Visit to STVI ‘eye-opener’

St. Thomas, USVI  From Nov. 6 through Nov. 8, two priests from the Diocese of Paterson joined Catholic Extension on a mission immersion trip to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands (STVI).

Father David Pickens, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany, and Father Jared Brogan, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, joined with two other priests, Father Anthony Sirianni Jr. of the Diocese of Metuchen and Father Kevin Yarnell of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla. on the trip. Catholic Extension works in solidarity with people in America’s poorest regions to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities. It provides critical resources to develop leaders, ministries, and facilities.

Father Pickens and Father Brogan learned about the mission immersion trip through John Nolan, director of development for the Northeast for Catholic Extension. Nolan had previously worked for Graham-Pelton during the diocesan Partners in Faith campaign when Father Pickens was pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Haskell. About a year ago, he contacted Father Pickens to inform him that he was now working at Catholic Extension and asked Father Pickens if he could address an upcoming meeting of his deanery to let pastors know about the mission immersion trips that Catholic Extension offers. Nolan came to one of the Eastern Morris Deanery meetings and after his presentation, Father Pickens and Father Brogan told him of their interest. When Catholic Extension set up the St. Thomas trip, Nolan extended an invitation to the two priests to join with other priests on the trip.

Of the roughly 100,000 residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands, about a third live below the poverty line — significantly below the poverty rate of the poorest state in the Union. While many perceive the islands as a destination for tourism — that is its major industry — still a significant number of its permanent residents struggle to make ends meet. The Church of STVI plays an important role serving this vulnerable population.

The priests visited two homeless shelters overseen by Catholic Charities, the only shelters on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. They also visited three schools, four parishes and a mission church, meeting residents and learning about the culture of the islands. Father Brogan spoke of the importance of their ministry to the poor, calling to mind Jesus’ words about the last judgment in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25. Serving the poor, he said, is “the heart of what we do as a Church.”

On St. Thomas, they visited Bethlehem House homeless shelter and met some of the dedicated staff that have served the homeless population. Two of the staff there have served for more than 20 years. Later that first night, Bishop Herbert Bevard of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, joined the group for dinner. He discussed the difficulties involved with ministering to a diocese spread out over three islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John), which are still trying to rebuild from numerous hurricanes.

On St. Croix, they visited the newly built St. Teresa of Calcutta House of Hope, which will provide small apartments for homeless families when it opens in the near future.

At Holy Cross Church and St. Mary School in Christian­sted, St. Croix, the priests met the pastor, Brooklyn, N.Y. native Father Patrick Lynch, as well as staff of the school, learning about the students and their families. They also met the four Missionaries of Charity who serve people in this poor parish. Father Pickens reflected that the Church is much greater than the parish or the diocese and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to see the Church in such a different place.

Later that same day, they attended Mass at the historic St. Ann Church on Barrenspot Hill in St. Croix and met the pastor, another Brooklyn native, Msgr. Michael Kosak, who has served at St. Ann since 1970.

They later traveled to Fredericksted and met the Congolese native who now serves as pastor of St. Patrick Church, Father Boniface-Blanchard Twaibu. St. Patrick’s, an historic church built from coral stone in 1846, is still recovering from the 2017 hurricanes that lashed the islands. Seeing the church’s state of recovery, Father Pickens expressed hope that he might return one day and “see it beautiful once again.”

The priests spent their final day visiting Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas, interacting with students and meeting the dedicated faculty. Bishop Bevard then led the group on a tour of the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Charlotte Amalie, and the St. Anne Chapel in Frenchtown.

Reflecting on the trip, Father Brogan said, “Traveling with Catholic Extension reminds me of the universality of the Church and of our solidarity with all people. We have so much in common while at the same time we have unique needs. Traveling to mission dioceses showed me that there is great need in dioceses right here in the USA. I saw how Catholic Extension assists so many in need through education, Catholic Charities and parish ministry.” Father Pickens added, “This was an eye-opening trip. When we think of the islands, we usually think of the beautiful landscapes shown on travel brochures. It is hard to believe that poverty and homelessness appear just on the other side of the souvenir stores and restaurants. Hopefully, Catholic Extension and Catholic Charities will continue to meet the spiritual and material needs of the islands’ population.”

The trip, made possible through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., was one of several opportunities Catholic Extension has offered to priests who wish to learn more about the Church’s ministries to those living in some of the poorest regions of the country. Catholic Extension, a papal society, has supported poor areas of the United States since its founding in 1905.