirely in French. He
made friends with another American student, Don LaPointe, and they have
remained friends to this day. The two young men encountered a typical
cultural problem in Quebec. They were Catholic, they spoke French but,
“vous n’etes pas d’ici!”. “You are not from here!”
The native Canadian students and the Canadian professors assumed that
these Americans could never succeed in the seminary.
Roger and Don
decided to prove them wrong. They each selected two major subjects in
which to obtain graduate degrees. Normally, future priests majored in
theology. Father Roger added psychology to his curriculum since it would
be useful in his later ministry. Father Roger was also the school librarian
for a couple of years where he was able to read some of everything. In that
position, he could order books for the library, which delighted him.
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Father Roger settled into the routine of seminary life: rising, Mass,
breakfast, specific classes, chores, study periods. However, one of his
professors saw some of Roger’s drawings and spoke to him about doing a
portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Roger said he could do that but that
the rector should realize that Mary was a 15-year-old Middle Eastern girl,
not at all what a Canadian girl looked like.
He agreed to allow Roger to do it as he saw fit. Then, with that agreement
settled, Roger asked for a small room to use as a studio. He explained he
could not paint in his small, shared room as the odor of the paints was too
strong for his roommate. He got his studio and completed that work, which
was well received. He also found that he was feeling at home in the
religious life.
Outside the seminary, the French-Canadian society was changing rapidly.
For the prior three hundred years, the Catholic Church had been the central
force in Quebec society. The Church ran all the schools, hospitals, and
social service agencies. By 1960, however, people thought there was a
better way to manage life. The “Quiet Revolution” occurred during the
1960's and, when it was finished, so was the Church as a major societal
force in Quebec. Schools were secularized and hospitals were now
managed by municipalities.
The major effect on the Church was that the grand, Gothic structures were
nearly empty each weekend. The church was still there, but few people
attended. Also during the “Quiet Revolution,” Roger and his friends found
that they could no longer walk on the street while wearing cassocks as had
been done for centuries. If they did, they got pelted with fruit and other
substances. Roger and Don studied and prepared to be priests while the
countryside around them fled the Church they prepared to serve.
Ordination and New Duties
Father Roger was ordained by Bishop Ernest Primeau in Manchester on
May 7, 1967. His first assignment was at St. Paul’s Parish in Franklin, New
Hampshire, for about a year. He was then assigned to St. John the Baptist
Parish in Suncook and part-time to the Concord Mental Health Clinic where
he would work to complete his practicum in psychology. In 1969, he spent
six months at St. Catherine’s Parish in Portsmouth while he was finishing
his studies at UNH. From that point on, he became involved in a variety of
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activities for the Church, both within the Diocese and on the national level
including the following:
- Judge on the diocesan tribunal for marriages.
- Psychiatric evaluator for the Diocese.
- Handwriting expert analyst. He has consulted for the FBI, among
others.
- He wrote the book on the “New Tribunal Jurisprudence” and, in
1976, traveled around the country with other experts to introduce
this material to dioceses.
In his spare time, he continued painting and, in 1968, did an adaptation of a
news magazine photograph depicting the agony of a Mother and Child on a
battlefield in Vietnam. In those days, he worked mainly on portraits
although he had begun to experiment with more abstract styles. In 1977, he
created a portrait of newly consecrated Bishop Robert Mulvee whom he had
known for many years. Since then, he has done portraits of all the New
Hampshire bishops.
Starting in 1975, Father Roger branched out again, into a growing role in
hospitals and prisons. His hospital work began when Bishop Gendron
called him and said they had a crisis in the three Manchester hospitals as all
the chaplains had resigned. Father Roger stepped in and tried to be the
chaplain for all three hospitals and the 1,500 patients. Eventually, the crisis
was resolved, and he went on to prison work.
Twenty-Three Years Service in the Jail
Father Roger also became the Chaplain and Director of Treatment at the
Hillsborough County Jail in Goffstown where he spent the next 23 years.
He also did consulting at nursing homes and was the Director of the
Diocesan Marriage Program. In 1976, he was invited to participate in a
meeting of the President’s Committee on the Employment of the
Handicapped.
Father Roger tells of the difficult and miserly conditions at the jail and of
his work to humanize the environment and attempt to rehabilitate the
inmates rather than merely storehouse them. When the Moore Hospital in
Goffstown closed, he rushed over to “liberate” equipment for the small jail
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hospital. Scrounging for things would become a lifetime hobby, as his
parishioners know well.
He introduced garden plots for prisoners to help them accomplish
something useful and to improve their diets. He also began a high school
equivalency program so inmates could work towards obtaining their GED,
which would then help them to obtain better jobs once they were
discharged.
In 1990, Father Roger was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from Notre
Dame College for his work with prison inmates, his concern for the elderly,
and his dedication to relieving suffering in all areas. About the same time,
he was recognized in an article in the Manchester Union Leader which
opened as follows:
“Father Roger Croteau is a man of the cloth who wears a coat of
many colors, indeed. As Priest, Prison Chaplain, Marriage
Counselor, Handwriting Analyst, certified Hypno-therapist, licensed
private Detective and American Artist, Croteau doesn’t have time on
his hands.”
This is a brief history of the man Bishop Christian sent to East Derry to
“right the ship.” He had been many things and faced many trials, but he had
never been a pastor of a fledgling parish that had yet to build its own
church. Now, he was about to take on that role.
However, the Holy Cross parishioners knew none of this background on
that first Saturday when they met Father Roger at his first Mass. Denis and
Beverly Proulx helped him become acquainted with several families who
were active in the parish. Just as the parishioners didn’t know Father
Roger’s background, neither did he know much about what was going on in
the parish. Basically, all he knew was that there were problems, and he had
a year to straighten them out.
A New Pastor, New Plans, and Support from the Faithful
While Father Roger was getting acclimated, the parish kept up its normal
activities and started some new ones. On September 7, 1997, the bulletin
mentioned that the parish was going to sponsor a Cub Scout Pack for
students in Grades 1 through 5. Bob Anderson and Diane Cole were leading
the effort.
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The September 21 bulletin announced that Sunday Masses would be at
9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at EDMES. Father Roger would hear confessions
before each Mass. The Social Committee also announced that a dinner
dance would be held at " Promises to Keep", a popular Derry restaurant, on
October 17. The cost was lowered to $30 a couple from the original $100.
Also, the raffle was dropped. A bake sale was held on October 18 and 19.
The parish census was to be completed after Masses on that weekend. Julie
Conley, the parish secretary, would enter all the census data on the parish’s
new personal computer.
The week before Thanksgiving, the parish held a joint ecumenical
Thanksgiving service with First Parish Church. They also scheduled
several other Masses at First Parish.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
8 - 7:30 p.m. - Immaculate Conception Feast
15 - 7:30 p.m. - Carols and Worship
24 - 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Christmas Eve Masses
25 - No Christmas Day Masses
This small schedule gives an idea of how close the relationship between the
two parishes had become. Holy Cross ultimately became a successful
parish due to its parishioners’ hard work and due to all the help they
received from others, especially the kindness and generosity of First Parish.
The Death of the “People’s Bishop”
On November 30, 1997, New Hampshire’s “People’s Bishop,” Leo O’Neil,
died at his residence after a long battle with cancer. Father Joe, Pastor of St.
Thomas Parish wrote a beautiful reflection of his last meeting with Bishop
O’Neil.
“This morning I got mail from Bishop Leo. It was a form letter,
and it came with a bunch of other things from the Diocesan offices.
But it was kind of strange, since Bishop O’Neil died this past Sunday
morning. We met with Bishop Leo the Tuesday before he died. It was
a very moving service-mid-day prayer celebrated with the priests of
the Diocese. About 200 priests came at the request of the Bishop. We
all knew it would be the last time we would see him, and it was a very
emotional gathering. We prayed with him and for him, and he asked
us to journey with him on this, his final pilgrimage.
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I wondered at what he was thinking; what goes through the
mind of someone who has to face death so imminently. I know that all
of us some day will face death, but how is it to know that your death
is only days or weeks away? I don’t think that any of us thought that
Bishop Leo would go so soon. Although he looked weak, his voice
was strong, and his message was even stronger. He thanked his
priests for their service, especially service to the poor and
downtrodden. He expressed the regret that all of us in administration
feel: being too bogged down with running dioceses and churches that
we can’t do the ordinary little ministry things that we like to do.
Bishop Leo said that he wanted to work in a soup kitchen or an AIDS
hospice.”
Father Joe wrote that they concluded the meeting by having all 200 priests
impose hands over their Bishop and prayed to commend him to the Lord.
Recreating the Holy Cross Spirit of Community
While the Diocese lost a great Bishop, Holy Cross was joyfully welcoming
new little members into the Catholic faith. On December 7, the parish
bulletin announced the following Baptisms:
October:
Ryan Monte, Cameron Balboni, Danielle Cormier.
November: Krista Mastrogiacomo, Isobel Bickford,
Tristan Silver, Cameron Richard.
On December 14, Father Roger hosted an Open House at the rectory for all
ministerial volunteers. He ended his weekend sermon with “See you there!”
This was one of his first efforts to meet his parishioners and get to know
them. Sally Lehmenkuler described the event as overflowing since so many
people were eager to meet their new pastor. People crowded into every
room, all trying to work their way around to where Father Roger was seated
in his living room surrounded by several of his paintings, a subject he loved
to talk to people about. As Sally said, people liked the idea of meeting
together, but they only wished they had a parish hall which could have
handled the crowd.
However, as much as people desperately wanted their own building, Father
Roger noticed that weekly collections were averaging $1,600 - $1,800. He
realized that cash flow could not support a building effort. Gradually, he
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learned why this little parish in the East Derry woods didn’t have a church
yet.
The Building Committee had been working for seven years on a grand
design, but Jim Rogers, to whom he had been referred as the person who
knew what was really happening, seemed hesitant about inviting him to a
Building Committee meeting.
Father Roger didn’t know that the Building Committee thought he was only
a short term fill-in, and they thought it better to wait for a full time pastor.
In fact, Father Jim apparently told them that he would be coming back and
“to hold the chair for him,” as is evidenced by the notice (which Father
Roger never noticed) in the parish bulletin of September 7, Father Roger’s
first Mass:
“I would like to express my gratitude for the warmth and support that
you gave me last weekend as I announced that I needed to take a
leave of absence. The people who sat beside me will continue to guide
the direction of our parish until I return. Please hold them and me in
your prayers and please remember that the chair is still mine.”
Father Jim.
Thus, the Building Committee thought it better to wait for Father Jim to
return and then get on with the plans to build a church. Being the
newcomer, Father Roger knew he couldn’t act too firmly nor too quickly or
he would aggravate the wounds that were still fresh from Father Jim’s
departure.
Slowly, Father Roger began to involve himself more deeply in the parish
life. His phone chats with “Frank” (Bishop Christian) gave him more
insight into the history of this little church and its journey thus far. As he
began to understand its struggles, he realized he needed to choose his own
parish council in order to get a church built and to get the floundering parish
re-energized.
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Reforming Commitments and Communities
On January 18, 1998, Father Roger formed his new Steering Committee.
Father Croteau, Chairman
David Breeden
Mike Conley
Julie Conley
Spud Donovan
Tony Gallo
Dianne Harper
Marilyn Kopriva
Lanie Medwid
Nancy Pare
Beverly Proulx
Dana Phillips
Denis Proulx
Jim Rogers
Gary Vincent
Rick Voutour
Along with his overall governing group, Father Roger also appointed a new
Finance Committee but kept the same Building Committee. The Steering
Committee was quite different in membership than the prior Advisory
Board.
Finance Committee
Denis Proulx
Beverly Proulx
Mike Conley
Gary Vincent
Building Committee
Jim Rogers
Dot Wiley
Tony Gallo
Patti O'Neil
Bill Corey
Norm Saucier
Pat Fennelly
Rick Voutour
At the same time, the following people headed the various ministries:
Parish Secretary:
Liturgy:
RCIA:
Music:
Social Committee:
Development Committee:
Building Committee:
Religious Education:
Men of St. Joseph:
Julie Conley
Marilyn Kopriva
Nancy Pare
Dianne Harper
Sally Dion
Dana Phillips
Jim Rogers
Nancy Pare
Dave Breeden, Steve Kaminski
At the first Steering Committee meeting, Jim Rogers learned that Father Jim
would not be returning, so he wrote him a letter to wish him well and to tell
him that everyone continued to pray for him. A couple of months later,
Father Jim wrote to the parish telling them that “I have informed Bishop
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Christian of my request to step aside as your pastor.” That was to be the
last anyone heard from Father Jim.
Month by Month Changes
Later that month, on February 22, Father Tim Thibeault of St. Jude’s Parish
in Londonderry sent a check for $4,000 for the Holy Cross Building Fund.
This gift reminded the Finance Committee of the still pending dowry due
from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
On February 24, Holy Cross celebrated a Mardi Gras Mass and Evening of
Fun with First Parish Church as well as a joint Ecumenical Ash Wednesday
service.
On March 28 and 29, the parish held the 5 th Annual Penny Sale and Silent
Auction at the Boys and Girls Club in Derry, since the event was too large
for any other location. This one event raised $7,000 for the Building Fund.
Even though things were moving slowly with building plans, Sally Dion
and Dana Phillips kept the Social and Development Committees working to
raise money.
On Sunday, May 31, the parish switched locations for weekend Masses to
the Derry Boys and Girls Club. It had lost the use of the EDMES gym
where it had been holding Mass for the past ten years. The town’s school
population had grown so large that the Derry School Board decided to carve
up the gym into classrooms.
