Spring Valley Parish Celebrates 125 Years of Commitment

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At St. Joseph Church in Spring Valley, the yearlong theme in commemorating the parish’s 125th anniversary was, “We Have Come This Far by Faith.” A number of celebratory and liturgical events occurred.

Cardinal Dolan celebrated the closing Mass Dec. 15, a noon gathering that drew more than 1,000 parishioners.

St. Joseph parish in Spring Valley was founded in 1894. A merger with St. Boniface parish in Wesley Hills took effect last June. At the Dec. 15 Mass, the cardinal installed Father Levelt Germain, pastor of St. Joseph since 2012, as pastor of the newly merged parish community of St. Joseph-St. Boniface.

“These (anniversary) events built on the spirit of unity and cooperation with the faith community, and focused on the yearlong theme,” Deacon John Sadowski told Catholic New York by phone.

“The 125th anniversary is a milestone in the life of any institution. The parish planned events in each of the months, highlighting the life of the community.”

Deacon Sadowski, who serves as parish business manager, also noted “the diversity and the ongoing activities in the parish family…As Father Germain has said on a number of occasions, our doors are open and this is a home away from home with our community for whomever comes to our doors.”

More than 1,000 people attended the Mass. “The church seating capacity is 450, but we have a large door that opens up to a large walkthrough area that connects to the gym and cafeteria,” the deacon said. The gym and cafeteria were part of the parish’s old grade school.

Father Germain is St. Joseph’s 11th pastor. A written parish history, edited by the pastor, notes that “St. Joseph parish is comprised of 28 different countries; we are 3,500 strong with Masses celebrated in multiple languages: English, Spanish and French-Creole (Haiti), and occasionally in Tagalog (Filipino) and Igbo (Nigeria).

“We look today with justifiable pride at our church and call it a home away from home, as we proudly celebrate our faith heritage, unity and diversity.”

Father Germain, 50, who is Haitian-born, was ordained for the archdiocese in 2002.

Father Germain, speaking with CNY about the closing Mass last week, said, “It was excellent, and the cardinal was very impressed with the attendance. The cardinal was also impressed with the history of the parish…It was a three-fold celebration, not only because of the 125th anniversary, but also because of my installation by the cardinal and the merger of the two parishes.

“This is a very diverse parish community, welcoming the faithful from all over the world, from Latin America, Haiti, Europe and Africa…We are grateful for Cardinal Dolan’s affirmation of the good works of the parish.”

In his homily, the cardinal spoke about the special significance of the 125th anniversary milestone, and the joys of the related parish community celebrations, such as luncheons and dinners in the months preceding the closing Mass.

Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Dominick Lagonegro celebrated a Mass opening the anniversary year Jan. 6, 2019.

St. Joseph and St. Boniface churches are seven miles apart. St. Joseph is at 245 N. Main St., Spring Valley. St. Boniface, at 5 Willow Tree Road, Wesley Hills, had about 150 registered households before the merger.

Parochial vicars are Father Jaccius Jean Pierre, Father Patrick Adekola and Father Adaly Rosado. Deacon Jose Pena also serves St. Joseph-St. Boniface.

Maureen Foley is the religious education director. The program has nearly 600 children enrolled.

At St. Joseph’s, the old church building at 100 N. Main St. was dedicated in 1895, a year after the parish was founded by Father John J. Hughes. That building was sold in 1970, and Sunday Mass was then offered in the school auditorium until the current St. Joseph Church building opened in 1995.

Parish ministries include the Spanish Charismatic Prayer Group, the French-Creole Charismatic Group, St. Jerome Bible Study, the Friday Devotion Group and Kerygma: Spanish Young Adults.