PROVIDENCE— In 100 years, St. Raymond Church has seen it all, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin said.
“Through all the changes that the world has been through, the parish has been here,” the bishop shared. “We think about the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War, Vietnam, and the attacks on 9/11. We think about the faith, commitment and sacrifice. Throughout all these events, the parish has been here.
St. Raymond Church celebrated its 100th anniversary last week, with a concelebrated Mass presided over by Bishop Tobin, with the current pastor Father Edward Pieroni, former pastor Father Charles Quinn, former administrator Father Peter Gower, and Father Edward Nedder, pastor of St. George’s Maronite Parish. The Mass was followed by a dinner at the Venus De Milo Restaurant.
The Providence church was filled with individuals and local families who help to make up the history of the parish and who came together to celebrate a century of dedicated faith and service.
Father Pieroni shared that he has never dealt with more wonderful people in his priesthood and thanked his parishioners for their wonderful dedication.
“Just prior to the Mass starting, I turned to Father Gower and Father Quinn and said, ‘thank you for leaving me such good people.’ They did a wonderful job here and it shows.”
“We’re newcomers here,” joked Sharon Brainard, who has been a St. Raymond’s parishioner since 1977.
Brainard explained that she continued attending Mass at St. Raymond even after her family moved to Lincoln.
“We continued here because it’s a family,” she said.
Parishioner Bill Guy, who travels from Coventry to receive the sacraments at St. Raymond, explained that his fellow parishioners are always there for one another.
“Everyone here is like a family,” he said. “St. Raymond’s is so warm and inviting.”
Bishop Tobin explained that an occasion like this is an opportunity for parishioners to renew their faith and thank God for all the gifts he has blessed them with. He also challenged them to work hard to maintain their Catholic identity as disciples of Jesus Christ in a secular world, a world that does not treasure spiritual things.
“Share your faith with others and maintain fidelity and faithfulness to the church,” he said. “Attempt to live lives of prayer and personal devotion. Celebrate and thank God for the past, but look to the future.”
