Ninety years young and with an eye on the future

Lay leadership team guides Our Lady of Perpetual Help

By Dc. TomCuskey
Editor

The heart of the Village of Minetto is nestled along the Oswego River between Fulton to the south and Oswego to the north. It’s a crossroads of sorts as a bridge spanning the river joins the community to points east in Oswego County.

It’s the perfect location for a church!

The Diocese of Syracuse agreed with that sentiment more than 90 years ago when Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) was founded to serve Catholics in the area. Bishop Douglas J. Lucia celebrated Mass there last fall commemorating the anniversary. Speaking at that time with Catholic TV, Father John Canorro, pastor of the Oswego area parishes forming Christ the Good Shepherd communities, said it was a “grand celebration” for the parish.

“Generations that have come through here have really called this home,” he shared. “It’s a place where they worship and, in a special way, have come to find family and come to find God.” 

Recently, the Catholic Sun sat down with some of the “family” members, a group of lay parishioners who spearhead the leadership of this small but vibrant parish. As is the case with many church communities today, OLPH shares their pastor with other churches and missions, five others in this case. 

“We have a parish council,” explained parishioner John Pavel. “Bill (Crist) and I are trustees, and many of these other folks here are members of the parish council.”

The “other folks” at our informal meeting numbered nine. These are men and women from various walks of life who, like any family, don’t always agree on everything, but they give it their best. They’re a team.

“We get together approximately once a month, and we determine what needs to be done, whether it’s worth the cost, whether we have the money to pay for it,” explained Pavel, “and we try to get volunteers to implement the work that we’ve decided to do.” 

Pavel put a fine point on the process, adding that “essentially, the day-to-day operation of the parish is run by members of the parish.” 

As required canonically, Father Canorro is the final decision maker for all of the parish entities he shepherds, and the Christ the Good Shepherd staff in Oswego provides guidance and assistance with all office needs and procedures, accounting support, oversight and compliance. 

The difference here is that a group of committed lay individuals provide the thought, structure and execution that makes the parish run smoothly, and with an eye on the spiritual and corporal needs of their fellow parishioners and guests. 

Almost half of the history of OLPH was overseen by one pastor, Father Joseph Larkin. He came to the parish in 1975 and served until his retirement in 2017. Even then, he continued to help out by saying daily Masses until the coronavirus pandemic closed churches down. Father Larkin passed in 2021.

Mary Bellardini has been an OLPH member since 1975; Tom Cerow’s family joined when he was a child in 1933.

Mary Bellardini, who also came to the parish in 1975, has served in a wide array of volunteer capacities, and she still contributes to the lay leadership group. 

“The first time Father Larkin spoke, he got me,” she shared. “He started talking about Jesus. He spoke, like we should really get to know Him. Whatever I could do, he would encourage me. And I was taking care of a family with six children and my husband, and, actually, it was the best time of my life.” 

The days of having the luxury of a full-time pastor who stays at a church for 40 years or more are behind us. Mary and her fellow parishioners at OLPH know that, but they also know that the future can remain bright if they remain vigilant and faithful. 

Masses at OLPH are presided by Father John Smegelsky, a retired diocesan priest who celebrates the weekend liturgy at 4 on Saturday afternoon and at 9 on Sunday morning. 

“We have realistically been told, if there comes a day when Father Smegelsky is not able to do the Masses anymore, that there is not a priest who can come out here,” pastoral council member Suzanne Alfieri said. “We look at that realistically, but we also pray every single Sunday that someone new comes along so that we can keep this church open.” 

That prayer is on the lips of people in parishes throughout the diocese and beyond as they face uncertain futures. The decline in priestly vocations dictates that congregations will continue to link and merge and be served by nonresident pastors and parochial vicars. The OLPH team, though, is hoping they can build a strong case to be a parish that will always be worth the presence of a priest for their sacraments.  

“Everybody here is operating like we’re going to be here a long time. And you’ve just got to keep going,” said Rick Hogan, pastoral council member. “You can’t worry about things that nobody knows are going to happen.” 

“When people come here, it feels like home,” added Alfieri who has visited a number of larger churches, “but it’s not the same feeling in your heart. This church feels like home. And a lot of people say that.” When asked what generates that feeling, Alfieri had a simple answer: “Love.”

This team is hoping that will be the case for another 90 years. As Father Canorro said, it’s a place where people “have come to find family and come to find God.”