The Derry Boys and Girls Club agreed to handle the two Sunday Masses for
an annual fee of $28,596. In one sense, it was fortunate that it could handle
the Masses since the school gym had actually become too small for the 500
people who attended Mass on weekends. Some people also said they liked
the Boys and Girls Club decor better than the gym. No more Masses with
Michael Jordan hanging over the ceremony!
In July, 1998, the Building Committee began searching for a new church
site because of the ledge in the present site. No new site could be found.
On July 19, Bishop John McCormack was installed as the 15 th Bishop of the
New Hampshire Diocese. In August, the Steering Committee and Finance
Committees worked to set a "cap" figure for church construction. After
much discussion, they came up with a number between one and two million
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dollars. In early September, a new parish census was done, due to the
decreasing numbers of parishioners. The Steering Committee wanted to
know just where it stood with registered families.
On the weekend of October 25, Holy Cross joined St. Thomas Aquinas
Parish in hosting an “Old Tyme Tent Revival" at St. Thomas, which drew
1,400 people over the three nights.
On Sunday evening, November 8, Holy Cross parishioners held a different
kind of gathering as they put together an “Evening of Caring” for the
grandson of Janitor Bob Jones held at EDMES. Mr. Jones had been very
helpful to the parish while services were being held in the school and this
was a way of thanking him and helping his sick grandson.
An Uncertain Future
From September, 1997, when Father Jim Riel resigned and Father Roger
Croteau arrived, until November of 1998, the parish went through very
difficult times. Father Roger thought there was no hope of building a
church, but the existing Building Committee had already been working on it
for seven years. The committee had tried hard from the beginning to do
their best for the parish. They had handicaps not of their own making. First,
they had a new pastor with no prior experience in forming either a parish or
in building a church.
Next, they had no friends in court, as the saying goes. Father Jim’s only
close contact at the Diocesan level was his former pastor, Bishop Gendron.
But, Father Riel could never use Bishop Gendron’s help since Bishop
Gendron retired within weeks of Father Jim’s appointment as pastor.
In addition, changes were taking place in the pews. Parishioners sensed the
long stalemate and were tired of waiting. Two hundred families or more
left the parish during that time, never to return.
During the fall, debates raged as to what to do now about building a church.
The effort stagnated, but other activities kept moving along. The parish
bulletin of November 30 shows that parish families were down to 269 from
a high of 500-600. Gary Vincent described seeing the report that day as the
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lowest in parish history. Father Jim was gone, the original building plans
had been scrapped, many families had left and no one seemed to know what
to do next.
What was going to happen? What could be done? Who would do it?
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CHAPTER VII
MOVING FORWARD
In late Fall, 1998, Father Roger invited Bishop Francis Christian to Holy
Cross to meet with the Steering Committee and to help energize them
toward building a church.
The entire Steering Committee met with the Bishop in the rectory. Bishop
Christian opened by telling the group that his input was based on working
with many parishes that have built churches. He laid the groundwork and
the four steps required to succeed. Gary Vincent wrote up the details of this
meeting.
1.
Come up with an estimate after retaining an architect,
surveying the land, and creating plans to accommodate future
growth. Gary added: “We need to make some assumptions.
Let’s assume, as Bishop Christian did, that the building will
cost around $1.2 million.”
2.
The parish needs to raise half of that amount and the Diocese
will loan it the remainder. Based on the $1.2 million, Holy
Cross has to raise $600,000 before breaking ground.
3.
Bishop Christian also said that “we need to have a core group
of parishioners (approximately 30 to 80 families) to pledge
about half of the $600,000.” The rest of the parish will make
up the balance. Thus, out of 259 families, we need about 30 to
80 families to pledge $4,000 to $10,000. That’s 30 families at
$10,000 or 80 families at about $4,000. The balance of the
parishioners, on the average, will have to pledge something
like $1,500 over the next three years.
4.
After the money is pledged, initial cash received, and the
Diocese matches the cash and pledges, Holy Cross can begin
the implementation of the building project.
Gary also mentioned the “fear factor” that Father Roger talked about on the
weekend of December 6, 1998: “What the Steering Committee was
wrestling with was how could it possibly ask for more money when
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covering our monthly expenses is a challenge. I believe we are afraid that if
everyone knows what it takes to build a church and that we can’t fund it
right now, our membership will dwindle. I feel we, as a parish community,
need to know the facts.”
Gary wrote that the first step was to identify potential major contributors
and ask each to come forward with a significant contribution. “I hope this
letter gets to those who feel they can make that kind of significant
contribution,” he wrote. “Sometimes you don’t know why you are called to
serve. You just are. It is a huge sacrifice but didn’t someone make the
ultimate sacrifice for us a couple of thousand years ago?”
Father Roger and the Steering Committee Take Charge
Father Roger sent Gary's memo to the Steering Committee and explained
that he had made a mistake when he revealed all his concerns at Masses a
couple of weeks ago. He went away for two days to reflect on what was
happening and realized he could give up and let the Diocese close the
parish. Or he could take a deep breath, gather his courage, and go back
committed to make the church building a reality. When he received Gary’s
memo, he felt it was an act of synchronicity.
He asked Gary to work with Rick Voutour to make the church a reality.
Gary agreed. Other people with building talents quickly joined the pair and
the project took off. Father closed his memo to the Steering Committee with
this note: “P.S. To encourage us, Fr. Joe, in the name of St. Thomas
parishioners, has given us $20,000.” (Actually, that was the long-overdue
dowry Fr. Jim had asked the Diocese to send since 1993).
During the Steering Committee meeting, Gary Vincent told the group about
a fish store in Boston that used a startling technique to help customers
understand fish, where it came from, and how it was prepared. A lady
would come in and want some salmon. One of the clerks would grab a 20
pound salmon and throw it across the aisle to another guy who would cut it
up and wrap it up. These antics got people into the reality of the fish, where
it came from and how to deal with it.
Gary then held up a large colored fish painted on a piece of cardboard. He
said it was time for them to “come to reality.” He called them to “Let’s get
real!” That meant they had to come up with a simple, straightforward
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design for their church which they could afford. To cement their
commitment, he asked each person to sign the fish, which became another
important symbol in building the church.
Denis and Beverly Proulx said Gary’s demonstration brought the group into
a positive mood where they now felt they could accept this great challenge
and succeed.
Father then put Gary and Rick in charge of the new Building Committee.
Gary quickly got Jack Dowd to join them. Gary, Jack and Rick visited
Msgr. Hannigan at St. Catherine’s Parish in Manchester for his guidance in
having just built a parish hall and gym for $1.8 million. They used the
Moran Company as their fund-raising partner. They ran a seven week
campaign, for which they paid Moran $35,000. But it was worth it as they
raised all the money the parish needed.
On January 5, 1999, the Steering Committee hired Eric Mitchell again to
work with the soil engineer on wetlands issues. They also visited a few
other parishes for more information. Rick visited the Pro-Con Construction
Company for a preliminary idea of what they could offer within Holy
Cross’ budgetary limits. He brought their rough draft design back to the
committee.
On January 12, 1999, Father Roger met with the Steering Committee
members and they formed three sub-committees:
I.
Building Team:
Role and Activities
- Develop a detailed needs list for the church building
- Develop a “Building Case” for the parish and Bishop
- Develop a prototype drawing of the proposed church
- Prepare bid packages to ship out to prospective contractors
The members of the Building Team were:
Fr. Roger
Jim Dion
Jack Dowd
Gary Vincent
Earle Box
George Strout
Mark Comeau
Lanie Medwid
Jack Comeau
Dianne Harper
Spud Donovan
Julie Conley
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II.
Fund Campaign Team:
Role and Activities
- Ensure that the parish could afford the $1.2 million building
- Set criteria for the Campaign Director
- Interview prospective fund-raising firms
- Select a firm and sign a contract
- Plan the fund-raising process with the fund-raising firm.
- Develop a financial picture package to show the parish
- Work with the selected firm to run the campaign
-The members of the Fund Campaign Team were:
Dave Breeden
George Colby
Mike Conley
Julie Conley
Bill Corey
Jim Dion
Matt Hanna
Dianne Harper
III.
Communication Team:
Marilyn Kopriva
Bob Lehmenkular
Dana Phillips
Denis Proulx
Beverly Proulx
Kris Robertshaw
George Strout
Rick Voutour
Role and Activities
- Keep the parish aware of all that was going on
-Prepare to deliver weekly pulpit talks on emerging status
-Prepare to send out a mailer to every registered parishioner
George Strout took on these tasks and he recruited
others to help.
The Steering Committee was concerned about whether the Diocese would
count cash on hand versus cash and pledges. Bishop Christian had told them
cash and pledges. They also discussed building details, Butch’s design and
his services. When Rick showed them Pro-Con’s general design and the
$1.2 million cost, Jim Rogers, Tony Gallo, and Patti O’Neil, the members
of the earlier building team, expressed major concerns. Mr. Gallo was the
most forceful when he held up the Pro-Con drawing and said, “This is
cheap! We need to go for quality.”
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Jim Rogers and Tony also pointed out that they had the right to use Butch’s
design. Most of the Committee didn’t favor using that design so Patti
O’Neil brought up a very valid point: if they were going in another
direction, they needed to resolve issues with Butch before going forward.
The Committee agreed.
On January 13, 1999, they sent the Building Application in to the State for
approval.
As Gary and Jack were preparing their case for Bishop Christian, a phone
call from ADC tossed them another problem. Butch Razoyk, their former
architect, said that the parish still owed his firm $10,000 for services
rendered. However, if the parish did not want copies of the design plans,
they could cut $500 off the bill. Father Roger met with him and negotiated
a settlement in which ADC dropped its claim for the $10,000.
Then, Gary, Jack and Father Roger met with Bishop Christian on
February 24, 1999, to show him their newly organized committees and to
get both the parish and the Diocese on the same page. The old Building
Committee met with Msgr. Molan. The new Committee had ready access to
Bishop Christian because he had selected Father Roger to help the parish
survive.
Following is the agenda for that meeting:
- Parish activity since last meeting
- Application of fiscal responsibility; aim only for what they could
afford
- Set achievable goals; building and funding
- Financial Position Report
- Debt, Building Fund balance, trend in collections: up 18%
- Sale of subdivision to be for $50,000
- Church needs list to send out to potential contractors
Diocesan Role
- Grant an extension on the $400,000 loan which covered both the
land and the rectory for 10 years. Payments were to begin in
2009.
- Help parish meet financial goals necessary to secure contractors.
- Help sell the program to the parish.
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During this meeting, members discussed having a church built for “around
$1 Million.” The Diocese would match whatever they raised so that, if they
could raise $500,000, the Diocese would match that with a loan, and
construction could begin. The minutes of the meeting show that two major
items were agreed upon:
1.
The Bishop told them that all future meetings should be with
Msgr. Quinn, the point man for the Diocesan Building
Committee. His emphasis would be on the money and Paul
Harrington would be the Diocesan person who would focus on
the building structure, its design and furnishings.
2.
The parish would have to come up with a proven plan to repay
the loan.
Gary and Jack returned to the parish and Father Roger gave them his
approval to gather the people they needed and proceed with their plans.
With Father Roger’s help, they developed several sub-committees to handle
various aspects of building the church:
Building
Building Administration
Interior/Exterior Design
Religious Education
Music, Sound
Kitchen Design
Maintenance
Landscape
Jack Dowd, Chair
Tom Koch, Chair
Lanie Medwid, Chair
Earle Box, Chair
Dianne Harper, Chair
Dave Breeden, Chair
Spud Donovan, Chair
Kris Robertshaw, Chair
On March 4, 1999, after much work, site maps, rough building design, costs
and fund-raising plans, Gary and Jack met with Msgr. Quinn and Paul
Harrington of the Diocesan Building Committee in what became the critical
meeting in moving forward. The meeting was scheduled for one hour, but
Msgr. Quinn asked them to stay longer and invited several senior Diocesan
officials in as well. They reviewed their finances, needs list and general
plans. Msgr. Quinn was excited about it all as were the other officials
present.
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Near the end of the meeting, Msgr. Quinn said, “You have the green light to
move forward with your Capital Fund Drive — You guys are doing
everything right. Keep going. This is a great time for Holy Cross — You
have the full support of the Diocese.”
When Gary and Jack returned to the parish with the good news, things
moved rapidly. The campaign team began interviewing prospective fundraising firms. On March 6, they quickly selected the O’Brien Company who
then conducted the fund drive from March to July, 1999. The goal was to
raise $500,000 in cash and pledges.
On March 11, the Building Team sent out bid packages to six potential
contractors. Tom Koch had drafted a detailed RFP, Request for Proposal,
laying out in detail what contractors must put in their proposals. In addition
to the RFP, the package included these items:
- A 16,000 sq. ft. building is desired
- Site Plan
- Notice that the land is being cleared presently
- Proposals were due by 3/31/99
- Contractor selection would be by 4/23/99
- The goal is a $1M Budget
The team then interviewed the general contractors before selecting Pro-Con.
Team meeting minutes of April 13, 1999, discussed the major reasons for
selecting Pro-Con:
1.
The major criteria was how the contractor would be able to
meet our objective of getting to a $1,100,000 to $1,200,000
solution. Pro-Con came up with a $70 per square foot cost, or
$1,120,000. Two members of the Building Team then visited a
church built by Pro-Con for the $70 price and were impressed
with what they saw.
2.
The biggest reason was “just the feeling that we got” with Paul
Roy, Matt LeBonte and Jim Drugg. The large group did not
intimidate them. They welcomed the challenge to satisfy the
parish’s needs for the price it could afford. “The energy was
evident that we could work with these guys.”
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3.
Pro-Con had a better sense of what was needed for a Catholic
church. It had done a number of Catholic projects and knew the
liturgical terms and design issues.
