St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish (SMSS) in Carroll Gardens suffered a sad loss in early December with the death of longtime pastor, Reverend Christoper Cashman. During Fr. Cashman’s brief illness, it fell on the pastor of neighboring Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary – St. Stephen Parish (SHSS) and the Dean of Deanery 3, Monsignor Guy Massie, to cover the weekly Masses at St. Mary’s. Reverend Cletus Forson, the Parochial Vicar of SHSS, assisted with the 15 Masses celebrated at both churches each week.
Following Fr. Cashman’s passing, Most Reverend Robert Brennan, the Bishop of Brooklyn, named Msgr. Massie as the permanent Administrator of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish while remaining pastor of Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen Parish. There are many who are undoubtedly wondering why Bishop Brennan did not simply appoint a new pastor for St. Mary’s but due to the critical shortage of priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn, that is not currently an option. Also, one priest may not be named pastor of two parishes.
While Msgr. Massie will not be pastor of St. Mary’s, SMSS and SHSS will share the same pastoral staff and Msgr. Massie will have the responsibilities, privileges and authority of a pastor, albeit without the title. Fr. Cletus along with the other pastoral staff members at SHSS: Permanent Deacon Edwin Rivera, John Heyer II, the Pastoral Associate of SHSS and also a Candidate for the Diaconate, and Michele Twomey, the Director of Faith Formation will also assist Msgr. Massie in the management of SMSS.
All other administration and staff including office staff, lay ministries, finance councils and parish councils will maintain operations for their respective parish from their respective locations. Religious education will be a continued collaboration between both parishes with the plan for on-site classes to eventually resume at SMSS. Each parish will continue with their own weekly Masses at their traditional times, various liturgical celebrations, weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
I spoke with Monsignor Massie recently and he wished to make three things clear: St. Mary Star of the Sea will not close; SMSS will maintain its own parish, staff, finances and buildings; and SMSS and SHSS will be not be merging but will be sharing clergy. He also posed the question “How can we be ‘church’ in Carroll Gardens through our respective parishes together?” To begin to answer that question, Msgr. Massie held a 3-week series of listening sessions with SMSS parishioners, the purpose of which was to provide a platform for any questions or suggestions parishioners might have. Those sessions hopefully alleviated concerns and also led to the restoration of some traditions at SMSS such as Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Eucharist during Lent. After three long years of Covid restrictions, parishioners also expressed a desire to introduce a hospitality hour after Mass. And in that vein, SMSS held a well-attended “Bagels and Coffee with Monsignor Massie” gathering following the 10:00 Mass on February 5th. This provided an opportunity for parishioners to reconnect and also to further communicate with Msgr. Massie.
SMSS parishioner and office assistant Mary Carriero shared with me that the primary concern among parishioners upon the passing of “Fr. Chris” was that St. Mary’s might be closing but Msgr. Massie has assured them that is not the case. According to Mary, the overall mood is now “optimistic” and she feels Msgr. Massie “could not be more enthusiastic or supportive.” On behalf of the parish, Mary recently posted the following on the SMSS FaceBook page: “St. Mary Star of the Sea church expresses our sincere gratitude to all who extended condolences and support on the passing of Fr. Christopher Cashman. At the same time as we mourn his loss, we are deeply appreciative for the guidance and leadership of our new permanent administrator, Msgr. Guy Massie. As Fr. Chris would want us to, we look forward with faith and hope to growing our parish and continuing its mission.”
St. Mary Star of the Sea was founded in 1851 and St. Stephen, which merged with Sacred Hearts in 1941, was founded in 1866, so these two parishes each have a significant history and have been close neighbors for over 157 years. While the transition may prove challenging at times, with the hard work of Msgr. Massie and the SHSS pastoral staff and the dedicated support of the SMSS staff who along with Mary includes Office Manager Debra Russo, Sacristan/Custodian Philip Randazzo, Organist Deirdre Donovan and the ever-devoted Doris Palenque and with the help of their lay ministers, it is the hope and prayer of all that St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish will continue to maintain its own independent identity, honor its unique history and thrive spiritually.
