By Melody Regalado - Florida Catholic correspondent
Photographer: MELODY REGALADO | FC
Members of the community enter the church before Mass.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski announced Sept. 14 that the church, one of 13 closed last October due to lack of funding, could reopen as a mission of Corpus Christi Parish.
�To me this night means being able to fulfill a promise I had made to a community whose doors were closing,� said Father Jose Luis Men�ndez, pastor of Corpus Christi.
About 20 priests gathered along with more than 600 people who were in attendance.
A mission, or �chapel of ease,� is a church other than the parish church, built within the boundaries of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
St. Robert Bellarmine, located at 3405 N.W. 27 Ave. in Miami, will be staffed by priests from Corpus Christi and dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy.
�It�s a night of joy because the congregation was very sad with the closing,� said Rosy Hernandez Rojo, 69.
Father Menendez said he had initially come to the parish with the intention of closing it, but soon he became more involved with its members.
�I saw a community that was very saddened,� he said, because within those four walls they had gotten married and baptized, received their first holy Communion, and buried their loved ones.
�I told them that I couldn�t guarantee that it could remain a parish, because the economic situation did not permit it.�
Photographer: MELODY REGALADO | FC
Auxiliary Bishop John Noonan hangs a painting of St. Robert Bellarmine on one of the walls of the church.
At one point, Father Men�ndez said, he was so �tired of fighting� that he literally �turned over the keys� � figuratively turning over the battle � to Our Lady of Mercy.
�The Lord hears us, even if at times he seems deaf, and he answers us even if it isn�t right away,� he said.
The Knights of Columbus led the procession into the Mass, followed by Father Menendez holding a statue of Our Lady of Mercy. Auxiliary Bishop John Noonan then hung a painting of St. Robert Bellarmine on a church wall.
The saint was a cardinal and Jesuit born in Italy in 1542. He was named Doctor of the Church, a title reserved for saints who have made a great contribution to the Church. His feast day is celebrated Sept. 17, the day he died in 1621.
During the Mass, a relic was blessed and placed under his painting.
At the end of the Mass, Father Men�ndez handed the keys to Francisca �Panchita� Garc�a, mission coordinator, telling her that it was now in her hands.
�I�m very satisfied because I�ve seen the response that we had to reopen the church,� said Garcia.
Father Men�ndez also thanked Bishop Noonan for his �support, spirit and strength to move forward,� and Father Roberto Cid, who helped with the re-opening while Father Menendez was on a pilgrimage to Holy Land.
The night also marked a significant anniversary in Father Menendez�s life.
�It�s a curious things because being one of the saddest days, as it is to remember that 50 years ago I left my homeland (Cuba), it actually turns into one of the happiest because you forget about yourself and you think of others, and when you do that you are filled with hope,� he said.
A celebratory reception with refreshments and music followed the Mass.
Masses at St. Robert Bellarmine will be said on Sundays at 12:30 p.m.
�Priests come and go, but the community remains,� said Father Menendez. �Mission accomplished.�
Photographer: MELODY REGALADO | FC
A sign thanks Archbishop Thomas Wenski for allowing the re-opening of St. Robert Bellarmine Church as a mission of Corpus Christi Parish.