Team members present at this critical meeting included:
Father Roger
Earle Box
Dave Breeden
Jack Comeau
Mark Comeau
Julie Conley
Jim Dion
Spud Donovan
Jack Dowd
Tom Koch
Marilyn Kopriva
Scott Lavoie
Lanie Medwid
George Strout
Gary Vincent
Rick Voutour
During the spring and early summer of 1999, activities were synchronizing.
On March 20, Rocky Levesque finished clearing the land, having cut the
trees, burned the brush and cleared the remaining stumps. One of the most
critical activities was the campaign to raise the money to build the church.
For years, people like Dana Phillips had worked to raise some base amount
through an almost endless series of spaghetti suppers and penny sales. But,
they worked. They had raised $400,000 by the time of the Fund Campaign
so the parish had that as a starting point. It could never have succeeded
without that ground work.
The trick now was to conduct a major fund-raising campaign since now
people knew what the church would look like and how much it would cost.
They now had a good idea when the church would be built and ready for
use.
Fund Raising Begins in Earnest
Following the January 12, 1999, Steering Committee meeting, the Fund
Campaign Team invited George Strout and Bill Corey to join the team. Rick
Voutour agreed to contact fund-raising firms and ask about pre-fund-raising
studies. Knowing money was tight, each team looked for ways to get work
done as inexpensively as possible. Rick also had to find out if they could
interview representatives before making a selection.
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One of their early problems was determining how many families the parish
had. The numbers had shifted for the past two years and the fund-raising
companies would need accurate figures to project expected returns from the
campaign. Team members began counting the weekly envelopes as well as
the number of families who received them. They came up with 300 families
who used envelopes. These people would become the core contributors.
Rick Voutour found that the fund companies welcomed a meeting before
any formal presentation to the Steering Committee. On January 25, Rick
and Gary met with Tom Farrell of the Moran Company. He gave them
detailed insights as to what they had done and what Holy Cross could
expect from a campaign.
- Holy Cross could raise 4-5 times the annual offerings with an
8-week campaign
- A well-liked and positive pastor was a key
- 100% of those who attend a reception will participate
- The cost to Holy Cross: $24,000 and $3,000-$4,500 for
postage and printing
On February 13, Rick and Gary met with Tom O’Brien of the O’Brien firm
and learned that there were three phases to the Campaign:
1. Leadership Phase in which the Pastor and Tom O’Brien
visit a list of potentially large donors. They ask for $15,000
as a major gift.
2. Reception Phase held in private homes. 20-30 people
invited to each.
3. Door-to-door campaign for those who did not attend any
reception.
Tom O’Brien also stressed that:
Ž
Ž
Ž
Holy Cross must keep our $400,000 fund separate from
the debt for land and rectory
Nearly all the money would be raised from the 300
registered families
Pledges are much more valuable than one time donations
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Ž
Ž
He would be the only rep from the company, working
with the Pastor, attending all receptions, and all other
meetings
Holy Cross should stay away from large “Town
Meetings” as few people attend
Gary and Rick were impressed that O’Brien had a good spiritual outlook on
the process. They then scheduled formal presentations by the Fund
Companies to the Campaign Team for March 6. The presentations went as
outlined above, and the team quickly selected the O’Brien firm.
Tom O’Brien asked the team to select 3-5 people with a history of parish
experience who would develop a list of 20-30 potential major donors so he
and Father Roger could visit each of these families. These visits were the
key to major gifts. He also wanted the team to select small team leaders to
handle door-to-door visits for those who didn’t attend receptions. In
addition, he wanted the team to find reception hosts so he could train them
on how to conduct these meetings. He suggested that the team set a target of
$2,500 per family as a minimum. He asked them to write up a “picture of
parish life” so he could use this information in his talks.
Dave Breedan agreed to check with First Parish Church to see if it was
available after a couple of Saturday afternoon Masses so the parish could
hold large receptions there.
Mr. O’Brien got together with the Campaign Team and helped them map out
territories to be assigned to small groups. He walked them through the entire
process of mailings, meetings, presentations, discussions and pledging.
March 22: Phase 1: Preparation of the Campaign began.
March 26: Mailer (sent to all parish members) including a
letter laying out the financial plans and amounts involved as
well as a timeline from December, 1998, until the proposed
groundbreaking on September 9, 1999.
April 16: Father Roger wrote to 28 families with whom he
and Tom O’Brien wanted to meet to discuss their possible
involvement as leadership contributors. These chosen people
would set the early standards for giving and would inspire and
motivate others to contribute as they could.
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Spreading the Word on Foot -- Literally
While the Fund Campaign Team and the Building Team were running
around with their many activities, another group of parishioners was also on
the run. An article by Rich DiSalvo in the Derry News of April 4, described
the first Holy Cross 5K race.
“Next weekend, local runners will have the opportunity to test their
springtime training with a unique 5K race in East Derry, one which features
road running with a little bit of cross country mixed in.
On Saturday, April 10, the first Holy Cross 5K Road Race is slated to begin
at 10 a.m. at the First Parish Church, while a walk of the course will kick off
at 9:15 a.m. The course, designed by Greater Derry Track Club member and
co-race director Bob Mulvaney of Derry, takes runners down Cemetery and
Humphrey Roads before heading into the Humphrey Road Recreation area
for off-road running. It then returns to the Church.”
Dave Breeden, the Holy Cross race director, said, “Bob had the idea to
combine the road portion and the cross-country part. We think that it’s a
great little course that should be fast.”
Sally Lehmenkuler said she walked the course and liked how it ran through
the rural East Derry neighborhoods.
About 100 people paid the $12.00 fee for the pleasure of the run, an open
raffle for all walkers and runners and prizes for the top runners. Since the
proceeds benefited the Holy Cross Building Fund, a church award was also
given. Father Roger Croteau designed a T-shirt for the occasion. These Tshirts were given to all runners and walkers.
The race was so successful it took place again the following year while the
church was being built.
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The Fund Leadership Drive
As part of his responsibilities, Father Roger sent out the following letter,
dated April 16, 1999, to 28 families, asking to meet with them to discuss
the Fund-Raising Campaign:
Dear Parishioner,
The responsibility for the life, the mission and the growth of Holy Cross Parish
rests with us. But little can be accomplished without a renewed sense of our
personal responsibility for the mission of the church.
Just as our parents and grandparents built churches and schools not only for
themselves but for us, so we have to look to tomorrow to set in place the
resources that will serve in faith the generations yet to come. We have received so
much from those who went before; how can we do less for those who will follow
us?
For the past several years it has become obvious that our parish activities and
services have been limited due to a lack of proper available space. Our Planning
Committee has recommended that in order for Holy Cross Parish to properly
serve and minister to the spiritual, educational and social needs of over 1,000
people of God into the next millennium, it is imperative that we construct a new
church which will allow each one of us to grow together in love and service to
Our Lord. A new and suitable worship space will surely speak of the love and
respect we have for the Lord and for all those who seek Him.
While the cost of this project is great, greater still are the benefits, the pleasures
and the rewards which will be made available to our present generation and to
all ensuing generations who will make Holy Cross Parish their spiritual home.
I would like the opportunity to meet with you, a dedicated member of the parish,
to discuss the need for your financial support of this one-time campaign. As such,
I will take the liberty of calling you in a few days time to set up a mutually
convenient date.
Now, with much prayer, enthusiasm and dedication to the ministry which was
Jesus’, that is, “announcing the good news,” let us move forward together in
Building Our New Century Of Faith. I know that you will assist me in making our
dream a reality.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Reverend Roger Croteau
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Next, Father Roger and Tom O’Brien began their tour of East Derry to meet
with each family. They told people that they wanted a pledge of $15,000
from each family in the leadership group. They also pointed out that 50% of
the proceeds would come from this group. Tom O’Brien repeated this one
statement over and over: “If you listen carefully and decide to contribute
$300, that’s nice but you will never have a church.”
In addition to the one-on-one house calls, the parish held six home
receptions and three parish-wide receptions in late April. The Team used the
following document as the focal point of the Campaign, which reflected the
spiritual nature of the fund-raising campaign:
Holy Cross Church
East Derry, New Hampshire
“Building Our New Century of Faith”
There is a Season
For Everything...
A Time
For Every Occupation
Under Heaven...
... A Time For Giving Birth
... A Time For Searching
.... A Time For Healing
.... A Time For Sharing
.... A Time For Laughter
... A Time For Loving
.... A Time For Peace
AND
“A TIME TO BUILD”
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The team also had a detailed outline of the Campaign:
Proposed Campaign Timetable
Timetable
Activities
March 22 - April 25
- Design campaign plan
- Conduct prospect evaluation session for
Leadership Gift prospects
- Visitation to top prospects
- Selection and enlistment of Campaign Leaders
- Prospect evaluation session for In-House
Receptions
- Preparation of campaign brochure, pledge
cards, proposals, stationery, pulpit talks,
newsletters, etc.
- Preparation of the campaign data base for the
personalized mailings (Dear Mr. and Mrs.Smith)
to each registered parishioner
April 3-4
- Easter
- Brief Announcement: Campaign Kick-Off
- Building Fund Newsletter #1 distributed
April 10-11
- Formal Announcement of Campaign:
Invitation to attend one Campaign Reception
(In-Home or Parish-wide)
- Building Fund Newsletter #2 distributed
April 12
- Invitations mailed to all registered parishioners
April 17-18
- Reminder to attend one Campaign Reception
April 22
- Post card reminder mailed to each registered
parishioner encouraging them to attend one
Campaign Reception
- Building Fund Newsletter #3 distributed
April 24-25
- Reminder to attend one Campaign Reception
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April 26
- Reception #1 (In-Home) 6:45 p.m.George Strout
- Reception #2 (In-Home) 7:45 p.m.Gary Vincent
April 27
- Reception #3 (In-Home) 6:45 p.m. Julie Conley
- Reception #4 (In-Home) 7:45 p.m. Dianne
Harper
April 28
- Reception #5 (In-Home) 6:45 p.m. George Strout
- Reception #6 (In-Home) 7:45 p.m. George Strout
May 1-2
- Reception #7 (Parish-wide) following the
Saturday Vigil Mass
- Reception #8 (Parish-wide) following the Sunday
morning Mass
May 3
- Reception # 9(Parish-wide) 7:30 p.m.
First Parish Church
May 4
- Meeting of Team Leaders
- Review Campaign strategy for Visitation Phase
- Phone Recruitment of parishioners (Envelope
Users)
May 8-9
- Campaign Update: Phase Two
- Pulpit Request for volunteers
- Building Fund Newsletter #4 distributed
May 15-16
- Campaign Update: Mechanics of Visitation
Process
- Building Fund Newsletter #5 distributed
May 17
- Personal letter and brochure mailed to balance
of parish
May 18
- Meeting of Area Leaders
- Progress Report of recruitment process
- Review responsibilities of Team Leaders
May 20
- Training and Assignment Meeting for all
volunteers
May 23
- Visitation Sunday
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- Volunteers visit the homes of those who have
not yet made their financial commitment
- Building Fund Newsletter #6 distributed
May 25
- First report meeting for Visitation Phase results
May 29-30
- Progress Report delivered by lay member of
Leadership Team
June 1
- Second Report Meeting for Visitation Phase
results
June 5-6
- Progress Report delivered by lay member of
Leadership Team
June 8
- Final Report for Visitation Phase
June 12-13
- Progress Report delivered by lay member of
Leadership Team
June 14 - July 2, 1999
- Visitation-By-Mail Phase –letter sent to all who
have not yet made a gift to the program
- Redemption Program set-up
- Letters of acknowledgment and appreciation sent
to donors
- Final Report prepared
Notice how quickly the fund-raising took place. The entire campaign was
done in a little over three months, with a follow-up reception for new
parishioners 90 days later. The Team spoke to the parish with weekly
updates on the Campaign. By May 27, they had raised $309,000 in cash and
pledges from 48 families, an average of $6,437 per family. They kept at the
theme: “We need $500,000 to start to build. If we don’t have that $500,000
there will be no church!”
A number of potential donors still had not contributed. One hundred families
attended one of the receptions, but only 62 of those had pledged. In
addition, 154 registered families didn’t attend any reception. Mr. O’Brien’s
estimate of people who would attend receptions was right on the mark.
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However, the Team did not want to just meet Mr. O’Brien’s projection that
only $400,000 could be raised. They wanted and needed $500,000 and were
determined to get it.
Two weeks later, on June 13, the Campaign had raised $502,442.77 from
121 families who gave an average of $4,152.42. The Team kept its eyes on
the target and continued to push for more donors. The plan to have people
realize what others had given motivated families to come forth and
contribute to the greater good of the community.
When Father Roger and Jack Dowd met with Msgr. Quinn on August 12,
they showed him the Campaign results:
Holy Cross Fund-Raising Results Goal
Results:
$500,000
$625,000 - as of 8/12/99 - $125,000 or 25% above goal
181 families participated - 60.3% of total families
$3,453 Average pledge
54 families pledged more than $5,000
As of 12/31 - $680,000 - 36% above goal.
The $680,000 amount was used to project the needed Diocesan loan of
$300,000. It was also what the parish could afford. The potential problem
was that “pledges” are an elastic amount. If they all come in, life is good,
but 85-90% return is the realistic return.
Building Under Way!
The Building Team meeting minutes of June 3 show an extensive discussion
of the ledge situation. Test pits determined that the entire lot was encased
within a layer of ledge. There were 2,700 - 3,000 cubic yards of ledge to be
removed at a cost of between $75,000 - $100,000. Matt LeBonte, ProCon’s architect on the job, said there were three options concerning the
ledge.
1. Continue with current building design/location; add $100,000
for ledge removal.
2. Move the current building forward on the lot to reduce amount
of ledge removal.
