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Article_St. Bernard at 45: �United as one�

Parish News | Saturday, August 27, 2016

St. Bernard at 45: ‘United as one’

Sunrise parish celebrates unity amid diversity in rapidly growing part of Broward County

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SUNRISE | Phyllis Rose sat in a pew with her mother, Carmela Lisena, 95, during the 45th anniversary Mass for St. Bernard Church in Sunrise. Rose, her two brothers and a sister, were among the first parishioners to attend the newly-built church in 1974.

“Our family moved to Florida in 1974 from New Jersey,” Rose said. “We moved into a house in a new development near the church. All four of my children received the sacraments of baptism, holy Communion and confirmation here. I remember St. Bernard’s first pastor, Father Michael Hourigan.”

Alejandra Martinez sings during Mass while holding her son, Frankie Martinez, 3. Her husband, Francisco Martinez, is at left.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Alejandra Martinez sings during Mass while holding her son, Frankie Martinez, 3. Her husband, Francisco Martinez, is at left.

Father Carlos Vega, St. Bernard's pastor, says the blessing before banquet.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Father Carlos Vega, St. Bernard's pastor, says the blessing before banquet.

Bill and Elaine Fleure sat next to Rose and Lisena. The couple, also pioneer St. Bernard parishioners, remembered a time when the west Broward area was much less populated.

“Broward Boulevard, west of the Westfield Mall, turned into a dirt road back in the late 1960s,” Elaine Fleure said. “There was nothing but cows and horses west of 441.”

As the west Broward population grew and St. Bernard became overcrowded, All Saints Church was founded in Sunrise in 1982. A parish hall was added to St. Bernard in 1980.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski concelebrated the 45th anniversary Mass with Father Carlos Vega, St. Bernard’s current pastor. The archbishop blessed a new crucifix behind the altar and new statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Father Vega thanked Archbishop Wenski for his visit to the parish, which has about 500 families, and praised his parishioners for their spirit of hospitality to people of all cultures.

Parts of the Mass included readings in Spanish and Creole. The archbishop also welcomed Filipinos by saying “mabuhay” in their native language, Tagalog.

“Here, St. Bernard Church is a parish of great diversity,” the archbishop said.  “Diversity isn’t a source of division, but a gift. The only thing that divides us is sin, not the languages we speak or the culture we come from. The confusion of tongues has been overcome because the Spirit teaches us a new language of peace, forgiveness and love.”

The archbishop acknowledged those who helped build St. Bernard Parish, including Father Hourigan, who died in April 2012.

“Many have come and gone and today we lift up in prayer those pioneers, the priests and lay people who were here at the beginning and have gone home to the Lord,” he said. “They built the original structures that first served the parishioners of St. Bernard Church. You still have to build, not necessarily new structures or new buildings, you have to build the Church, you have to build a community, a community of faith, hope and love, a community where Christ is known, adored and encountered.”

For 45 years this had been the mission of St. Bernard Church, he said.

“This will be your mission for the next 45 years,” he said. “As we celebrate this anniversary today, may we remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.”

Father Vega, who was named pastor in 2010, said that he was proud to lead the church. Sunrise was very small in 1971 when the church was founded, he said. The parish served the community by bringing everyone together around the altar.

“I came here in 2010, and I see people that come to this church from every part of the world,” Father Vega said at a reception following Mass. “We are united as one, the Eucharist is the center of our church. The Holy Spirit has worked hard to make this a joyful and spiritual place. We have made a lot of progress in the past six years and will continue to grow and make this church a beacon of hope in Sunrise.”

Pioneer parishioners Elaine and Bill Fleure and Phyllis Rose and her mother, Carmela Lisena, 95, take part in the Mass.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Pioneer parishioners Elaine and Bill Fleure and Phyllis Rose and her mother, Carmela Lisena, 95, take part in the Mass.


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