A Beloved Priest Bids St. Joseph's Church Farewell

Forecasters predicted that Sunday night would be the coldest in our area in six years. At St. Joseph's Church in Maplewood, the metaphor was irresistible: After six years of warm and caring service, it was on this frigid night that Fr. Michael Saporito bid his parishioners  farewell.

But the cold temperatures did not keep hundreds from gathering at Bernard Hall to wish Fr. Michael well. Nor did they cast a chill on the mood of the event: Though many were exceedingly sad to see Saporito go, there was a general feeling that the faith community that he had fostered and strenghthened could and would abide without him — and that it would be able to do so because of him.

As Tony Leitner, Chair of the South Orange Performing Art Center and a parish member, said, "Fr. Michael came at a tough time for our parish, so the sense of community he's built is a legacy and it's up to the parish to maintain that legacy."

Saporito, a Belleville native, is leaving Maplewood's oldest Roman Catholic church community for a new post as pastor at St. Helen's Church in Westfield, NJ — a parish with four times the parishioners. On Friday, St. Joseph's parishioners helped Saporito pack up and move his belongings to the St. Helen's rectory — they wanted to save him the expense of renting a van. Earlier on Sunday, Saporito gave his farewell homily at Mass. By Sunday evening, all that was left were the goodbyes.

For over an hour, hundreds filed through a receiving line for their chance to say a personal farewell to their departing pastor. Hugs, well wishes and gifts were exchanged. Memories were shared. Tears were shed.

Walls on either side of Bernard Hall were adorned with scrolls of paper with messages and drawings dedicated to Saporito — from young and old alike. The children's messages mostly admonished Saporito to "have fun" at his new church. Many of the messages from adults mirrored this one: "Fr. Michael, Thank you for devoting your strong faith and remarkable talents to St. Joseph's. We will miss you. Your work and leadership were a blessing to our parish."

Saporito is credited with strengthening the St. Joseph's community with his charismatic leadership over the past six years. Jerry Ryan of the Maplewood Township Committee told Patch, "I asked Fr. Michael to give the invocation when I was sworn in last year. I thanked him as an inspirational leader. And that's the thing I will miss the most. He inspires people to be the best they can be for everyone else." Ryan became so close to Saporito that he attended the wakes of both of Saporito's parents in Belleville when each one passed away.

Saporito tried to use his inspirational powers to parish school last June — postponing the final announcement of the closing for almost a month while parents and parishioners furiously tried to raise funds and increase enrollment. The efforts ultimately , resulting in what seems to be the only disappointment of Saporito's tenure — and one that may have been inevitable due to the fact that the final decision rested with the Archdiocese of Newark.

Above all, according to parishioners, Saporito — through words and deeds — emphasized embracing diversity and bringing together the many disparate cultures and backgrounds of St. Joseph's members into one faith community. Examples include the  after the earthquake in Haiti last January, as well as  — a periodic gathering for gay Catholics and their family members that meets at the parish. Less dramatically, weekly masses attract Catholics of all colors, ages, backgrounds and socio-economic levels — and from within and without Maplewood.

"I tried a lot of parishes," said Arvis Freeman, who said that she lives in Irvington but takes the bus to come to St. Joseph's even though St. Leo's is right around the corner from her. "When I opened the door here, I said, 'This is it.'"

The Whelan sisters were sitting at the same table with Freeman, but their connection with the parish stretches back three generations. Maureen and Meredith Whelan were both baptized at St. Joseph's and educated at its school. They live in the house on Marion Place where there parents and grandparents lived — and from which they also attended St. Joseph's Church.

The Whelans were in agreement with Saporito's message of diversity. "Fr. Michael just said at church today, that we have all the mixes in our parish but we are all one," said Maureen. "The separate groups don't all have their separate gatherings. We come together."

She added, "We've had many favorites but Father Michael is one of the top. We've had good leadership along the years, but Fr. Michael livened us up, revived us."

Joan McKie has been a parishioner for more than five years now: "I like everything about him. He's kind and he's generous. Everything." She added, "Honestly, I wish he didn't have to go." McKie said that Saporito's touch was reflected throughout the parish: "Everybody here is friendly. It's a family, this parish."

This summation from Suzanne Ryan — who has attended St. Joseph's for decades with her family, raising three children in the faith community — expressed the thoughts of many present at the farewell: "Fr. Michael is a shining example of all that is right with being a member of the Catholic Church. He led us as we built up our parish community at St. Joe's. He is the most compassionate human being and is the face of God for our modern world. Perhaps the best trait of Fr. Michael is that he believed that all members of our church were called to be the face of God, too — he led us so we could also lead. Because of his belief in us, we will carry on what he helped begin. I will truly miss him, but he will always be such a huge part of us and who we are."

At the end of the evening, assistant pastor Fr. Manolo generated a lot of laughs, tears and applause by serenading Fr. Michael with these lyrics from the song Because I Knew You:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
to those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good.