3. Move the building forward and redesign it to a slab footing.
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After much discussion, the Holy Cross team agreed to go with the first
option. The $100,000 was not included in the bid price because no one
knew the extent of the ledge. In the Building Team minutes, Earle Box
wrote, “Obviously God is working within each of us individually because it
is only the second time we have all agreed on a decision. The first time was
that we needed a church, but that was a long time ago.”
They also discussed the blasting issue since quite a bit of it would be
needed. The risks of blasting included an effect on the water table, which
was already high on the property. Next, the blasting might cause damage to
abutters’ properties and water levels. The team wanted Pro-Con to provide
insurance against these risks, which it did.
Finally, they found that they had too many people on the negotiating team
to deal with Pro-Con, so they decided to pare the membership down to
Father Roger, Mark Comeau, Jack Dowd, Earle Box, Tom Koch, Jack
Comeau and Jim Dion.
The Building Team kept tuning its organization to achieve focused
competence and to move quickly. It had Diocesan approval and wanted to
build a church with quality and speed. The reduced team included people
with strong building and architectural experience. They were
knowledgeable on all the technical issues that might come up so they could
negotiate with Pro-Con from a position of strength. It was not that the
contractor was an adversary, but that unexpected issues always come up and
Holy Cross interests could be protected best by people who knew their way
around the field.
The July 14 minutes discuss these three important issues:
1.
2.
3.
Members shared a general feeling that Pro-Con was dragging
its feet on setting a final cost.
The lingering sign problems had finally been resolved with the
contractor.
The septic system remained a major issue. Septic systems are
controlled by towns and so all town requirements had to be
met.
On August 10, the Holy Cross Building Team held its first formal Owner
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and Pro-Con (PCC) meeting. These weekly meetings followed a strict
form, tied to specific sections of the contract. The intent was to cope with
necessary revisions and to keep things moving. Another important issue was
the number of line items that listed parish responsibilities, such as no
parishioners allowed on site during the entire construction period. This was
a standard safety provision.
April 14
April 27
May 10
June 1
June 7
June 23
June 30
Building Committee awarded the contract
to Pro-Con
Design Approval
Design Development Drawings (Bid Level)
Preliminary GMP (Guaranteed Maximum
Price)
Final GMP
Bid Trades, Receive Permit, Start Construction
All contracts in place
On August 12, 1999, Father Roger and Jack Dowd met with Msgr. Quinn
and Paul Harrington to discuss the following:
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Pro-Con’s design and price of $1,229,000 were accepted
Parish will try to obtain most furnishings as gifts
Fundraising success: $625,000 from 181 families, 34 donated more
than $5,000
Financial future solid: 1999 revenues up 23%; families up to 325
Parish can handle the $300,000 loan for 30 years @ 7%.
($2,000 a month)
Diocese agreed to move the $400,000 mortgage out for 10 years
to 2009
Blasting Begins!
On August 17, blasting began to remove Old Man Ledge. The cycle of
blast, use backhoe to dig out rubble, load into trucks and take away, was
used over and over. Most of the material was put elsewhere on the lot.
On the next day, August 18, Earle Box told Father Roger that he could get
the Somersworth stained windows for an October delivery. The parish
wanted the windows ASAP because extensive repair and cleaning was
required. Earle did most of it. Father Roger called Dr. Chasse who had
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taken the windows from St Martin’s Church before it was torn down.
Father had filled in at that church once upon a time, so he had an "inside"
claim to the windows.
Spud’s Finger in the Foundation
On Tuesday morning, September 7, 1999, a major moment in parish history
happened. The concrete sub-contractors began pouring the foundation for
the church. Usually, the large trucks show up, dump the moist concrete
down chutes into pre-set forms to set. There would be many loads to be
poured. This had to be done just right or else the foundation wouldn’t
support the church. The Building Team knew they had to keep their eyes on
everything being done.
The weekly Owner-Contractor meetings helped to do this. The Team had
also arranged to have one member present all the time on the job. That man
was Spud Donovan. He was retired and could spare the time. More
important, he knew a lot about construction, especially pouring foundations.
Early in the morning of that first day, he stood with the concrete company
foreman watching the first load being poured. Spud leaned over to look
more closely at it and said to the foreman, “The slump consistency ratio
seems to be a little thin.”
The foreman looked at him and said, “What do you know about it?”
Spud replied, “Well, I was the plant manager at the Hooksett Concrete plant
for three years.”
The foreman gulped and said, “Oh". Then he stopped the pouring while he
measured the consistency. Spud was right. He called the plant to adjust the
ratio for all remaining loads.
How important were those three minutes in the history of the church?
Monumental! If they continued pouring concrete that was too thin, it
wouldn’t settle properly and, eventually, it would degrade, start falling
apart, and down would come the church.
Thank you, Spud.
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With plans and finances in place, the parish scheduled the groundbreaking
ceremony for September 14, 1999. The parish was excited about the speedy
progress toward building their own house of worship. Look at what
happened between Diocesan approval in March and the groundbreaking:
March 4
March 11
March 11
March 20
March 22
March 26
March 31
April 13
April 24
May 3
Diocese says GO!
Building packages sent to six contractors
Tom O’Brien & Company were selected to lead the
Fund Campaign
Rocky Levesque was scheduled to complete the land
clearing
The Fund Campaign begins with the Preparation Phase
The Fund Campaign Team sends out a mailer to all
parishioners
The Building Team receives five contractor proposals
The Building Team begins interviewing contractors
The Active Phase of the Fund-Raising Campaign begins
May 31
The Building Team selects Pro-Con of Manchester to
build the church
The Acknowledgment and Redemption Phase of the
Fund Campaign begins
June 3
June 25
July 11
August 10
August 12
August 17
Sept. 7
Sept. 14
Team agrees to blast the ledge
All phases of the Fund Campaign completed
A Thank You mailing sent to all parishioners
First Owner - Pro-Con Weekly Meeting
Meeting with Diocese, agreement on costs and loans
Blasting begins
Foundation pouring begins
The Groundbreaking Ceremony
It had only taken a little more than six months from the time the Diocese
gave approval to breaking ground for a new church. While these steps
were being taken, teams were visiting closing parishes in New Hampshire
and in Massachusetts and obtaining gifts of pews, tabernacles, altars,
stained glass windows and other items. The scrounging yard sale spirits of
Sister Jackie and Father Roger were guiding them all the while.
-97-
Groundbreaking Ceremony: A Day of Joy and Grief
The groundbreaking itself fell on a day of joy and grief. Bishop Francis
Christian had agreed to come to East Derry on Tuesday, September 14, to
participate in the Holy Cross groundbreaking ceremony. However, late in
the afternoon of Monday, September 13, he was called to Catholic Medical
Center to give the last rites to a dying priest. That priest was Father Jim
Riel, the founding pastor of Holy Cross Parish.
When the Bishop arrived at the hospital, he spoke to a weak and failing
Father Jim. Seeking to lift his spirits, he told him that he would be
presiding at the groundbreaking at Holy Cross Church the next morning.
Father Jim was so weak that he could not speak, but he smiled at the news
he had tried so hard to make happen.
Very early the next morning, Bishop Christian received a call that Father
Jim had died during the night. He called Father Roger and told him so he
could tell his parishioners. The groundbreaking ceremony was held from
5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. so that as many people as possible could attend.
September 14 is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Some 75
parishioners gathered for the ceremony, including the following:
Bishop Christian
Msgr. John Quinn
Father Roger
Sister Jackie
Father Joe Lorenzo
Margaret Cohann
Ellen Di Palma
Jack Dowd
Sandra Dowd
Joanne Donovan
Kathy Garon
Dianne Harper
Gary Kozicki
Bob Lehmenkuler
Sally Lehmenkuler
Rocky Levesque
Penny Levesque
Lanie Medwid
Cindy Phillips
Denis Proulx
George Strout
Geri Strout
Gary Vincent
Kim Vincent
Steve Wilbar
Many children were also present, holding ceremonial shovels and wearing
big smiles.
-98-
This opening prayer was offered by Bishop Christian:
“The work we have completed today has enlivened our faith and
made us most grateful. We know the familiar words of the psalm; ‘If
the Lord does not build the house, then in vain do its builders labor.’
Whenever we look at the interests of our neighbor or the community
and serve them, we are, in a sense, God’s own co-workers. Let us
pray that He will watch over this parish church in construction and
keep safe all who labor here. We make this prayer through Jesus, our
Lord.”
Then Jack Dowd read from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
“You are in God’s building. Thanks to the favor God showed
me I laid a foundation as a wise master-builder might do, and now
someone else is building upon it. Everyone, however, must be careful
how he builds. No one can lay a foundation other than the one that
has been laid, namely Jesus Christ. If different ones build on this
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, the
works of each will be made clear. The day will disclose it. That day
will make its appearance with fire, and fire will test the quality of
each man’s work.
Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God
will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that
temple.”
After a responsorial psalm, Bishop Christian offered these reflections:
“This is the day the Lord has made. It’s been a long time coming.
But, remember, you are the temple of the Lord, you are the church,
we are the church. What we’re building here is a house, but you are
the temple. We are called to be a living temple and we are called to
be the Body of Christ....The day we, as a body, walk into this
completed church for the first time - it is the church taking possession
of its home.”
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Then, Gary Vincent led the congregation in these intercessions:
Brothers and sisters, let us ask that the work we have begun here will
contribute to the building up of his kingdom and join us in faith and
love to Christ, who is the cornerstone. We pray to the Lord:
Response: Lord, hear our prayer.
Lord, you have given us the knowledge and power to become your
co-workers, may the work of our hands bring honor and glory to your
name. We pray to the Lord:
For the leadership and faithful people of Holy Cross Parish, may they
see themselves as working for the common good and find joy in
contributing to the building up of God’s kingdom, we pray to the
Lord:
For all those who will use this facility, may they recognize the joy
and responsibility of human labor, recreation and devotion, we pray
to the Lord:
For all of us gathered here today, may God’s spirit teach us to do his
will each day and may his wisdom guide us always, we pray to the
Lord:
Then the congregation read its Community Prayer. This prayer was said at
every Mass from the beginning of the parish mission in 1990 until the
opening of the church in 2000. This day it was read with greater vigor and
feeling:
“Oh, God, architect and builder of all things, You have placed upon
us the task of building community and constructing a house for your
people. Grant us the wisdom and courage to make the decisions and
sacrifices necessary to do your will. May our work on this project
serve to strengthen our parish family, and contribute to the building
of your kingdom here on earth. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.”
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Msgr. Quinn handled the concluding rite of sprinkling the land with holy
water:
“Bless this little corner of your kingdom here in East Derry. May it
always mirror the faith and long standing perseverance of your
community at Holy Cross and may it become our spiritual home now
and for future generations. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen”
After the conclusion of the ceremony, people roamed around and talked to
one another and to reporter Claudia Combs of the Diocesan newspaper,
Tidings.
Parishioners grinned when someone said the construction was delayed by
all the ledge. They said, “Well, the church is definitely being built on rock
just like God wants it.”
Father Roger said: “This is a wonderful moment in the history of Holy
Cross Parish. The moment came home to me poignantly, I think, when we
were singing, ‘I’m standing on Holy Ground.’ This is holy ground that will
be made even more holy by the sacraments that will be affected in this place
in a few months. It will also be made more holy by the gathering of a faithfilled community who finally have a home they can call their own.”
In discussing the years of extended effort, Gary Vincent said this: “It has
been a long road for us. At one point, we were compared to the Israelites
wandering in the desert. I am happy to report the Israelites will maintain the
40 year record. What has been such an inspiration over these past ten years
is to witness the level of commitment by the parishioners to our faith and to
each other. For ten years we set up and took down for Mass in gymnasiums
rather than a church. This may have bothered some, but for the majority of
us, we took what space we had and transformed it into a worship space. We
know we are the church – not the brick and mortar.”
Dianne Harper, who held weekly choir rehearsals in her home for ten years,
said, “You have to be ‘Looney Tunes’ to have continued as long as we
have, but we knew we would get to the end of the road and there would be a
building there. Ours was not to question why–this was God’s plan.”
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Several of the people who were there told me that they will never forget that
afternoon with its blend of joy and grief. The Lord gave them the beginning
of their new home and He took away their first pastor on that same day.
Farewell to Father Jim
On Saturday, September 18, Bishop John McCormack presided at a Mass of
Christian Burial at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Pittsfield, NH, for Father
James Riel. A small number of Holy Cross parishioners were able to attend
the funeral. A story circulated in the parish that their presence at the funeral
might upset Father Jim’s mother. However, Kris Robertshaw, who attended
the funeral and spoke to Mrs. Riel, said she was very pleased to see the
Holy Cross members.
From the stories I gathered, Father Riel is remembered to this day as one of
the finest preachers many people ever heard. He was heavily into imagery
and creative theatrics. Some of his sermons from fifteen years ago are still
remembered vividly by those who heard them.
He is also remembered for his interest in the spiritual life of the young
children in the parish and how he tried to keep them involved in the liturgy.
He invited the children up to stand around the altar, and made them feel as
if they were a central part of the liturgy. Bishop Christian recalls that Father
Jim was great with a Nashua youth group.
A brochure in the funeral booklet contained one of Father Jim’s favorite
poems. Here are two of the verses:
In this place exists no fear, and people from every age are here. Your
Mom and Dad say hello. I can’t wait until you’re here, to join the new
family and me, and share the love we had back home.
A new ship has come to shore, and I must go out to meet some
more....for we have finally made it home to God, His Kingdom and
our eternity.”
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The Church Takes Shape
Many contractors and Holy Cross people were busy during the fall of 1999.
