Archbishop Nelson Perez returned to St. William Church on Sunday to celebrate Mass.
Perez served as pastor at St. William from 2002-09.
“Archbishop, welcome home,” said the Rev. Alfonso Concha, the current pastor.
Perez has fond memories of St. William because it was his first assignment as a pastor and because, to this day, it’s been his longest assignment since ordination in 1989.
“It’s wonderful to be here,” he said.
Perez, 60, visited St. William in 2019 as the parish began its 100th anniversary celebration. He was the bishop of Cleveland at the time.
In his remarks on Sunday, Perez noted the congregation featured English speakers along with Pakistani, Haitian, Hispanic and Asian communities.
“It looks like Rome,” he said. ••
