St. Dominic Parish celebrated its 175th anniversary on Sept. 7 with a Mass, followed by a party at Cannstatter’s.
Archbishop Nelson Perez celebrated the Mass, along with the Rev. Brian Connolly, the parochial administrator. They were joined by two former St. Dominic pastors, the Revs. Edward Kearns and John Gabin (a son of the parish). Also on hand were Monsignor Joe Nicolo, the retired longtime pastor of St. Helena, in Blue Bell; the Rev. Shane Flanagan (a son of the parish); the Rev. Joe Zaleski, pastor at St. Katherine of Siena; and the Rev. John “Father Chung” Nguyen, pastor at St. Maria Goretti in Hatfield, Montgomery County.
In his homily, Perez noted that St. Dominic is the oldest Catholic church in the Northeast.
Perez quoted Pope Francis, who has written, “The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptability, it continues to be ‘the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.’ This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few.”
Perez recognized Rita Doehne Knight, 87, for being a parishioner for 83 years, the longest of anyone at Mass.
Altar servers presented the archbishop with a spiritual bouquet and a gift bag.
The year-long anniversary celebration included an opening Mass celebrated by Bishop John McIntyre; a collection of socks for the homeless; a Christmas tree lighting; the opening of a Mary garden outside the rectory; shrine tours; and an all-year school reunion.
“What a year,” Connolly said.
Connolly thanked the committee for organizing the year-long activities and the volunteers who cleaned and decorated the church for the anniversary Mass.
The parish motto is, “St. Dominic Church, dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we honor the past, celebrate the present and prepare for the future.”
At Cannstatter’s, there was a dinner, a toast, DJ and a 20-minute video featuring parish pictures and accompanied by music.
State Sen. Jimmy Dillon presented Connolly and anniversary committee chairman Mike Serverson with a Senate citation and citations on behalf of state Rep. Pat Gallagher and City Councilman Mike Driscoll. ••
