By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Priests who serve now or have served at St. Louis celebrate the 50th anniversary Mass, from left: Father Biju Vells and Father Fredy Yara, current parochial vicars; Father Paul Vuturo, current pastor; Msgr. James Fetscher, former pastor; and Father Michael Kish, longtime parochial vicar who is now retired.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Msgr. James Fetscher, former St. Louis pastor, givis Communion to Gene Fleming, 91, a retired Pan-Am pilot and parishioner since 1979.
The awards went to Betty Blank, Ken and Betty Quinn, Larry and Colleen Barfield, Peggy Santella, Jose and Aracely Gomez, Francisco Lopez and Allan Herman.
The church�s previous pastor, Msgr. James Fetscher, now pastor of St. Sebastian Church in Fort Lauderdale, concelebrated the Mass along with Father Michael Kish, retired parochial vicar, and current parochial vicars Father Biju Vells and Father Fredy Yara.
Among the church�s former pastors, Msgr. Fetscher served the parish for the longest time: 28 years as pastor, from 1982 to 2010 and four more as parochial vicar, from 1976-1980. Before him came founding pastor Father Fred Wass, followed by Father Matt Morgan, Father John Nevins, now the retired bishop of Venice on Florida�s west coast, and Father David Russell.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Chris Sailsbury, a St. Louis parishioner for 30 years, looks at a booklet showing the newly-constructed church in 1980.
Tom Van De Water, a parishioner for 11 years, stood near a bulletin board that asked, �Where will you be in 2038 and 2063?� He wrote a message and dropped it in a basket filled with notes that will be put into a time capsule to be opened on the 75th anniversary of the parish.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
St. Louis parishioner Tom Van De Water writes a note for a time capsule that will be opened in 25 years.
In August 1965, parishioners dedicated a temporary church, a rectory with parish offices and a religious education building. In 1969, the parish added a family center with six classrooms for religious education, an auditorium, kitchen and gift shop.
Msgr. Fetscher recalled the construction of the circular church, with its semi-circular seating, which was built under Father Russell�s tenure as pastor and dedicated in September 1980.
�It was created as an intimate space, with two small entrance doors,� Msgr. Fetscher said. �Eighty percent of the people in the sanctuary can see you move no matter where you sit. I remember Archbishop (Edward) McCarthy looking at the blueprints. He asked, �How do you get a casket through those doors?� So two big doors were added to the building plan which we called �the Archbishop McCarthy memorial funeral doors�.�
- On November 23, St. Louis Parish will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a Mass at the University of Miami�s Bank United Center in Coral Gables. The Mass will start at 5:30 p.m. with Archbishop Thomas Wenski as main celebrant. It will be the only parish Mass that weekend.
- A concert will lead off the celebration at 4:30 p.m. featuring the church�s Jubilee Choir, children�s choir, cantors, singers, dancers, musicians and the music ministry from the 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass.
Kevin Robson, a parishioner and retired Florida International University professor, painted the portrait and embellished it with colored glass. Robson is also responsible for creating a 12x18 foot mural on the eastern wall of the parish school, which began as a pre-school in 1994 and expanded slowly over the years. The school building was dedicated in August 2001 and the mural, called �Jesus and the children,� was completed in 2003. The school is named St. Louis Covenant School.
Father Vuturo, pastor for the past three years, called St. Louis a warm and welcoming parish.
�I�m impressed by the number of people in ministries and how they bear witness to Jesus Christ in their lives,� he said.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Aida Costales, a St. Louis parishioner since 1985, and Barbara Ludovici, parishioner since 1963, search through a seminary class photo looking for Father Michael Kish, now retired, a longtime St. Louis parochial vicar. A photo of current parochial vicar Father Biju Vells, also a former parishioner, is in the foreground.
Corrected Sept. 4, 2013: The list of Louie award recipients was modified: Jose Gomez did receive it, Ira Blank did not. A misspelling in the name of Betty Quinn and Aracely Gomez also was corrected.
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