Pro-Con began framing the building and the Building Team made a key
decision on the construction. Father Roger wanted to avoid columns in the
body of the church as did the design team. They wanted an open sanctuary:
light, spacious and simple in design. The key solution was proposed by
Matt Labonte, the Pro-Con architect. He told the Building Team that a
Canadian company produced very large, very strong pre-formed arches
which would span the entire church space. They allowed for a high roof and
no columns. The arches threw the weight of the roof down onto the walls,
much like covered bridges spread the forces out to the beams along the
walls. The Building Team agreed to use these arches.
In late September, Pro-Con was running out of space for boulder disposal as
they moved more of the soil around. The Team came up with the solution of
having a large pit dug along the back side of the lot. This was the two
swimming pool-sized holes into which boulders and rocks were thrown.
Also in late September, the Team asked Pro-Con just where they were on
the schedule. Joe Kenney said they were about one week behind the
completion date of 1-6-2000. Mark Comeau expressed some concern about
the site contractor’s ability to get that work done on time. He was to be a
thorn in their side for most of the project.
On October 13, PSNH was setting the power poles and Pro-Con rented
generators to supply heat to the building while the framing was going on.
In late October, the Team faced more problems over the disposal of the
2,500 cubic yards of loam that had been scraped up. The site contractor
wanted to sell it for $10,000 and charge Holy Cross $55,000 for moving it
away. The Team went ballistic! They had several meetings over the issue
but did not reach a solution. Later, one weekend, the contractor simply
moved all the loam off the property. More meetings, with vigor, and he
returned the loam to the property.
The Canadian trusses went up during the week of November 8, 1999. Once
that was completed, the Team could decide on the height of the hanging
ceiling lights. Today, you can see those large overhead lights, but you will
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probably never see them lit since Father Roger said the cost of running them
was too high. They have only been used once – for the first Mass.
That same week, the black top was laid on the road and parking areas, and
more discussion occurred on the windows. As the stained glass windows
were being worked on, a contractor advised the Team that they should have
one-half inch exterior insulated glass over the stained glass for both
protection and heat conservation.
On the last day of this landmark year, 1999, the Design Team met for the
first time inside the enclosed church to pick out colors. Imagine the thrill of
finally unlocking a door and walking into the home you’ve waited for
twelve years to occupy. Lanie Medwid led the interior design team and is
primarily responsible for the gentle interior tone, Irish Cream. Lanie also
insisted on the seating arrangements. She proposed a semi-circular design
so that everyone could face the celebrant.
Lanie Medwid created a mission statement for the Environment Committee:
“Create a setting conducive to worship.” This was in line with one of the
guidelines from Vatican II on Liturgical Reforms, which said, “Church
decor should be noble and simple.”
On February 2, 2000, Father Roger and Jack Comeau walked through the
new church with Pro-Con engineers as they worked their way down a punch
list of 112 items to be reviewed and settled before the Holy Cross group
would sign off on the building. The list covered everything from painting,
replacing items and missing fixtures. The general clean up was also noted
as were some doors and locks which didn’t work properly.
Furnishing the Church
In early 1999, when estimates were developed about the cost of the
proposed church, one element was $171,000 to furnish the church once the
structure itself was ready. Father Roger made it known that he would like
many of the required items to be donated by other churches that had closed
or merged. In effect, two members of the Interior Design team, Lanie
Medwid and Earle Box, put on their scrounging hats and went off with
Father Roger to see what they could find.
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Lanie was the driving force behind the design efforts, and she was highly
conscious of obtaining furnishings only if they were compatible with the
muted Irish Cream of the walls. She didn’t want any striking colors in the
church. As they began to contact other parishes, Earle Box brought his
camera along with his tool box and tape measure. He photographed every
offered object and measured it so that the full team could see just what the
selection looked like.
At this stage, Holy Cross, the church, was an empty building. Imagine all
that was needed: pews, an altar, chairs, for starters. But the complete list is
quite extensive. Lanie and friends visited many churches and pastors and
one very important thing began to emerge. They were not merely given
objects, but they were accepting a parish’s history and preserving it in
another church. The circle of giving and sharing went from one town to
another and from one generation to later generations. As Catholics and
Christians, we know we are linked to one another through Christ and the
furnishings in our church demonstrate and remind us of that holy heritage.
The first stage in furnishing the church was to find the things needed. Then,
Lanie and her team had to persuade people to part with them. Since many
of the items were old and in rough shape, refinishing and painting might be
needed. Finally, the team had to find places to store all they gathered since
the church would not be ready to accept the items until only a few weeks
before the first Mass was to be held. Parishioners stored items in their
basements, garages and in their not-so-spare rooms. Lanie recalls that her
teenage boys had to step over three tabernacles and two kneelers in order to
play pool in their basement. The very large furnishings, such as pews and
large stained glass windows, were stored in loaned 18 wheeler truck bodies
near the church.
The center aisle pews came from St. Matthew’s in Windham along with
their nice blue kneelers. The side aisle pews came from St Michael’s
original church in Andover along with their delightful red kneelers. It took a
team of 20 men with trucks to move all the pews to East Derry. Several
parishioners, including Bob Lehmenkuler, worked on stripping the kneeler
covers and replacing them with neutral brown colors. Most of the pews had
to be cut to fit the spaces they would occupy. Pews are heavy, and it took a
dozen men to get them out of the trucks and into the church. Once they were
sized, refinished and their kneelers ready, the pews had to be bolted to the
floor.
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The furnishing team also obtained six stained glass windows from St.
Martin’s Parish in Somersworth, which they brought to East Derry early in
the scrounging process. Lanie Medwid had the Pro-Con architect, Matt
Labonte, design the exterior walls to accommodate the dimensions of these
windows. Earle Box spent many weeks chiseling off glazing that had
seeped under the lead on the 100-year old stained-glass windows.
One day, Earle Box and Father Roger were driving down Route 93 when
Father got on his cell, called All Saints Parish in Haverhill and asked
whether it had any old altars from when the four Haverhill churches
merged. He was told there was a rather nice one from St. Rita’s that even
had a relic of St. Rita in the altar stone. Within an hour, Earle and Father
had rented a truck to bring the altar back to the Holy Cross rectory where it
was stored until needed.
As synchronicity would have it, that altar already had a Derry connection
before Earle and Father found it. In 1976, it was the altar on which Father
Joe Lorenzo of St. Thomas said Mass while serving at St. Rita’s, his first
parish.
St. Rita’s Church also had a set of Stations of the Cross which it was going
to donate but it changed its mind about that. Lanie was disappointed until
she saw the plain oak ones that came from St. Michael’s, also in Haverhill,
and which fit the Irish Cream decor so well. There are 14 Stations of the
Cross placed in order along the walls of the church. The 15 th station, the
Resurrection, is located in the Reconciliation room, adding to the reverence
and uniqueness of Holy Cross Church.
The Reservation altar was built by parishioners. Its altar stone came from
the old chapel at the Hillsborough County Home and Jail where Father
Roger spent 23 years. The jail officials presented that stone to Father when
he left to become our pastor. The tabernacle came from Father Gary at St.
Catherine’s Parish in Hudson. The second tabernacle used during Holy
Week is from St. John Neumann in Merrimack.
On another trip, Lanie asked for a sacred sink in a parish which was
disbanding. She was offered it immediately. Luckily, Earle had his tool box
along. A few minutes later, the sink was on its way to Holy Cross where it
serves to dispose of consecrated liquids directly into the soil as ceremony
dictates.
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Earle Box built the ambry for holding the holy oils, and Mike Conley built
the base for the Baptismal font, which came from St. Kathryn’s in Hudson.
The statues of Mary and Joseph also came from St. Kathryn’s. The
presider’s chair and two side chairs on the altar itself came from St. John
Neumann’s in Merrimack. The ambo (pulpit) was sprayed to match the
tone of the oak accessories.
However, the major purchase was the most sensitive in nature. The parish
was named Holy Cross by a parish vote reflecting the spirit of Catholicism
as well as the two religious responsible for the early mission. Fr. Jim’s
black cross hangs in the vestibule, and Sister Jackie is a member of the
Sisters of the Holy Cross. Whichever cross was selected for the sanctuary,
it had to relate with clarity and impact to our Lord's sacrifice.
Thus, Holy Cross agreed to purchase the 17-foot cross and the Corpus from
the Demetz Art Studio in Italy, the same workshop that Michelangelo used.
The cost of this inspirational work of art was $16,250. To set the cross in
place, a group of parishioners stood on scaffolding and affixed the large
cross to the wall behind the altar. It was offset from the wall so that it would
stand out and so that lights would offer interesting shadows on the wall. The
men who did this important work included Roland Pothier, Mark Comeau,
Jack Dowd, Rick Voutour and Jack Comeau. Spud Donovan, the overseer,
took photographs of this event as his creaky joints wouldn’t allow him to
get up on the scaffolding.
The steel supporting beam had already been affixed to the wall when they
put up the staging and began the work. First, they moved the large, dark
cross up onto the staging which was located on top on the ledge behind the
altar. When that was in place, they brought the corpus up the same way and
attached it to the cross. They handled this awkward work slowly and
carefully.
When they had finished, they turned on the lights which illuminated the
cross and created the shadow patterns behind it. Those shadows are not
accidental. They were designed and planned by Lanie Medwid to draw
parishioners’ attention to the focal point not only of our church but of our
faith, Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation.
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When you sit or kneel in this church, you are sitting where Catholics in
Windham and Andover sat before you. When you look out the windows,
you are seeing the colors created and paid for by Catholics in Somersworth
100 years ago. When you admire the windows of Mary and Joseph, you are
looking at images that were admired by Catholics in Hudson. Throughout
the church, worshippers are connected, whether sitting, standing, kneeling
or observing, with hundreds of Catholics from across New Hampshire and
New England who shared the same faith.
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CHAPTER VIII
A PARISH WITH A CHURCH OF ITS OWN
Following the completion of the church, the parish settled down for the
calm, peaceful existence it had been seeking for 12 years. Each weekend,
there were three Masses: 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, on Sunday, 8:30 a.m. and
10:30 a.m. Father Roger remained as the sole pastor, the only priest, and
parish life settled into an orderly process.
While the parish gained the advantage of coming together like all other
churches, parishioners also lost certain unique traditions of their former
transient existence:
Ž
Ž
Ž
They didn’t have to come to Mass early to set up tables
and chairs
They didn’t have to drop off their children for religious
education in hallways
They didn’t have to estimate and count the hosts to be used
at each Mass
Religious education classes now took place in the parish hall beneath the
main church. Classrooms were available as were blackboards, chalk and
other equipment. The hall had its own kitchen, and it now became possible
to have coffee and snacks during and after certain activities.
In January and February, people began using the church for meetings even
though it was not completely finished. Julie Conley called a meeting to
help plan the dedication of Father Jim’s black cross which was to hang in
the vestibule. On January 30, Spud Donovan called for volunteers to form a
maintenance team to take care of the church property. His call brought forth
only one volunteer, Bob Lehmenkuler. Father Roger did hire Dick Pare
part-time to clean the body of the church, and recently, Clark Hurley has
joined the maintenance team. Spud and Bob still recruit volunteers to help
them on major efforts, such as raking and snow shoveling.
Nancy Pare and others began a series of training programs for people in the
various ministries: Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors and Altar Servers.
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The First Mass
The new church officially opened its doors on Sunday, March 26, 2000. Sally
Lehmenkuler, the church secretary, said that the church was filled, and that
most people were so happy, they were choked up and could hardly speak.
What an overwhelming feeling it must have been to finally realize a dream
completed. Sally said she had chosen to remain away from the church during
the construction but was anxiously awaiting the opening. She recalls that all
the large, over-hanging lights, like chandeliers, were lit. The only time
they’ve ever been used. She said her main feeling was, in a word, “Joyous!”
As the ceremony began, the Steering Committee came down the center aisle
slowly, each carrying a walking stick which had been hand carved by Father
Roger. These sticks commemorated the leadership and strength that this
group had given the parish in building our church.
Joy filled the church, and Father Roger was ecstatic as he spoke to his
parishioners for the first time in their brand new church building. His words
sum up the tremendous journey of Holy Cross, from the work of Sister Jackie
Brodeur and Father Jim Riel to “all the little bands of people” who made the
church possible:
“Welcome to your new church! It is the culmination of many years of
prayer and work by so many of the parishioners of Holy Cross Mission
Church. The prayer and work go back more than a decade ago when
Sister Jackie and a small band of dedicated individuals staked out this
land on Hampstead Road. Fr. Jim, of happy memory, blazed the trail
for many years before I came on the scene. They set themselves up in a
small trailer on the property and carried out the task of building
community. They used the facilities of the East Derry Elementary
School, as well as First Parish Church for services, meetings and
Religious Education. Lots of stick-to-it-tiveness kept them going. Many
from that little band of people are here now to witness the fruition of
their many prayers and good works.
“In 1998, we established a steering committee. They studied the existing
plans for building our church and the financing that would be required.
When they evaluated what we had, the verdict was to form a Finance
Committee and a Building Committee and explore the possibility of
building a more basic church now. Because of the confidence, talents,
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and foresight of this second generation of pioneers, the job began in
earnest. The steering committee never wavered from its goal and
invested hundreds of hours in planning the financial campaign and
assessing the best choice for general contractor. Meetings were endless,
but rewarding. We have constructed the most cost effective building in
the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese has been amazed at what took
place in East Derry. I wish to personally thank so many individuals, but
I fear I will forget some. To me, this community has been an outstanding
example of people who can pray together and work together in spite of
all the very real barriers that had to be overcome. I congratulate this
outstanding parish - with God’s help you did it and did it well! May God
be praised!
One week later, on April 2, 2000, Bishop McCormack came down to confirm a
class of candidates. Another week went by and the entryway had been
completed with seating and piped-in sound from the sanctuary so that the area
could be used as a crying room.
