St. Therese, Chesapeake: Laity take strong leadership role
By Barbara Hughes
Special to The Catholic Virginian
Doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way is one of the hallmarks of St. Therese of Lisieux and the parish named in her honor seems to be doing just that. This is especially evident by the manner in which they celebrate liturgy.
 “Every member of our church community is expected to gather with us every Sunday as the most important minister at the Mass: the ASSEMBLY. We take this mandate very seriously, and we put a lot of effort into making the Sunday celebration the single most important focal point of the parish.”
The above quote is taken from the power point presentation for newcomers who wish to join the Church of St. Therese.
Mark Hoggard, full-time Minister of Worship, is passionate about educating the assembly regarding their role as participants, not observers when they come to Mass. “My vision is for people to understand what full conscious and active participation at Liturgy means,” he said. “Vatican II defined Eucharist as the summit of the Catholic Church. My role is to help people experience it.”
Christina Belvo, who joined St. Therese with her son four years ago, said, “The vitality and positive energy among the faith community invites you to get involved. The liturgies are fabulous. “There is always a flyer in the bulletin helping to understand the Vatican II documents and every family receives a copy of ‘At Home With the Word’ so they can become familiar with the readings before they come to Mass,” she continued. As a reminder to families that they are being sent forth to incorporate liturgy in everyday life, Mr. Hoggard initiated the practice of the Blessing Cup. A different household is called forth to receive the blessing cup at the end of each weekend liturgy.
 The family uses the chalice when they gather for prayer during the week with a prayer booklet which offers suggestions. Children preparing for their First Communion decorate a goblet to be used as a blessing cup in their home to instill the importance of family prayer. The Lenten Day of Reconciliation added another innovative approach to the sacrament of Penance. The day, which began at 10 a.m. and concluded at 3 p.m., was designed as a gathering to prepare and receive the sacrament in a thoughtful and reflective manner. Presentations on personal sin, communal sin and sin and death were offered by three parishioners followed by reflection and discussion and the opportunity for private confession. Fellowship took place over coffee and during lunch. A number of spiritual directors were available. Whole parish catechesis is at the heart of St. Therese’s approach to ministry. This was evident as children and adults gathered on Feb. 26 for their third intergenerational gathering.
 Mary Anne Crooks, Minister of Religious Formation, explained, “During Advent and Lent we had three identical gatherings to accommodate the 600 people who attended.” Children sat with adults and entered into discussions to which each generation could contribute. Ms. Crooks was delighted by the fact that so many adults who didn’t have children or whose children were grown participated.
“They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be with the young people,” she noted. When the pastor was asked how he feels about the laity taking such a strong leadership role, Father Robert Cummins told The Catholic Virginian, “The secret of a vibrant parish is letting go. Time after time I’ve realized that the Spirit works through the people.”
He pointed to the selection of the parish pastoral council as one example. “They are not the people I would have chosen, but as time went on I realized that they were the ones who were meant to be in a leadership role,” Father Cummins explained. As pastor, he routinely refers people who approach him about parish life to the lay leadership. He admitted that sometimes some get upset if they’re not used to this model of ministry, “but I have great confidence in the people,” he said.
Father Cummins, ordained a priest in 1986 and pastor at St. Therese for nine years, describes the parish as a close knit community. He enjoys a special bond with the people at St. Therese since it was the first parish he came to as a deacon some 20 years ago. He admits it will be difficult when it’s time to leave. “I’ve watched the people grow both as individuals and as a faith community,” he said. “It’s the first parish where I’ve seen people talk to one another instead of about one another regarding differences.”
Much of this can be attributed to the leadership document Father Cummins drew up for those in leadership to sign. A few highlights of the covenant agreement include honoring confidentiality, respectful and honest treatment of one another, refraining from gossip, and mediating grievances, concerns, disagreements and dissensions using Scriptural based conflict resolutions. Covenant agreements play an important role at St. Therese, beginning with joining the parish.
In order to register, members of a Home Church (the term used to designate a household at St. Therese) must attend an orientation session during which they learn about the importance of worship, the parish mission, its history, a brief biographical sketch of St. Therese of Lisieux, and information about Justice and Peace outreach, Christian Formation programs and Parish Life.
Then each prospective Home Church is invited to pray, reflect and discuss what they have learned and then complete and sign a Discipleship Covenant. The covenant includes seven promises that the Church of St. Therese makes to each Home Church, the first being: “We promise to make Sunday Mass the single most important focal point of parish life.”
And, in turn, the Church of St. Therese asks each Home Church to commit to four promises which includes building up their Home Church and involvement in parish life and the greater community by sharing time, treasure and talent while being instruments of reconciliation.
 Another example of parishioners going the extra mile is the parish bus which is used to transport Scouts to events and transport the homeless to and from the winter shelter. Recently the Scouts raised money to have the bus painted and overhauled. With more than 100 Scouts in this parish of 900 households, their presence and contributions are notable.
Lauren DiRenzo is currently collecting clothing and personal items to be sent to the Girl’s Orphanage in Haiti. She hopes to fill and ship 50 large cartons to earn the Gold Girl Scout Award. In 2002 her brother, Joseph, spearheaded current parish involvement in the Haitian Boy’s orphanage by raising over $2,000 for his Eagle Scout project. “Not only has Scouts been good for my son Ben, but it’s led to his being part of a Praise and Worship band that plays on Sunday evenings before Youth Group meetings,” Mary Elizabeth Boesler said.
Every winter St. Therese opens its doors to the homeless and once again extraordinary effort is put forth. During the eight night stay, about 80 guests are treated to new socks and underwear, hair cuts, manicures and the services of Dr. Peter Gienkewitz, a podiatrist in the parish. The guests are served dinner every evening, but on two nights they dine at Café Therese. The parish hall is transformed into a four star restaurant and table cloths, china and silverware replace paper products. Candlelight and full service dining make those nights special for volunteers as well as for the homeless, said Linda Jagloswski, volunteer coordinator of the shelter for 15 years.
Regarding the long hours she devotes to making the event special, she replied, “I know it’s my calling to help those who need help the most. It’s where I’ve been led.” The ladies of St. Therese are also involved in social outreach by preparing 75–80 meals every month which are delivered to the elderly and the homebound. They also play an important role in the annual festival which raises money and provides fellowship. Also they provide entertainment and toiletries to a near-by nursing home. Jim Culpepper is part of a men’s prayer group that meets at 7 a.m. every Saturday morning.
 “We call ourselves the Knuckleheads,” he said. “It’s a term of endearment which shows we don’t take ourselves too seriously. “We share what’s happening in our families and pray for one another and for others who need prayers.” After sharing and prayer, the men head to a near-by restaurant for breakfast.
“One week we brought our wives and children and cooked breakfast for them at church,” he said. “That was special because we got to know the families we’d heard so much about.” The Church of St. Therese has come a long way from its humble beginnings in a chapel at Little Flower School in Portsmouth. When three Catholic schools combined to form Portsmouth Catholic Elementary School, St. Therese moved to the Western Branch area of Chesapeake where the present church was built and dedicated in June of 1972.
In 2002 a group of parishioners traveled to Lisieux, France to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Church of St. Therese. They visited the monastery where St. Therese lived and presented the nuns with a book that contained prayer intentions of parishioners at St. Therese.
Gerry Jones, who was part of the tour group recalled, “Being there brought tears to our eyes. The sister we met with was so gracious. Before we left, she thanked us for what America had done for France during the war. We were really touched.” 
|
