PARISH PROFILE
G ood Shepherd, Smithfield: ‘A place for everyone to get involved’
By Barbara Hughes
Special to The Catholic Virginian
Church
of the Good Shepherd in Smithfield is among the growing number of
parishes around the country that does not have a priest serving as
pastor.
“We could be a model for the strategic pastoral
planning committees to let people know that it works,” said Lorraine
Dinga, Pastoral Council chairwoman and long standing parishioner at
Good Shepherd.
In June of 2000 Bishop Walter F. Sullivan
appointed Joanne Gordon Pastoral Coordinator for the parish and she
continues to serve the people of Good Shepherd in this capacity.
“As
a laywoman, Joanne has been entrusted with the pastoral care and
spiritual and organizational leadership of the parish,” explained
Father Robert Cummins, pastor at St. Therese in Chesapeake, who serves
as the canonical pastor of Good Shepherd.
“From my years
at St. Therese, I appreciate the importance of becoming close to my
parishioners,” he said. “It is something that is difficult to quantify
but easy to see. Joanne has been that person for Good Shepherd. Not
being able to be priest for her people, she has certainly been a good
shepherd for them.”
 “Not
having a priest for a pastor makes us kind of like the weird aunt in
the family,” laughed Joan Nagy. “But with fewer priests, more parishes
will look like us in the future.”
“After Father Tom Nee
left, we were always hoping that we’d get a priest and then we realized
it’s not going to happen. And that’s okay,” said Ms. Nagy.
“Parishioners are really what make a parish and even though we don’t
have a priest, we can still be a good parish and a good community.”
Lorraine Dinga agreed.
“I
don’t know how Joanne does it, but she knows everyone and things always
work out,” she said. “And I feel like we get the cream of the crop in
priests for Mass on the weekends.”
 With
the help of Msgr. Thomas J. Caroluzza, Msgr. William L. Pitt and an
occasional military chaplain, there is almost always a priest for
weekend liturgies.
But as Joanne pointed out, “There have
been times when we didn’t have one and when that happens, the people
here know what to do.”
She recalled the time Father Brian
Rafferty, pastor of Christ the King in Norfolk, consecrated extra hosts
at Mass and a parishioner brought them to Good Shepherd so the people
could receive communion during the Liturgy.
“I always have
to have a few thoughts ready to use in a homily as sometimes it happens
that at the last minute, the priest may not be able to come. I keep
explaining what’s different about a priestless liturgy and so people
are getting educated in the process,” said Ms. Gordon.
Until
1984, Catholics from Isle of Wight County traveled to Suffolk,
Portsmouth, Hampton or Newport News to attend Mass. But as the
population grew, it was decided that Smithfield could sustain a parish.
In
March of 1984, Father Christian Haydinger of St. Mary’s in Suffolk
added the 50 families that formed the Catholic community in Smithfield
to his responsibilities as pastor. Liturgies and meetings for the new
community were held at Christ Episcopal Church in Smithfield and a
relationship with the Christ Church community continues today.
In
1989, Father Nee was appointed pastor and the community was designated
a parish. Under the name Church of the Good Shepherd, the community of
believers began planning for the construction of a church building.
Frank and Mary Patrick look back on those early years and recall the excitement.
 “Every
step was exciting, that first meeting, looking for land and the
gracious people at Christ Episcopal who didn’t even charge us rent in
the beginning,” said Mrs. Patrick.
In February of 1992,
phase one of the construction process began and seven months later,
Isle of Wight had its first Catholic church. On September 27, 1992
Church of the Good Shepherd was consecrated with a Mass celebrated by
Bishop Sullivan.
As the parish grew, plans and fundraising
were underway for phase two. The $1.7 million project was implemented
and in June of 2005, the sanctuary and Blessed Sacrament chapel were
dedicated.
According to Ms. Gordon, “The remaining debt
has been reduced to $445,500. Eighty-seven percent of the 300
households that make up the parish support the parish financially and
at least 62 percent give of their time and talent.”
 She
pointed out that in some cases two, three or more family members in the
same household are involved which makes that number even higher.
“We
are God’s people together, caring for one another, welcoming all,
reaching out to those in need and living the Gospel where we go,” said
Joanne.
Bill Boothe, one of the founding members of the
parish, is one example of the welcoming presence which defines Good
Shepherd. Bill can be seen every Sunday morning stationed at the front
door, greeting people as they arrive.
 But
Bill’s hands not only greet and welcome. They built many of the wooden
items for the first phase of the building – the cross on top of the
outside front entrance, the first tabernacle, coat racks, book cases
and cabinets.
Lisa Seals, and Margaret and Bob Hickman
created the stained glass windows and tabernacle light and Joanne’s
husband, Lars, along with Bruce Taylor and the Hickmans constructed the
present tabernacle.
Joanne Gordon points to the
intergenerational choir where children, teens and adults combine
musical and vocal talents under the direction of Andy Pencola.
The
Stambaughs have made the music ministry a family affair. Jodi, who
serves as coordinator of religious education and her husband Wayne sing
in the choir, their son Logan plays guitar and Rachael plays the flute.
“This is not a watered down Catholicism but a place for everyone and a way for all to get involved,” Joanne explained.
Weekday
Mass is not an option at Good Shepherd but the community has regularly
scheduled times to gather for the Liturgy of the Word, the rosary,
evening prayers, and Stations of the Cross during Lent.
 At
7 on Tuesday mornings, some parishioners meet at Christ Church for
centering prayer. Joan Nagy, who is the coordinator of the group, said
that although the majority of participants are Catholic, gathering at
the Episcopal church is a way to continue an important relationship.
The
ecumenical footprint also runs through social ministry at Good
Shepherd. Kristine Dashiell, Social Outreach Chairperson, coordinates
parish efforts with those of other area churches. The ministry includes
home repairs, temporary housing, household goods, dental care,
prescription assistance and much more.
Last April Good
Shepherd parish gathered local churches to form the Isle of Wight
Mission for Hope which houses the homeless during the winter months.
According
to Joe Zimmerman, who organized the effort and serves as current chair,
Mission of Hope turned out to be the best program for churches to work
together.
“I take no credit” he said. “A bigger hand than mine was in it and people were very happy to lend a hand.”
And as a result, next year Good Shepherd is planning to house the homeless for two weeks.
 In
2001, a Good Samaritan Fund was established in memory of Barron
Dempsey, a beloved parishioner since 1984 who was always helping
others. The fund was created as a tribute to her good works and about
$25,000 has been donated and distributed for emergency assistance to
people within the county.
Relationships are valued at Good
Shepherd and signs of community life are visible on Sundays after Mass.
Children fill every available space for religious education while a
group of about 25 adults meet to study the gifts of the Holy Spirit
facilitated by Mary Ellen Bebermeyer.
As a home school mom she believes “the best way to teach children about our faith is to let them see us live it.”
One
of the practices that contributes to the family-like atmosphere at the
parish is calling on members to share birthdays, anniversaries and good
news with the community at the end of the weekend liturgies.
It
means people stay in church a bit longer but according to Joe
Zimmerman, “When the question came up at the pastoral council meeting
about the practice, everyone agreed that designating that time each
week contributes to the sense of community. And that’s what makes Good
Shepherd special.”
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Copyright © 2008 The Catholic Virginian Press. Reprinted with permission.
The Catholic Virginian is a biweekly publication serving the people of the Catholic Diocese of
Richmond. Its website includes some, but not all, of the articles from
the print version of The Catholic Virginian.
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