Quiet Grace: The Weekday Masses
Three weeks later, on May 1, weekday Masses began on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m. This was the first time the twelve year old
parish had ever been able to hold weekday Masses.
To date, these weekday Masses normally have 10-15 parishioners in
attendance. Joanne Donovan and Catherine Cournoyer arrive early to set up the
altar, arrange the chalice, wine and water on a little side table, light the two
altar candles, and flick on muted lights. Father Roger comes early and is found
meditating in front of the tabernacle when we drift in and take our seats.
Gregorian chants, much like one might hear in a monastery, flow from the
sound system before the Mass.
As morning Mass begins, Father Roger says the opening prayers around a
chosen theme. Then he takes his seat and the Lector reads the day’s scriptures.
Father Roger has made it a practice to educate his small weekday crew by
reading the gospel, then commenting on it and placing it in its historical
framework. He does the same thing with the readings from the Old Testament
where such placements and explanations are more necessary. According to
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Gary Kozicki, if people attend weekday Masses long enough, they practically
get a degree in church history.
When asked why he goes to so much preparation for such a small group, Father
Roger replied that Jesus did it for twelve and that Jesus’ intent was that the
twelve go out and spread the word among the peoples of the world. As he said,
“I have the same hope for all of you.”
Father Roger also gives keen insights into a saint of the day or, if there is no
feast day, he explores a prominent philosopher or painter, showing how that
person’s life journey is a source of inspiration and awe.
After the consecration, Father Roger comes down into the middle aisle for the
"Our Father" and joins hands with all in attendance. This is a small circle
where everyone shares peace with all who are gathered here in this early
morning.
After Mass, Father usually comes out to join those who attended the Mass. He
may get into the conversations or he may have a book for someone. He often
puts out fresh fruit or vegetables for people to take home. Lorraine Lordi
always reaches for an avocado, which she uses to make conditioner for her
hair. Peggy Drouin takes apples to make apple pies, and her husband, Ed,
takes a book from Father’s vast holdings of arcane volumes.
As Bishop O’Neil said in 1990, the Eucharist is the center of worship and the
Holy Cross community must stay centered through awareness to music, prayer
and celebration. This spirit has remained at the heart of the parish. While a
small group attends weekday Mass, this spirit is echoed in weekend Mass
attendance that has grown, according to the 2000 census, to 474 families.
A Once in a Lifetime Rock-A-Thon
In early May, 2000, an amazingly successful Rock-A-Thon was conducted by
those dynamic rockers, Bob and Sally Lehmenkuler. This unusual event
became necessary when a monumental foul up occurred in the pre-building
stages. Topsoil was removed from the church footprint area so workers could
get at the ledge and begin blasting and drilling in preparation for the pouring of
the foundation. The topsoil had all been piled up to the front of the church lot
where it forlornly waited to be replaced.
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Good plan. Bad execution. Unknown to the parish, a sub-contractor thought
he could just remove that topsoil and sell it off. Which he did. However,
when the parish discovered what he had done, they had him in for a serious
talk and he finally agreed to replace the soil. However, once a scoundrel,
always a scoundrel. He brought in several loads of soil, liberally mixed with
rocks and small boulders, to replace the fine soil he had scavenged.
When it came time to re-spread this soil, the rock problem surfaced with
vigor. As they say in New Hampshire, the soil grows rocks. Parish teams
were always looking for ways to get work done at little or no cost, in line with
their and Father Roger’s frugality. As chairman of the effort, Bob decided to
sift the rocky soil with the help of parish volunteers. He says he knew that to
get many people out to help, he had to build some fun into the exercise.
Therefore, he placed a notice in the bulletin asking for people to join him and
Sally on the following Saturday for a day of fun, food and good exercise,
knowing that people would naturally read the first two words and hopefully
skip the last! He asked them to bring their wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels and
pry bars. Who could resist an invitation like that? All volunteers were to
receive a special T-shirt designed by American artist, our own Father Roger.
At 8:30 a.m. on that Saturday, Bob was delighted to see 65 volunteers show
up with tools, energy and dedication to finish the job in one day. They
worked hard digging out the rocks and loading them in wheelbarrows. Then
they wheeled the heavy loads up the hill to the back of the church lot where a
large hole had been dug out by the bulldozers.
How large a hole, you ask? Bob says it was 60 feet by 40 feet and ranged from
4 feet to 9 feet deep. He says the hole was the equivalent of three large
swimming pools and could have held several cars. Dig and pry, lift and drop,
lift and wheel and dump. Then, back to dig and pry.
Photographs of this “rocking” event show that it was an equal opportunity
occasion with Kim Vincent, Dianne Harper and other women working
alongside the men. Gary Kozicki and another volunteer were found digging
out a boulder. The more they dug, the larger it became. Finally, they got it
loose and grunted it into the wheelbarrow. They slowly began wheeling it up
the hill when the weight blew the tire, tipped the wheelbarrow and out rolled
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the rock on its way to a new home. They chased it down, raised it up and
dropped it in the hole. The team filled that entire hole by the end of the day
and, today, picnic tables sit on top of Bob and Sally’s Rock-A-Thon.
The next Monday when the Pro-Con workers arrived at the site, they were
astonished at what had been done and asked Bob where the team had obtained
all the equipment to do the job. They couldn’t believe it when he told them he
used wheelbarrows and the backs of volunteers.
Other Outdoor Projects
That summer, Bob Lehmenkuler also oversaw an Eagle Scout project done by
Eric Nahabedian. Eric leveled out the rock pit, spread loam on it, seeded it
and acquired the picnic tables which cover it today. Money is always useful,
but our parish has survived far more through the dedication of her people than
through the coin of the realm.
In the next two years, Bob dealt with two more Eagle projects, which
contributed to the unique character of the parish. Dan McKenna graded the
front walkway area and planted shrubs and plants to make it attractive during
all four seasons. Later, Dan Tombari built the Way of the Cross along the
eastern edge of church property in the woods.
Both projects show a
welcoming spirit to people not only in the Holy Cross community but to
passersby and the greater Derry community.
Bob also had problems with seeding of the lawns and watering them. The
lawns are so widespread on the property that hoses would not reach all of them
and, even if they did, the water system couldn’t put out enough pressure to
water effectively. Then, a natural gardener came to our rescue. Bonnie Turner
told Bob she could figure out a way to handle the problem. She contacted
people at the New Hampshire Highway Department which recommended a
special seed mixture which is drought resistant and can survive on natural rain.
The State uses it on the median strips along highways. She came back to Bob
and they spread that mixture. Another problem solver to the rescue.
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Glancing Back and Moving Forward
Once the church was open on a daily basis, various parish groups began
activities to formalize parish events and activities. On May 14, Father Roger
teasingly mentioned in his remarks after Mass that he would be conducting
“home visits” for those parishioners who had not returned their census forms!
On May 21, a Memorial Mass for Father Jim Riel was celebrated in our church
by retired Bishop Odore Gendron. He was assisted by: Fr. Roger Croteau, Fr.
Paul Ruzzo, Fr. Don Lafond, Fr. Tim Thibeault and Fr. Gerry Desmarais.
Many parishioners came to pray for their old friend and first pastor. People
were sad as they remembered Father Jim and his trials, but they were happy to
think of how pleased he would have been to see this church completed.
On May 28, a Holy Cross Christian Formation Board was formed to help
define the religious education needs of adults and children. The Board
consisted of the following parishioners:
Nancy Pare
Maria McKenna
George Strout
Liz Box
Tammy Saxton
Les Peabody
Kathie Garrish
On June 2, the Second Annual Holy Cross 5K road race was up and running.
Entrants all received a special T-shirt designed by our resident artist, le Bon
Pere Roger.
Formal Dedication of Holy Cross Church
On June 18, 2000, the Feast of The Most Holy Trinity, Bishop John
McCormack formally dedicated Holy Cross Church. He officiated at the two
hour Mass with con-celebrant, Father Roger Croteau, Pastor. Father Joseph
Cooper served as Master of Ceremonies, and Brother Tom Washburn, O.F.M.,
was the Deacon for the liturgy.
“How do you dedicate something that has already been used?” asked
Bishop McCormack in his opening remarks, referring to the use of the
church since its opening on March 25.
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“I thought of the image of marriage, and the long period of engagement
when the couple is getting to know each other. You’ve established a
house, a house of God, and you’ve come to know that house for the last
three months. Today we turn to God to dedicate this house.
Congratulations and God Bless.”
The pews were filled with happy parishioners and many dedicated workers as
Gary Vincent, Chairman of the Fund Drive, along with Jack Dowd, Building
Committee Chairman, and George Strout, Fund Drive Coordinator, presented
Bishop McCormack with the certificate of occupancy, a key to the church,
building and fund-raising plans and various documents outlining how the
building project was conducted.
Gary Vincent then recapped the long history of the parish: the set ups in school
gyms, two years at the Greater Derry Boys and Girls Club and special classes
and services held for ten years at First Parish Church. He asked all those in
attendance:
“This isn’t meant to be a rhetorical question, but does anybody really
know why we are here today? It can be summed up in one word FAITH. It was 10 years of faith that kept Holy Cross alive. Many times
we were compared to the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years.
I’m sure glad they are going to hold on to that record.”
In his turn to speak, Father Roger said, “Finally, it’s my turn.” He thanked the
people of First Parish Church for their generous support during Holy Cross’ ten
year journey and commented on the true spirit of ecumenism that was forged
between the two parishes over the years.
“This has been the most mature, responsive and generous group I’ve
worked with in my 35 years of priesthood. This is a very special day for
the people of Holy Cross. It fulfills a great challenge that was given to a
little band of Catholics from St. Thomas Parish over a
decade ago: that was to go to East Derry and establish a needed
community in that area of the State. It seemed a near impossible task
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at the beginning, but the people gave 110 percent of their time, talent
and resources, and we now have a beautiful parish church
that we can be proud of. As the apostles felt the touch of a divine fire at
Pentecost, so have these people been touched by that self-same spirit.”
Answering the Calls
Following the dedication, the parish returned to daily life. A humorous notice
in the bulletin announced an upcoming yard sale: “Drop off all your "good
stuff" early so that Father Roger can buy it up.”
The yard sale was well-attended and succeeded in raising $1,863. It is not
known how much of the "good stuff " Father Roger actually made off with
during the early bird hours. As everyone knew, he was a yard sale shopper of
awesome ability from his early days at the jail when he had to find clothes for
the inmates.
The parish also began to do some reorganization as it now had a beautiful
church. Lanie Medwid formed an Altar Society to handle decorations in the
church and general sanctuary. Rick Voutour was appointed Chairman of the
Building Fund Pledge Drive and was also appointed as the Director of Sacred
Photography. (Many of his photographs have been used in this book.)
George Strout recalls a day in July, 2000, when he got a call at work from
Father Roger asking him to help find a new Director of Religious Education as
Nancy Pare was stepping down. Father Roger was interested to see if George
could get Sister Jackie to come back to take it on, but being involved as
Principal at St. Thomas Aquinas School, she had her plate full, and she
declined. Father Roger tried several other possible candidates, but no one
would accept what would be a very busy, time-consuming position. George
says he told Father he would cover it for a year to give Father time to find
someone. To this day, George is still at that job!
Also, answering the call, Wal-Mart donated a large number of kitchen items for
our new kitchen. A plea in the bulletin called for volunteers to work cleaning
and getting these ready for use.
During October, 2000, Scott Lavoie left the Steering Committee and was
replaced by Roland Pothier. Jack Dowd was appointed Steering Committee
Chair. Sally Lehmenkuler took over as parish secretary when Julie Conley left
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the position due to illness. At that time, Tammy Saxton was in charge of the
Youth Ministry.
On November 19, 2000, one of Tammy Saxton’s projects with parish youth
produced a wonderful penitential service, designed and conducted entirely by
the students. They did the readings, played the music and the 50 or so of them
set a wonderful example for the entire parish. I attended that service and it led
directly to my volunteering to teach religious education with parish youth. I
remember telling the group a few months later that adults often think we have
to be the examples for the young. On that evening, however, the young people
were the examples for all the parish adults.
By the end of 2000, the parish had 576 students in its religious education
program.
Key Issues, 2001
One key parish issue occupied the Steering Committee’s time as 2001 opened.
The church was built, furnished and operating in fine order, but the parish still
had a $300,000 mortgage to pay off. The committee members realized they
would have to pay constant attention to the collections in order to keep up the
mortgage payments. Fortunately, parishioners were extremely generous over
the 2000 Christmas season when they contributed more than $15,000,
collectively, between the regular collection and the Building Fund. The weekly
collection had increased to an average of $3,582 although the target was
$4,208 in order to break even.
Remarkably, the parish had grown to 502 families from the 269 who were
members at the beginning of 1999. Religious education students were up to 586.
The growth in parishioners came from many young families as is shown by the
soaring number of Baptisms, up to 65 from 21 in 2000.
In 2002, the church had been open for two years and the parish was prospering,
as the following numbers show:
Families:
527
Baptisms:
65
Students:
597
Confirmations:
80
First Communions:
87
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Community Connections: Catholic Charities
In late March, 2002, Father Roger asked Peggy and Ed Drouin to attend a
Catholic Charities meeting at the Deanery. He said he couldn’t make it, but that
they should bring back the materials and any information he ought to know
about. They attended the meeting in Windham, listened to speakers, made notes,
loaded boxes of brochures and envelopes, and came back to Holy Cross.
They delivered all the materials to Sally and discussed the upcoming drive. She
said Father hated talking about money. They mentioned they were vigorous
supporters of Catholic Charities and that, if Father agreed, Ed could give a brief
talk on the drive. The next day, Sally called and said Father would be very
pleased (and relieved) if Ed would give the talk.
