Each year on Pentecost, Holy Spirit parish in Virginia Beach celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit – and a birthday.
In a nod to its name, the parish was established on Pentecost Sunday in 1975. This year, Pentecost – Greek for “fiftieth,” referring to the 50th day after Easter – was doubly special: it was the parish’s 50th anniversary. But as Bishop Barry C. Knestout was ordaining priests and confirming young people the weekend of Pentecost, the full celebration at Holy Spirit took place on June 22.
Bishop Knestout celebrated Mass at the parish on June 22 at 11 a.m. Father Anthony Mpungu, pastor of Holy Spirit, concelebrated. At 6 p.m., there was a concert, plus food and fellowship.
“It was a wonderful experience,” said Erin Laurence, director of music and liturgy at Holy Spirit. “Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and have a great time.”
Laurence joined the parish in 2004. After 21 years, she said, “I love Holy Spirit. It feels like a family. All my closest friends are from Holy Spirit – we have a reputation for being one of the warmest, most welcoming parishes around.”
“It’s a really busy, active parish – that’s one of the things I love about it so much,” Laurence continued. “There are always events and spiritual activities going on. We have things going on seven days a week.”
‘Always open arms’
Tim Hatton, who serves as chair of the parish council, has been going to Holy Spirit since before the sanctuary broke ground.
“I was at Holy Spirit when they first started at Holland Elementary School,” said Hatton. “I was 14 years old.”
Msgr. William Carr was the first pastor.
“One thing that has always been true with the parish has been how it welcomes people,” said Hatton. “They’re very jubilant and welcoming and glad and joyous – always open arms.”
That much hasn’t changed in 50 years, Hatton added. The biggest change he’s seen is the variety of cultures that make up the congregation.
“The diversity of it has changed,” said Hatton. “We have such a wide, wide range of diverse cultures and traditions that have come in through the people of Holy Spirit.”
Laurence said the congregation is also notable for its level of involvement.
“I noticed right from the start – not only are the ministries active and thriving, so many different people are participating in the different things that we do,” she said.
That is evident in the sheer number of activities planned for the parish’s 50th anniversary.
The theme for the yearlong celebration is “Moved by the Spirit.” So far, Holy Spirit has hosted a 14-week spiritual learning session, a group trip to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C, and a charity challenge with the parish chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP).
In September, there will be a “Fruits of the Spirit” event, which Laurence called a day of food, fun activities, and games designed to encourage parishioners to join one of many parish ministries.
On Sept. 27, there will be a 50th anniversary charity golf tournament at Kempsville Greens, and on Oct. 17, there will be a gala dinner event.
At each event, parishioner Nancy Long is taking pictures, which will be combined into a commemorative 50th anniversary book.
Parishioner John Williams, who leads a ministry at Holy Spirit called the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center (JCOC), said he doesn’t have much trouble recruiting volunteers.
“It’s a very service-oriented parish,” said Williams.
JCOC, which began in the 1980s, is primarily an effort to feed the hungry. Several times a year, Williams, his wife, and many of the other 34 members of the ministry prepare 125 meals for those struggling with food insecurity in Virginia Beach.
For 30 years, Williams and his wife also volunteered with a program called “Spirit House,” a home for women struggling with homelessness and mental illness. The SVdP chapter is also strong at Holy Spirit.
“SVdP, since their start, has had a clothes’ closet and a food pantry,” said Williams. “Holy Spirit always had a food pantry, but some of our parishioners have taken it to a whole new level.”
‘Very vibrant parish’
The concert June 22 featured two parts: first, songs of the Holy Spirit, including traditional hymns. Then, Laurence led some numbers from musical theater productions hosted by the parish in recent years.
“We did some favorites from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ – ‘Tradition,’ ‘Sabbath Prayer,’ ‘Sunrise, Sunset,’” said Laurence.
For Hatton, it brought back memories of playing a Russian soldier in the parish production.
“The concert was great,” he said. “There was a good turnout, too – we had several hundred people show up.”
Father Mpungu, said Laurence, called it “the crowning event of the weekend.”
“The event was beautiful, wonderful,” said Father Mpungu.
While Hatton, Laurence and Williams pointed to Father Mpungu as a great pastor who facilitated the family- and service-oriented atmosphere of the parish, Father Mpungu reflected the praise back to the parish leaders.
“All parishes are people,” said Father Mpungu. “We have leaders from the parish council, finance council, leadership team of the staff, staff business managers, deacons. Those leaders have a big role to play in how the parish turns out to be.”
Father Mpungu, who came to Holy Spirit in 2023, added, “What I’ve realized in the last two years is that this is a very active, very vibrant parish.”