By Mitchelle Stephenson
Father Joseph Barr came to Holy Family Catholic Church in Davidsonville in 1995. At the time, the church was home to about 900 families.
He watched his small country parish grow over the years - not only in terms of the number of parishioners, but also in the size of the building.
But now he is leaving.
Barr said that priests are typically assigned to parishes for six-year terms. While most serve two consecutive terms, it is unusual for a priest to stay on much longer before being transferred.
He figured the day would come when he would have to leave.
In March, Barr announced his departure to his congregation, now numbering about 1,600 families. He is being transferred to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Towson.
Barr said that there are several things that make him proud of his time at Holy Family.
First, Barr said that the building up of the ministry makes him proud. "Not just in terms of the construction, but also in staffing and in our ministries."
He gave the example of the St. Vincent de Paul group.
"With them, we work closely with Community Action and Anne Arundel County Social Services. When someone is eligible for food stamps or medical assistance, there is a waiting period before they can get into the system. So they call us and ask us to take care of the families so they don't fall through the cracks," Barr said.
He said that last year the St. Vincent de Paul group, which consists of about five members, helped with nearly $100,000 in outreach in that one area alone.
Barr also pointed to growth in the parish with staffing. For example, making the youth minister a full-time position.
Then there is the completion of the year-long construction project. It was many years in the planning and fundraising phase, and was just completed a couple of months ago.
The additions nearly doubled the usable space, plus added a social hall, classrooms for Christian education, a nursery and a Perpetual Adoration Chapel.
Next, Barr said that he is proud of being able to build relationships within the community.
Not only does he serve on the board at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, but he also helps with services at St. Jane Frances School in Pasadena and St. John the Evangelist School in Severna Park.
In addition, he's also worked with other churches in Davidsonville, including Davidsonville United Methodist, All Hallows Episcopal and Union Memorial United Methodist.
"There hadn't previously been a strong relationship." Barr said.
The parishioners at Rev. Jim Stutler's Davidsonville United Methodist are taking his departure hard he said.
"They're use to seeing me at the Peach Festival."
He has also been involved with the local police department, serving on the Chaplain Corps. These are ministers from a variety of faiths who ride with police, and conduct visits to officers in the field, at station houses, and in the hospital.
The Rev. Don Llewellyn with Linthicum Heights United Methodist Church also serves on the Corps.
"His warmth and compassion have and will continue to be an inspiration to the officers and staff," Llewellyn said.
But aside from many duties and extracurricular activities outside the parish, he will probably be missed the most by those in his flock. A common thread among those interviewed is that Barr is a gifted orator and homilist.
Ida Heck has been a parishioner at Holy Family for years - even before Barr was assigned. "I was there when we had Mass in the little chapel," Heck said.
"I always get something out of his sermons. There are times when I go without the kids just to listen. I know that there are people who will rearrange their schedule to go to his Mass," she said, adding that she was saddened to hear of his departure.
Tom Cosgrove, the president of the parish, council echoed those sentiments.
"When he gives a homily ... I don't know how he does it, I assume it is the Holy Spirit at work, but he delivers moving messages. It is directed at the congregation, but it makes people think, 'He was talking to me.' " Cosgrove said, adding that when they dedicated the church's Spiritual Life Center in December he was asked to speak.
In his talk, Cosgrove said that he remarked to Archbishop O'Brien of Baltimore that they needed to keep Barr around in order to figure out how best to use the new facility.
"At that time, I had a notion that he'd stick around another year or so … I knew it wouldn't last forever. He was here for 15 years, much longer than usual. We knew it was coming, but we were still a little surprised," he said.
Barr will stay at Holy Family until June 13. His first day at Immaculate Conception will be July 1.
One final aspect to the local priest's departure is how the Archdiocese of Baltimore will deal with the vacancy.
Cosgrove said that the Archdiocese personnel board will visit the parish on April 14, and on that day there will be an opportunity for members to have their say in what they want to see in a replacement priest.
No comments:
Post a Comment