Ed gave a humorous and moving talk. However, he began preaching for
worthy cause at the worst possible time. The priest sexual abuse scandal
just broken in Boston, and people across the country were justifiably angry
disappointed with their Church and its response to these crimes against
children.
this
had
and
our
Not surprisingly, that first year the collection fell from $10,000 to $7,500. We
have been slowly working our way back up since that time. By 2006, we
collected $11,640. But our problem remains, the small number of families who
contribute to the Diocese’s primary charity. In 2006, only 62 Holy Cross
families of our 527 chose to give. We continue to urge all parishioners to
participate in the fullness of parish and diocesan life.
The Return of the Financial Alligator
In late 2002, most parishioners thought that money issues were behind us now
that we had built our church and weekly contributions were on target. That
wasn’t even close to the truth. Other pastors had told us that contributions
would fall off once the church was up and occupied, and they were right.
The Steering Committee was keenly aware of our weak financial position and
could feel the old alligator creeping up behind them. They began discussing
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how they should proceed to get our finances in good shape again and to get the
alligator back in his swamp instead of in our backyard. Their first step was to
develop information as to just where we were and to portray that status in a
clear visual form for the parish.
Families
Students
Baptisms
First
Communions
Confirmations
Weddings
1999
345
494
18
61
2000
474
576
31
56
2001
503
585
38
64
2002
527
597
65
87
61
40
4
47
7
80
3
Clearly, the parish was growing. The turnaround began once church
construction started. People could finally see that the new church was no
longer a dream but that it was really happening. People wanted to be part of
it. The Steering Committee also laid out pertinent financial information for
everyone to see.
The church construction finally cost $1,536,629. The Diocese loaned us $1.1
million, interest free, for three years. We paid the bills with what we had and
with that loan.
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Ž
Fund cash and pledges came to $679,444. But the cash
yield was only $594,622. This was 87% of the target
That 87% came from the economic effects of the
2000-2002 downturn in the stock market, consequential
job losses and investment declines
By March, 2003, the balance on our loan was $383,144
Our affordable loan was for $300,000
Holy Cross lacked $83,000. The Diocese gave us one
year to raise the $83,000 and then get in gear to pay off
the $300,000
The Steering Committee began a Mini-Pledge Drive to
raise the $83,000.
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The Building Fund Mini-Drive kicked off in early March, 2003, with letters
to parishioners explaining the need for additional monies for the welfare of
the parish. In addition, Gary Vincent spoke at all three Masses on the kick-off
weekend. He recapped the parish growth and the need for financial help from
parishioners with a perfect blend of facts and humor:
“I get tired just thinking about all that activity,” he said. “I don’t know how
Father Roger does it. I think it is beginning to show in his face. For a 35-yearold, he doesn’t look too bad. We are truly a vibrant (and I think fun) parish to
be associated with.”
Gary then pointed out that the parish needed to bring in $4,203 per week to
match its expenses. “To be honest,” he said, “as soon as I get into the church
I pick up a bulletin and go right to what was collected from the prior week. If
the number is at or above $4,200 I say, ‘Thank you, Lord.’ If the number is
below $4,200, I reach for the Pepto-Bismal and pray for a new stomach
lining.”
He spoke about the $83,000 short fall and the need to raise it quickly as the
Diocese was giving us still another break. The Diocese had loaned 1.1 million
dollars, interest free for three years. That action saved the parish over
$231,000 in interest. He said the Steering Committee decided to provide an
opportunity for new parishioners to contribute, too. As he concluded, “All we
can do as a Steering Committee is to provide all the information to the parish
and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.”
People responded well to the appeal. By August, the parish received over
$20,000 in cash and pledges. By October, that amount rose to $51,000, and
by November, it was up to $61,000. As the Drive concluded in April, 2004,
the parish had received $82,260 in cash and pledges. More would continue to
come in slowly over the next couple of months so that the goal was
eventually met. Gary’s stomach could rest in peace.
Sacraments: The Privilege of Being Catholic
On Saturday, March 27, 2004, at 6:00 p.m., Bishop John McCormack
celebrated the annual Confirmation Mass during which he confirmed 65
young people. Diocesan officials are usually surprised at the large number of
candidates we have. The Holy Cross religious education program is among
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the most active in the State despite being a small parish. The Mass was very
well attended with sponsors, families and regular parishioners. Ushers were
busy trying to find seating for everyone even though they had added 200
folding chairs in the sanctuary. Many people were left standing.
On Friday, May 7, Father Roger celebrated his 37 th year as a priest. The usual
dozen people attended that weekday Mass. Among them were Joanne
Donovan, Catherine Cournoyer, Pat Williams, Pat Miller, Marilyn Kopriva,
Sally Lehmenkuler, and Ed and Peggy Drouin. This small group found it a
pleasure to participate in these small anniversaries, keeping them rooted to
the Holy Cross community as well as to each other.
On two weekends in early May, Holy Cross held First Communion
ceremonies for 100 children. On these occasions, the parish uses both the
4:00 p.m. Saturday Mass and the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. All the pews
along the center aisle of the church were used for children and their families.
The ceremony is impressive, and visitors often say how glad they were to
have been here. The children are all dressed formally. The girls wearing
stylish white dresses and the boys in suits and ties. They look like little brides
and grooms. The ushers have their usual job of fitting the crowd into pews.
Those ushers included two teenage ushers, Wes and Trevor Bland, who did a
marvelous job greeting people, handing out programs and taking up
collections.
On Thursday, May 13, Father Roger had a grand opening of his most recent
art in an exhibit at the Hatfield Gallery on Elm Street in Manchester. Lanie
Medwid, of Holy Cross, worked there and was in charge of framing all the
pictures and arranging the reception. Hundreds of people came from all walks
of life to honor Father Roger and his works. Friends from his seminary days
in Montreal came to see him. Father Don LaPointe and Father Plante came to
renew friendships. Father Roger said later that it was the most enjoyable
reception he had ever had. He credited Lanie and members of the parish who
came in great numbers. Many of Father’s paintings hang in parish homes as
he has been very generous in giving them to us. In addition, many
parishioners support The Hatfield Gallery so that they can add to their
collection of Father Roger’s mystical miniatures.
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A Really Special Picnic for a Really Special Person
On Sunday, June 6, Holy Cross held its annual parish picnic and parishioners
held their breath hoping the rain would hold off until they had finished. This
was to be the most special picnic in the parish’s history.
A secret committee had been working to develop a special birthday present
for Father Roger who would be turning 65 that year. Denis Proulx headed the
fund raising for “Operation Yard Sale” as they dubbed their efforts. Father
Roger is renowned for not wanting anyone to do anything for him, so the
celebration all had to be done in secret. Even Sally Lehmenkuler, Father’s
long-time secretary, was excluded from the plans for fear she might
accidently give something away.
The committee planned to give both Father Roger and his long-time friend,
Father Don LaPointe, an all-expense paid trip to Sante Fe, New Mexico, for a
week in late September. Sante Fe had been one of Father’s favorite places
since he had visited it briefly several years ago. He has talked about retiring
there because it has a lively art colony and a hot, dry climate which would
help his arthritis.
The committee sent out letters to all registered parish families explaining the
idea and asking for contributions to pay the expenses. The committee needed
about $5,000 but raised $7,500 in three weeks. That shows how eager
parishioners were to show their gratitude to a man who had taken over the
role of leader at their church.
After the 10:30 a.m. Mass had finished and people had drifted back up to the
picnic area, Father Roger came walking slowly up the small hill to join
everyone. He normally greets a few people, has a cup of coffee and then
hikes slowly though the woods to his rectory. This day, George Strout,
somewhat shy and reticent, had agreed to be the Master of Ceremonies. He
asked Father to say a blessing before the picnic, which he did.
Then, the normal routine changed as George pulled up a chair and asked
Father to have a seat. Puzzled, Father sat down and then his puzzlement
increased as George began telling people about all Father had done for our
parish community and how he has always given the credit to the parishioners.
George said this was the time to give the humble priest his share of that
credit.
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First, though, George had a ‘little story’ to tell. (Parish speakers often make
this reference to Father’s habit of injecting “a little story” into his homilies).
George said he was down in his office one day when Sally was cleaning out a
closet to make room for more of Father’s endless supply of books he picks up
at garage sales. She came across a small box and pulled it out. Both George
and Father asked what was in it. Sally showed them that it contained three
eggs and 51 dollar bills. George asked what the eggs were for? Sally said she
put an egg in the box each time Father’s sermon was too long or less than
wonderful. Father said, “Gee, that’s not too bad for five years.” George
asked what the dollar bills were for and Sally said, “Every time I got a dozen
eggs, I sold them for a dollar!”
When the laughter died down and George neared the end of his remarks, he
mentioned that Father’s 65 th birthday was coming up. When he said that, you
could see the shock and questions cross Father’s face. “What have they done?
How come I never had any idea?”
Then George told him what the parishioners wanted to give to Father: a trip
for both him and Father Don to Santa Fe. Pat Williams, who coordinated the
secret event, then gave Father the airline tickets and a check for $6,000 to
cover all other expenses. Many people saw the tears begin to fall, which
Father tried to cover. For once, he was nearly speechless. When he got his
voice back, he thanked everyone and commented that this was the finest and
closest community he had ever worked with.
Then people lined up for the food, which complemented the surprise birthday
celebration. Master chefs, Bob Messier, Bob Stoker and Matt Hanna grilled,
flipped and served hundreds of burgers and dogs. Salads of all descriptions,
including some that would never be identified, fueled the starving masses
who, of course, all came back for dessert.
After 30 minutes of making the rounds to speak to everyone, the humble
priest was seen heading off along his trail through the woods to his rectory.
No one ever begrudges him his time alone. People know what a blessing he
has been to the Holy Cross Community, and they treasure him each day.
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The Vocation Ministry
On June 12, Father Roger asked me to attend a Diocesan meeting about a
new Vocation Program starting in the parishes. He asks things like this of me
since I am retired and have time. He always wants my opinion of what the
Diocese wants and what we should do locally. I attended the meeting,
brought back the materials, and explained what the Diocesan officials had in
mind. I told him it sounded good, particularly since it left the execution of
the program to the local people. We could handle the effort any way we
thought best.
Father liked that and then used his best managerial technique when he said,
“OK, Ed, that sounds good and you’re now the new Vocation Director.”
I said, “Wait a minute. I was only the guy who went to the meeting. I have
plenty to do as things are.” He gave me a quizzical look and said, with
surprise, “You will do this for us, won’t you?”
I felt like the deer in the headlights: bagged again. I did get his approval to
add a second person to the ministry as two heads are better than one. I was
fortunate in getting Gary Kozicki to share this ministry.
When I shared this story with members of the Steering Committee on
October 18, Gary Vincent commented, “You never saw that coming?”
Members of the group had been through similar experiences where when one
is asked, one has little choice but to answer the calling.
We introduced the use of Vocation Crosses, one for each weekend Mass,
which could be signed out by different families each week. The idea was for
the crosses to be displayed in homes and for the family to pray for vocations
at meals.
We also explained that we were designing a two evening program for
teenagers. The Steering Committee was pleased with the plans and George
Strout, Religious Education Director, was eager to have the program
presented. He also invited me to present the ideas to the prayer group which
was meeting the following evening.
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Design was easy; but pulling it off was difficult. The design called for the
first two hour session to be conducted by Gary and I with the purpose of
introducing the severity of the priest shortage and to get the students working
together to figure out what could be done.
The following week, the second two hour session was to be conducted by a
priest, a sister and a brother. They were to explain how each found his or her
vocation and then describe what their daily lives are like. After that, the
students would break into groups to discuss things with each of the three
religious. So, with a good design in hand, I called the Diocesan Vocation
Director for his help in finding the three religious to come to our program.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t get anyone to come join us in this work. That
added punctuation to the shortage problem!! Father Roger even called half a
dozen priests whom he knew well, but all declined.
As Gary Vincent said during the church dedication, “How did we get here?
FAITH is the reason.” We had faith and the help of others. Catherine
Cournoyer spoke to me at weekday Mass and said she knew of a priest at the
Legionnaires of Christ Seminary, and she thought he would agree to help.
That contact led to the priest and brother who helped us. I spoke to Sister
Lawrence, Principal of St. Casimir School in Manchester, where I was
volunteering at the time. She said she didn’t think she could do it well , but
said she could probably get me someone who would be great. That was just
the help I needed. She arranged for Sister Mary John of the Felician Sisters,
in Rhode Island, to come to join us. Sister Mary John is their regional
Vocation Director and does this kind of work all over New England.
When I told George Strout that Father Regan and Brother Stephen were
coming up from Hartford, Connecticut, and Sister Mary John was coming up
from Providence, RI, he couldn’t believe our good fortune. At the workshops,
the guests commented that they had never seen so many teenagers at one
time. Sister Mary John said she often only sees 7-10 students, even at large
parishes while Holy Cross had 50 students at each session, which she deemed
an amazing attendance.
The program went over well and at the conclusion, Father Regan picked up
on Sister Mary John’s remarks when she said her farewell in Polish. Father
Regan challenged the teenagers to repeat her phrase accurately. He said he
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had a special prize for those who could do so. Eventually, both a boy and a
girl succeeded. The prize turned out to be a medal blessed by Pope John Paul
II when Father Regan was in Rome a couple of years ago. As he presented
the medals, Father Regan quietly asked each student to begin each day with a
Hail Mary and the offering of the day to the Lord. Both agreed.
In discussions after the program, teachers told us how pleased they were with
everything that was done and especially with our guests. Our parish was
blessed to welcome these people who came to do the workshops when no
local Diocesan priests or religious could be found to do so.
