Editor's Report

A Merger, and Now Unity, at Mamaroneck Parish

Posted

To look now at St. Vito and Most Holy Trinity parish, you would be hard-pressed to find a better example of a successful merger brought about by the Making All Things New pastoral planning process. The Mamaroneck parish has renewed energy and enthusiasm, and Masses are full instead of half empty, reports the pastor, Msgr. James White. In fact, parishioners have taken to referring to the parish and themselves as “the poster child” for the merger process.

What a difference a few months makes. At the beginning of August, things started out a little rocky, with tears flowing after Most Holy Trinity church closed. Some Holy Trinity parishioners were resistant to come to Mass at St. Vito’s, initially preferring to try other churches.

Msgr. White knew he had to be patient. Even though the two parishes that merged are side by side and about a mile apart, they did not have a lot of shared experiences. St. Vito’s was traditionally the Italian parish, with a growing community of Hispanic worshipers, and Most Holy Trinity was more of a predominantly Irish parish. Still, parishioners from one must have recognized at least a few faces of the other from youth soccer games and local restaurants around Mamaroneck.

On Sept. 20, the merged parish took a big step together with a Unity Mass marking the official uniting of the two Westchester County parishes as one. From the sounds of trumpets, trombones, violins and drums during the entrance hymn “O Blessed Trinity,” it was clear that the merged parish was on its way. Symbolic bibles from both churches were brought forward. “The Mass was quite triumphant,” Msgr. White said proudly. A reception in the school auditorium featuring Spanish, Italian and American food capped the celebration.

“The blend of people together was amazing. That’s what we work toward,” said Msgr. White, who had served as pastor of St. Vito’s for five years before the merger.

Less than two weeks ago, on Nov. 14, a Unity Gala dinner dance was held at the Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club. About 130 members of the new St. Vito and Most Holy Trinity parish enjoyed an elegant evening of dancing and dining as a slideshow of photos from the history of the two churches was projected overhead.

“It was an evening of enjoyment…You left saying, ‘That was really nice,’” said Marge McEvoy, who served on the dinner committee.

That was a far cry from the way things were when Ms. McEvoy and other parishioners of Most Holy Trinity learned that their parish church would soon close. “We were upset about losing our worship space,” she said. There were a lot of tears, she recalled, some of them hers.

“We got through it,” she said, as she spoke about the closing Mass for Most Holy Trinity, followed by a parish picnic. She credits Holy Trinity’s former pastor, Father Robert Henry, now the pastor of St. Matthew and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Hastings-on-Hudson, for his steady presence. She noted that both he and Msgr. White were “pro-active” and “positive” through the whole process.

“We didn’t lose our parish, we just moved a mile away,” she said.

There were no winners or losers, she said. A good marker was the openness with which the two parishes came together as one. Msgr. White said he was happy to accommodate certain customs and traditions that were part of parish life at Most Holy Trinity, such as its English prayer group, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration and Ladies Guild. Noon Mass is now being celebrated daily except Saturday. Even the chairman of the parish council, Joe Rigano, is a former Holy Trinity parishioner as are several other members.

Ms. McEvoy said her new pastor deserves a pat on the back for his welcoming presence that seeks to include people, especially newcomers like herself. The parish staff working under him operates “like a well-oiled machine.”

“I’m already looking forward to what we’re doing next,” she said.