Catholicism grows on water’s edges
Posted: 01.02.08
LAKE OKEECHOBEE | Catholics on the edge of 730-square-mile Lake Okeechobee are somewhat separated from eastern parishes and parishioners, but outreach, mission work and money-raising have united the isolated faithful of Florida’s farmlands with other Catholics throughout the Diocese of Palm Beach.
Throughout its 70 years, the Florida Catholic has watched the towns of Belle Glade, Pahokee, Indiantown and Okeechobee and chronicled the history of St. Phillip Benizi, St. Mary, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart, opening a window into the rural communities where ministry to migrants is strong, and where the growth and development of Catholicism has steadily grown.
The dedicated priests, religious, struggling workers, pioneers and others in the population living along the water’s edge have weathered hurricanes, economic hardships, droughts and floods in the remote, once mainly Protestant area. It is here where Catholic faith is passionate. And it is here in the Catholic churches where families come, leaving difficult work and life behind, to celebrate milestones, weddings, births, the Eucharist and God.
First Faith Community
St. Mary Parish in Pahokee, which is celebrating 75 years, is the oldest community in the Diocese of Palm Beach near Lake Okeechobee. Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito visited the parish Dec. 8 for a special anniversary Mass and reception, accompanied by Father Brian King, episcopal secretary.
This growing community with its Gothic-design church built to seat 140 began with a couple of pioneer families. In the beginning, there were no young boys to serve at the altar. Today, the parish, which is dreaming of a new, larger church building, is exploding with families and children.
“I have been here 16 years,” said Ivania Larios, director of religious education. “We have 300 children enrolled in catechism classes. There are a lot of children out here.”
The first Mass in the Pahokee area was celebrated in the home of S.J. Thibodeaux in 1922, but St. Mary didn’t break ground for a church until 1933. That followed two deadly hurricanes, which swirled water out of the great lake killing 300 in 1926 and nearly 2,000 in 1928. The church was dedicated by Bishop Patrick Barry in 1934, when most of the state was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Altar servers were recruited from Belle Glade.
“My husband and I have been at St. Mary for 32 years,” said Maria Torres, a teacher and native of Spain. Maria’s husband, Angel, is from Cuba. The congregation in earlier years was almost entirely Cuban and worked in the sugar industry, which came to the region in 1931. Today, the people are mostly Mexican farmworkers who find jobs in the sugarcane and vegetable fields and packing houses.
The lake area produces vegetable crops for markets around the country. Many residents come and go with the crops, seasons and work, but many opt to stay, even with the poor economic times.
“When I started here there was the little church,” explained Maria Torres. “We had religion classes in the Episcopal church. We raised dollar by dollar.”
During St. Mary’s growth, the Florida Catholic witnessed the building of facilities and the expanding of services – made possible through parishioners giving from their own modest means, with the help of outside religious leaders, parishes and benefactors.
The Florida Catholic covered the opening of the parish hall, Holy Family Center, in its June 7, 1991, issue. Pioneer parishioner Addie Wilder, who was present at the first Mass in the tiny St. Mary Church in 1933, was at the new hall’s opening. She told the Florida Catholic: “It means a lifetime of work and sacrifice for many people. Our congregation has grown so much that we are able to have this facility. We certainly need it.”
Today, St. Mary features a rectory, free medical and dental clinic and a youth house for teens. The multipurpose hall still serves as a social, educational and spiritual facility. Catholic Charities also operates Pahokee Pals, an after-school-care program serving 60 children ages 5-12.
The little community that began as a mission with families of Belle Glade, Pahokee and Canal Point was first aided by St. Ann in West Palm Beach – the first Catholic parish along the southeast coast of Florida. A St. Ann’s priest traveled to St. Mary by boat to celebrate Mass in the early days.
“St. Mary has stained-glass windows and a bell from the old St. Ann Church in West Palm Beach,” said Father John Mericantante, the current and second pastor of the community. In 1980, St. Mary became a mission of St. Philip Benizi Parish.
