Published September 24, 2020
NORTH READING — In January 2020, the parishioners of St. Theresa Parish in North Reading were getting ready for a year of special events to commemorate their 75 years as a parish.
The events encompassed all the values the parishioners hold dear: faith, family and community. The year started with a special Mass to kick-off the anniversary year, followed by a drive to collect Valentine gift bags to give to North Reading’s senior citizens. Then COVID hit. As the year went on, events had to be canceled or postponed. As Massachusetts entered various opening phases, so too did the church. The parish community tried to celebrate the anniversary year in ways they safely could, but never with the ability to include a large number of people.
But one event, the 75th Anniversary Mass, was a special day which the members of the Anniversary Planning Committee felt they could not cancel. Bishop Mark O’Connell, pastor at St. Theresa Parish, said, “We knew many of our parishioners were feeling isolated from their parish family these past months, and it was important for us to find a way we could be together, as a community of faith, to acknowledge this milestone, and give thanks to God. However, with safety the foremost concern, how could we include so many people who have been an integral part of our parish and its history?”
Thinking outside-the-box, the Anniversary Committee came up with an idea—an outdoor Mass in the church’s side parking lot. The large space would allow for more people to attend and still maintain social distance and COVID-19 protocols.
And it was with great joy that they learned Cardinal Seán O’Malley would come to preside over the Mass. With safety of the upmost importance, the 75th Anniversary Committee has been working with the town of North Reading Health Department to ensure all COVID-19 safety policies are followed.
On Sunday, September 27, hundreds are expected to gather outdoors for the celebration of Holy Mass at 11 a.m. Cardinal O’Malley will say Mass with Bishop O’Connell, Father Thomas Reilly, the Parochial Vicar of St. Theresa Parish, and Deacon Tam Tran. In addition, priests and clergy who once served at St. Theresa Parish, and local area clergy, have been invited to attend. (Park on the rectory side of the church or across the street at Ocean State Job Lot.)
The Mass will be followed by a Eucharistic Procession of the Blessed Sacrament. “Cardinal Seán declared 2020 the ‘Year of the Eucharist’ and our day of celebration seemed like a perfect time to have a procession of the real presence of Christ,” Bishop O’Connell said.
Eucharistic Processions have been part of the Catholic Church since its early history. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI noted in a homily in 2007, “It was born for the very precise purpose of openly reaffirming the faith of the people of God in Jesus Christ, alive and truly present in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist. It is a feast that was established in order to publicly adore, praise and thank the Lord, who continues ‘to love us to the end,’ even to offering us His body and His blood.”
In the event of rain, the 75th Anniversary Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, October 4 at 11 a.m., with Bishop Mark O’Connell presiding.
Advanced registration is required to attend the Mass. Following COVID-19 guidelines, no walk-ins will be able to attend. A sign-up link is available on the parish website: www.sttheresanreading.org