Continuing the Calls to Daily Life
In early October, Holy Cross lost one of its first ushers when Bill Cordeiro
died. He was a lively and friendly man whom everyone enjoyed. It was
always a pleasure to work with him.
In November, we had projects dealing with the upkeep and maintenance of
our new properties. A new entryway roof was built at the lower level to
minimize rain entering the church. A new roof also had to be put on the
rectory at a cost of $4,500.
At the Christmas Eve Mass, the crowds were as large as ever. Father Roger
commented that he has trouble with these large Masses in that most of these
people seldom come at other times and so he has trouble devising a sermon
which will fit both the devout and occasional Catholics. He also commented
that the Usher ministry that Mike Chaggaris created two years ago has made
an enormous difference in these large Masses. He said the first year the
church was open at Christmas, the Masses were a disorderly zoo. Now he
sees a calm atmosphere and order throughout.
At the end of 2004, Sally Lehmenkuler gave me a copy of the latest Catholic
Charities financial report. It showed that our contributions were up to
$14,000, a good increase from our goal of $10,000. Donor families also
increased from 48 to 58.
In mid-February, the parish held the first parish Mission, a three evening
affair conducted by Sister Linda Greenwood. The opening evening included a
solo performance by a woman who portrayed Mary Magdalene and her role
throughout Holy Week. The woman wrote the script and acted it out in
traditional costume. There were about 60 adults and 40 teenagers present.
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In March, Bishop McCormack came down to confirm our students. He said
he found them to be very attentive and interested. The only problem was that
he had trouble finding the church and was 45 minutes late for the service.
In late April, we had the Catholic Charities Appeal weekend and the Prayer
Day for Vocations on back to back weekends so I found myself preaching at
all six Masses since I am responsible for both ministries. Father Roger told
the congregation that I was speaking so often that he was thinking of making
me a Secret Deacon so I could preach on alternate weekends and he could
take a break.
Unfortunately, we had no social director for most of the year due to the
illness of Tracy Love who had taken on the job.
In July, I agreed to research and write the parish history. The work was going
slowly in the absence of thorough written records. Fortunately, many people
have been willing to sit with me and recall their experiences. Father Roger
and I hope the history will help re-kindle the community spirit and inspire
newer parishioners to become active as the older ones have been.
In the latter part of the year, Sandy Sherman agreed to take over as Social
Director. She got her group to organize and conduct an old time Penny Sale
and Silent Auction in October. It was a fine success and raised $4,700 for the
parish. Sandy hopes to organize more events for adults in the year to come.
During December, Father Roger became annoyed at the efforts in society to
take God and Christ out of society and usage. He came up with the idea of
having stamp pads made with the message: "In God we Trust” on them so
people could stamp that on their correspondence. Pat Williams and friends
took on the job of selling the stamps and pads for $5.00. They sold over 200
in short order and other parishes have begun calling to get some. I gave one
to Bishop Christian when I interviewed him for the parish history.
Also in early December, the Musical Ensemble of Holy Cross produced a
Christmas CD and sold them for $15.00. Under the direction of our own
Julliard-trained pianist and soprano, Dianne Harper, the Ensemble included
the following gifted musicians and singers:
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CHOIR
Rick Carignan
Claudia Combs
Sheila Cuneo
Su Cutuli
Ken Galvin
Bobbie Gouveia
Kathleen Gundrum
Dianne Harper
Jessica Kaminski
Rosemary LaMonica
Bob Lehmenkuler
Mimi Mandile
Chris Nagy
Roland Pothier
Steve Robertshaw
Geri Strout
INSTRUMENTALS
Claudia Combs, Flute
Bob Lehmenkuler, Flute, Trumpet
Lauren Russo, Trumpet
Ken Galvin, Clarinet
Nick Pothier, Cello
Rose Colby, Guitar
Phil Stagnone, Guitar
Mary-Ann Schroeder, Violin
Accompaniment: Laurel Devino
As the CD cover promises, “Mystery opening within each silent breath,
holiness beaming within each note, Joy rising up on angels’ wings - - That’s
what you will hear, That’s what you will feel, That’s what you will become as
you listen to this unique CD of Holy Cross.”
The back cover has an ink and watercolor drawing created by Father Roger of
our church with Joseph and Mary on a donkey as they approach the church.
Cover art and CD design is by Kate Harper. Collectively, the CD is a terrific
group work of art.
Medjugorie Visonary: A Spirit-Filled Encounter
On the Wednesday of Holy Week, April 12, 2006, Holy Cross hosted an
appearance by Ivan Dragicevic, one of the six visionaries from Medjugorie to
whom the Blessed Mother appeared in 1981.
A brief synopsis of these apparitions shows that they first occurred on June 24,
1981, to six children in the village of Medjugorie, a small village in BosniaHerzogovina, a portion of the old Yugoslavia. These children are: Ivan, Marija,
Mirjana, Vicka, Jakov and Ivanka. Our Lady is said to appear to them daily
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until they have each received ten secrets. Currently, Ivan, Marija and Vicka
have received nine secrets and Our Lady appears to them every day, wherever
they are. The others have already received their tenth secret so they no longer
have daily apparitions.
The basic message in these apparitions is that people must return to the
worship of the Lord through prayer and fasting. None of the six children has
become a priest or sister. However, they continue to travel and preach their
message to others. Ivan married Laureen Murphy and lives with her and their
three children in Boston. He spends most of his year traveling and preaching
and spends about half of the year in Medjugorie.
When Ivan appeared at Holy Cross, he was welcomed by a full church of more
than 600 people from all over the area. Ushers had moved about 180 folding
chairs into the sanctuary as they do for Christmas Masses. Cars filled the
parking lots and many were parked along the roads on our property. Pat
Williams, who coordinated the event, had contacted six local parishes to invite
them to participate. It appeared that half the people were from other parishes.
Father Don LaPointe, Father Roger’s friend, said the Mass. The entire evening
extended for nearly four hours. It was to begin at 5:55 p.m. but started 20
minutes late as Ivan and his group were delayed.
During the time of silent prayer that held the apparition, many people said they
felt nothing and saw nothing. However, Father Roger, who was near Ivan, said
that he felt some kind of strong energy flowing. Four separate women said they
saw a blue statue of Mary on the altar, but no such statue exists in Holy Cross
Church.
What actually happened that evening is uncertain in the minds of many.
However, it is clear that some people do experience out-of-body sensations.
The Church hierarchy tends to withhold judgment on apparitions but says that
if people believe in them and use the experience to improve their lives, there is
no harm in the belief. In this instance, no matter what you believe, it is a fact
that over 600 people came together for four hours of prayer and conversation
about prayer. That alone is a miracle!
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Still Building
In January, 2007, a parish team of contractors and volunteers built a new
conference room on the lower level of the church. These hardy workmen
included:
Rick Voutour
Don Gallant
Spud Donovan
Roland Pothier
Jack Comeau
Bob Lehmenkuler
Frank Gregory
A leader of the group ordered a cabinet for half price that had to be picked up
in Maine.
Rumors circulated that the electricians might never finish as they were too busy
going for coffee and disturbing the carpenters! The room turned out well and
will be used by adult groups for meetings.
Father Roger's 40th Anniversary as a Priest
On a Spring evening in April, two hundred people gathered at "Promises To
Keep", a Derry banquet facility, to honor a man who had kept his promises for
40 years.
Father Roger Croteau was ordained on May 7, 1967, by Bishop Ernest
Primeau. As part of his ordination, Father Roger promised: to obey his Bishop,
to remain chaste for life and to serve the people of New Hampshire.
He carried those promises with him throughout a long and varied career. Most
priests go directly into pastoral ministry and make their careers as pastors.
Father Roger walked a different path and only came to be a pastor when he
arrived at Holy Cross in 1997.
In March, 2007, Pat Williams began work to plan this celebration for Father
Roger. She was assisted by Marilyn Kopriva. They settled on holding a
Sunday evening dinner so that out of town guests could attend more easily.
They persuaded Father Don LaPointe, Father Roger's long-time friend, to act as
Master of Ceremonies and to do his part in persuading Father Roger to join
him at a special prayer service that evening. Father Don said he will probably
have to pay for the "fibs" he told in this effort.
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On Sunday, April 29, parishioners, friends and family were gathered at
"Promises To Keep" when Father Don led Father Roger into the banquet room.
Roger looked puzzled as he began to realize all the prayer service attendees
were his friends and family. As many came up to him and wished him a
Happy Anniversary, he caught on and was greatly surprised. He told someone,
"They have done it to me again!" The parish had surprised him at his 65th
birthday in similar fashion.
The guests included his brothers, Roy and Dickie, friends from other parishes
and many of his Holy Cross family. Father LaPointe brought back stories of
Father Roger's youth and seminary days. Rick Voutour, put together a slide
show of photos of Father's life, which was enjoyed by all.
At the front of the hall, there was a display of articles about Father Roger's
career as a priest and as an artist.
The evening was a great success and it helped his family see just how much
Father Roger is appreciated by Holy Cross parishioners.
Father Roger was presented a plaque with a drawing of Holy Cross Church.
The plaque also thanked him for his loving service to the Holy Cross Catholic
Community. He also received other gifts from friends and parishioners.
Father Roger said the finest gift was the continued love and devotion his
parishioners give him every day.
Summation and Lessons
Parish life has a rhythm to it. Many of the parishioners at Holy Cross partake
deeply of the rhythm of parish life. It is partly religious, but it is also social, as
they work together on various efforts. We do not know how the rhythm will
change in the future, but one thing is certain: change it will. However, what
won't change is the faith of our people. We have endured tough times, and we
will handle them in the future.
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LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
As we look back upon the twenty years of our history, I believe there are
certain things we can learn which may help us in our uncertain future. The
challenge in building the parish was no greater than the challenge will be in
holding it together in these difficult times for the Church.
I.
As we enter the world of "twinning", we will find that it is a
difficult world with many aspects. Other, more normal
parishes will face a culture shock when they find themselves
without a priest and without regular Sunday Masses. We
have been there, done that and survived. We learned to rely
upon one another in tough times and that, together with the
Holy Spirit, we can do anything.
II.
Many people came to Holy Cross because they were
unhappy where they were worshipping. We came here not
because of the beautiful, air-conditioned church, but because
the spirit and energy of the parishioners made us feel at home.
We can learn to share that energetic spirit to help others join
us and to help those who are here become more active in the
parish. Many of us came when there was no church, no
offices and no classrooms. But, there was the Faith which
sustained us.
III.
Many families were attracted to us, and still are, because of
the vigorous Religious Education programs we offer. We
have one of the largest programs in the State even though we
are one of the smallest parishes. If we can keep our
Religious Education programs vital and active, we may well
attract more members.
IV.
Social activities attract people and help them to become
acquainted with one another. Picnics, penny sales, spaghetti
suppers and yard sales have worked in the past and can work
in the future. As Sister Jackie used to tell us, build community,
then build the church. Now, it will be build and re-energize
the community and keep the church alive.
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V.
Some lessons can be learned from our twenty year history but
others can be learned from the 2,000 year history of The Church.
The Acts of the Apostles describe men going off to foreign lands
to spread the word of the Lord. They held services in people's
homes. As Father Jim used to say, we can make a church
wherever we are. We are better off in Holy Cross Church than
we were in a gym or a boys' club. We have a sanctuary. We
have classrooms. We have space to do things. But, those assets
won't do much unless we work to grow our parish.
VI.
In old Quebec, in the seventeenth century, my Catholic relatives and
other French-Canadians, went months without seeing a priest. There
used to be a few priests who rode the circuit on horseback. They
came to your town once or twice a year. When they arrived, they
said Mass, heard confessions, married couples, baptized children,
etc. Then, they went away, but the people kept the Faith even in
their absence. If we have to, we can do the same.
VII.
We can learn from what we did and also learn from the Lord's
Scriptures. This selection from The Letter to the Hebrews applies
very well: 10:32-39:
"Recall the days gone by when you endured a great
contest of suffering after you had been enlightened. At times
you were publicly exposed to insult and trial; at other times
you associated yourselves with those who were being so dealt
with. You even joined in the sufferings of those who were in
prison and joyfully assented to the confiscation of your goods,
knowing that you had better and more permanent possessions.
Do not, then, surrender your confidence; it will have great
reward. You need patience to do God's will and receive what He
has promised.
For, just "a brief, moment
And he who is to come will
come; he will not delay.
My just man will live by Faith,"
and "if he draws back
I take no pleasure in him."
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We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who
have faith and live.
In our early parish days, you endured the hardships of Masses held in a gym, of
Religious Education classes held in hallways, of meetings held in an old trailer.
Your goods weren't confiscated. No, you gave them up willingly to do God's
work. Thirty-five families gave over $5,000 each to help build this church.
You didn't surrender your confidence that a church could be built even when
many among you surrendered and left the parish. A few left the parish when
the church design changed from what they had proposed but some of that early
group stayed with us and continue to work for our good. You were not among
those who draw back, but among those who have Faith and live.
In the difficult times ahead, remember who we were and must continue to be.
We were a Mission without a resident priest for eighteen months and not only
survived but grew in numbers and in faith.
As Father Jim once said about holding Mass on a table in front of a Michael
Jordan poster, "wherever we choose to hold a Mass, God is there with us."
Others have said they knew we weren't bricks and mortar, our church is us, in
prayer with the Lord. No Bishop, no reorganization, no "twinning" can ever
take that away from us if we choose to keep it.
One day, Father Roger told several of us that one of his feelings about weekday
Mass was that he prepared sermons which interpret Church history and show
how to apply them to our daily lives. He said he saw his "weekday crew" as
Jesus saw his disciples; a group who would learn his lessons and go out to
spread them and live them.
That should be true for all of us; and can be for us, for as our parish motto says:
IN GOD WE TRUST
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