 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
| July 26, 2008 |
|
Florida Catholic | File 2007 WOMEN OF FAITHLiving stones: Helen Neal continues to build the church after 75 yearsThis is the third in an occasional series profiling women who have made a lasting difference in the lives of the members of the church in northwest Florida. MARIANNA | Helen Neal is a legend. At 93, she is the oldest member of St. Anne Parish. But it’s more than her age that makes her legendary. Church members all know Neal as the matriarch of the congregation. She’s quiet, yes, but “when Helen speaks, people listen,” said pastor Father Sean Knox. “She has a wisdom about her and a wit, too. She is known among parishioners as someone they can turn to for guidance.” Her love for the parish and its members is obvious, he said, and stretches back to the very start of the first gatherings of Catholics in the area. Neal moved to Marianna from St. Augustine in 1933 when she was 17 years old. She was a newlywed and her husband, Carl, was transferred there to become a temporary funeral director. His new boss was so pleased with his work, however, that the move became permanent and the Neals set down roots. Both Carl and Helen Neal came from strong Catholic families, but when they moved to Marianna, no Catholic church existed. While they found a few fellow Catholics, “You could count them on your right hand,” said Neal. The group asked a missionary priest to come once a month to say Mass in one of their homes. Undaunted, Neal and her husband and their small group continued to live their faith. The town was mostly Protestant and that presented some challenges to the young couple when their first child, Carlotta, was born. “They thought I wasn’t bringing her up with Christ in her life. They couldn’t understand why I didn’t just bring her to one of their churches each week since we could only attend Mass once a month,” Neal said. Of course, for Neal, it wasn’t simply about the building. It was about being true to her faith. When the congregation grew to be large enough to count on both hands, weekly services were held at a nearby hotel. Eventually, Sunday Mass was moved to the local community center. “That was kind of rough,” said Neal, “because on Saturdays they held dances there.” Still, the group persevered, even if members had to wade through the leftovers of Saturday night’s festivities. The congregation continued its missionary run for more than 10 years, sharing priests with St. Mary Catholic Church in Fort Walton Beach. Finally, in 1947, the diocese decided to split the parish at St. Mary and form St. Anne Parish in Marianna. Neal credits her husband and Father Cunningham, the visiting priest who had been celebrating Mass for them over the years, as the driving forces behind the growth. “Father Cunningham and Carl believed we needed to have a church of our own in Marianna. They cleared most of the brush from the land themselves,” Neal said of the newly purchased building site. Ever present, however, was Neal herself, ensuring the job was done from the first shovel of dirt to the church’s eventual dedication in 1948. “It was important to me that we have a presence in our own community. We were proud of our faith,” said Neal of the day the doors finally opened to the new church on Fifth Street. Her second child, John, was one of the altar servers at that first Mass: a proud moment that she still remembers. Today, Neal remains a presence in her community. Each member of St. Anne Parish knows her and her contribution to the building in which they worship. As Neal would remind them, however, it is more than just a building. “Helen gives off such a tremendous light,” said longtime friend, Lynn Baker, “She is quite a lady. She has a huge heart and would help anyone in any way that she could.” Helen Neal’s faith — faith strong enough to thrive in a small town in northern Florida for three quarters of a century — has earned her well-deserved respect. Her efforts helped create a permanent home for the church, even if it’s not “about the building.” Now, that’s a legend. This article is part of a series that will run occasionally in the Florida Catholic, profiling women who have made a lasting difference in the lives of the members of the church in northwest Florida. To nominate a special woman for inclusion in this series, please send your name, daytime phone and e-mail, along with the name and contact information for the woman, to dekeyserp@ptdiocese.org.
|
Other StoriesAdvertisement
|
| Archdiocese of Miami | Diocese of Orlando | Diocese of Palm Beach | Diocese of Pensacola - Tallahassee | Diocese of St. Petersburg | Diocese of Venice | |
Copyright © 2007 – 2008 (except stories and photos by CNS) | All Rights Reserved | The Florida Catholic, Inc. | 50 E. Robinson Street | Orlando, FL 32801 | (407) 373-0075 | |