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“Renew”
t. Francis
of Assisi parish hasn’t seen just to the development of its children,
but also to its adult members. In 1983, the Archdiocese of Baltimore
selected St. Francis as among the handful of pilot parishes that would
conduct “Renew” sessions. Under the direction of Sister Joan
Maier, a pastoral associate, and lay coordinator Hedy Droski, more than 200
parishioners participated in what Droski said was “very novel at the
time, the idea of having home talks for small groups.”
“What I enjoyed most was sharing ideas with
others,” Charles Devaud said of his Renew experience. “It was
interesting to see other participants, how their view of the Church was
different from mine. I found it very enjoyable. It helped me to become less
introspective, and more willing to share my views and express myself more
publicly than I had in the past.”
A second Renew session followed. Those discussions of
spiritual matters rejuvenated parishioners, and in turn the parish.
“Out of Renew came some good leadership for our
parish council and some of our other boards,” Father Burke said.
“Even when it ended, some groups stayed together, in a spirit of
shared prayer or a book club.”
The value of shared experiences goes beyond homes,
the church and its hall, as St. Francis of Assisi stamped its imprint on
the social fabric of Northeast Baltimore. Charles Novak, whose relatives
included the family that donated the land for the original basement church,
recalls the parish organizing cruises to the Caribbean in the 1960s, with
Monsignor Daly and Father Joseph Luca amongst those soaking up the sun.
While one of the Waldt girls, Judy, SFA Class of 1971, joined the Mission
Helpers of Sacred Heart, some of her brothers have kept alive one of the
projects of their late father, Medio, a charity golf tournament that
benefits the parish school. What other parish sponsors an adult Halloween
party in which its priests serve as judges?
The vestibule to St. Francis of Assisi Church
includes a permanent reminder of the man who served as its pastor through a
period of great growth. The plaque reads: “Rt. Rev. Msgr. John J.
Daly. In Recognition of His Twenty-Six Years As Priest, Pastor, Leader and
Friend To The People of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. 1954-1980.” The
late Monsignor is remembered with affection and esteem.
“The first year I was a member of the parish,
in 1954, Monsignor Daly had his 25th anniversary as a priest,” Father
Bonadio said. “I also remember his 50th anniversary, 25 years later.
He was very popular, a
well-liked pastor.”
well-liked pastor.”
In 1972, under Monsignor Daly’s direction, the
parish had chosen the St. Anthony Parish of the Kotta, in Tamil, India, to
be the recipient of poor box donations, and his successor embraced the same
spirit of outreach. A native of Baltimore who was studying at old St.
Mary Seminary on Paca Street when the new church was constructed, Father
Burke became a vocal proponent of the teachings of the Second Vatican
Council in the 1960s. He served at St. Anne’s Parish, near the
intersection of Greenmount and North avenues, during the 1968 riots that
followed the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King. Four years
later, Father Burke became archdiocesan director of the Campaign for Human
Development, and he remains committed to making St. Francis of Assisi a
beacon of hope.