Father Mericantante, who has served for more than 15 years, has received other religious pieces from donors for the dream church he and parishioners foresee on land behind the existing church building. At this point, parishioners are praying, raising funds and have hopes set on a 10,000-square-foot, mission-style church to serve worshippers.
“We are excited about the new church and hopeful,” said Father Mericantante.
‘Father Santa’ Plays Role
The first official pastor of St. Mary was Salesian Father Joseph Santa-Bibiana, who served from 1987 to 1993. His installation ceremony was covered in the July 31, 1987, edition of the Florida Catholic. Bishop Thomas V. Daily of the Diocese of Palm Beach, which was created in 1984, presided at the ceremony.
“This little mission has been the mother church for the whole area’s Catholics,” Bishop Daily said during his homily. “Be kind and be available,” he told Father Santa-Bibiana.
The priest, fondly known as ‘Father Santa,’ first came to the area to serve St. Philip Benizi in Belle Glade in 1980 when members of his order, Salesians of St. John Bosco, were asked to take over what was then a mission, built in 1949.
During his tenure at St. Mary, Father Santa-Bibiana was instrumental in growing ministries and facilities, including the Holy Family Center. Today he is back at St. Philip as pastor of the diverse community. St. Philip, the only Catholic presence in Belle Glade for nearly 60 years, became a parish in 1960.
“Father Santa-Bibiana has done a lot out here,” Father Mericantante told the Florida Catholic about the priest’s continued work around Lake Okeechobee.
In December, Father Santa-Bibiana celebrated along with brother Salesians, parishioners, visitors and Bishop Barbarito during the dedication of a St. Philip Benizi church expansion.
The priest helped raise nearly $2 million through parishioners, donors and benefactors to double the church’s seating. The expansion also included additional space, pews, a choir loft, bathrooms, offices, chapel and new entrance.
“The parishioners on the east coast (of the diocese) have been very generous,” he pointed out. “We added 200 seats. We built the catechetical center. We just finished enlarging the church. Those are material things that are needed. My best fulfillment is being able to serve the people of God and being able to serve the young people.”
“The church has grown,” said St. Philip parishioner Gloria Rodriguez. “We have about 400 families. “We have Haitians and Cubans. We have people from Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and Texas.”
Father Santa-Bibiana made plans for building a center especially for the youths and expanding the youth ministry. The St. John Bosco Catechetical Center was dedicated in 1985. Today, youth ministry provides activities for children of all ages nearly every day of the week and draws children of all faiths. The religion classes alone serve more than 500 children.
“We have special formation programs, sports activities, prayer time, talks and religion classes. On Saturday, we see about 400 depending on the migrant population. They (children) come to chill and we hope they go out with love in their hearts,” said Father Santa-Bibiana.
Uniting As One Catholic Family
Father Nestor Rodriguez, pastor of Holy Cross in Indiantown, sent letters with raffle tickets to the priests around the diocese as part of a fundraising event in December. Proceeds will benefit the parish building fund.
“All of the priests are connected in some way,” he said about ties to his rural, western community through campaigning efforts aimed at parishes to the east.
“We hope to have a groundbreaking in January,” a hopeful Father Rodriguez said about his vision and his parish’s dream of a much-needed church building to accommodate his diverse and growing struggling flock.
Parishioners from the east have responded with support over the years to the western communities, and the hardworking laborers there have sacrificed and dug deep into their own pockets with hopes in their hearts.
According to Michael Lockwood, diocesan building director, Sacred Heart in Okeechobee also has dreams for a new church building, another sign of the city of God flourishing on the outskirts.
In February 1993, the Florida Catholic profiled Father Santa-Bibiana.
“My greatest hope for the Diocese of Palm Beach is that people will love each other for what they are as persons, and not for what they have, or the color of their skin or for where the came from,” he said then.
When recently asked whether he would respond the same way today, he did not hesitate: “Most definitely.”