Father Joseph Sia carries the monstrance through downtown Ottumwa during a eucharistic procession from St. Patrick Parish to St. Mary of the Visitation Parish on June 29. The parishes merged to form St. Joseph Parish on July 1.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
OTTUMWA — Father Joseph Sia stood before a diverse group of Catholics in Central Park on June 29 at the conclusion of a Eucharistic procession uniting two parishes into one. “There I saw the whole park filled with my parishioners, looking intently at the Blessed Sacrament, and piously making the Sign of the Cross as I gave the Benediction. There was a sense of Christ claiming that public space,” Father Sia, pastor of the newly merged St. Joseph Parish, told The Catholic Messenger.
On July 1, St. Mary of the Visitation and St. Patrick parishes merged to become St. Joseph Parish by decree of Bishop Dennis Walsh. Before making that decision, he met with the parishes’ leaders and consulted with the diocesan Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors. In the decree, he said parishioners recognized the benefits of merging, “including strengthened spiritual formation, better utilization of financial and human resources, and an enhanced ability to serve our parishioners and the wider community.”
As she prayed prior to the merger, Susan Cenci, a lifelong member of St. Patrick Parish, recalled a Corpus Christi procession that made a lasting impression on her. She proposed a Eucharistic procession to Father Sia, pastor of both Ottumwa parishes and St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Bloomfield (which was not part of the merger).
“It is hard to see two parishes merge,” Cenci said. “I don’t think anyone who is being honest would say that is an easy process. But God offers opportunities to love him and to grow especially in challenging moments. In Ottumwa, we have this chance to really examine our mission as disciples of Jesus and live out our baptismal call to holiness, and to evangelize. A Eucharistic procession seemed a fitting start to living that call as a new parish, bringing Jesus in the Eucharist out into our community, from one church to the other, across the river,” she added.
“What moved me was that she said it came to her in prayer,” Father Sia said. “I know Susan to be a faith-filled person who is in love with God and his Church, so I immediately trusted her suggestion to have a procession on that day (June 29). I realized that it would be a fitting exercise to mark the joining of the two parishes.”
Joy and diversity
Ana De La Torre, St. Joseph Parish’s director of religious education, was part of the organizing committee. “Father Sia asked me to coordinate with the Hispanic community…. As a Catholic community, it is important to celebrate together as one. We are all part of the body of Christ. This procession from St. Patrick to St. Mary was the best way to honor Jesus Christ. Showing how beautiful it is to come together,” De La Torre said.
During the procession, which included a float carrying a life-size cutout image of St. Joseph, De La Torre led the Hispanic community in singing Spanish hymns. “We prayed the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary and sang hymns in between each mystery.” The gathering sang in English, Spanish and Chuukese, the language of parishioners from Micronesia. “People were very joyful, and thankful; this was a great experience for all of us,” De La Torre said. “Unity can happen when we put God first.”
The teamwork that brought the procession to fruition inspired Anna Maria Billy, a member of the Micronesian community and the new parish’s evangelization director. “We made 135 copies of the program and we didn’t have enough.” She estimated around 200 people participated, many of whom walked the 1.3-mile route from St. Patrick to St. Mary. Some parked in their cars along the route to greet the procession.
When the procession ended at Central Park across the street from St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church, “I sat down and said, ‘This is so beautiful.’ I felt so full of love, just in awe, overwhelmed by the unity, the togetherness, the mix of people praying the rosary and singing along with the hymns,” Billy said.
“Walking in the procession, praying through word and song was a beautiful experience,” Cenci said. “It was especially something my husband and I were grateful to experience with our 6-year-old son. People were joyful, singing, in different languages and it was truly beautiful to hear the different choirs singing, people praising God together. So many people! Truly, it was a wonderful experience!”
Catholics from Ottumwa gather in Central Park, across from St. Mary of the Visitation Church, at the conclusion of a Eucharistic procession June 29.
Showing God to others
“The whole thing was so powerful for me — from the time we started preparing for it, to working on the little details, praying for good weather, until finally the procession itself,” Father Sia said. “I could sense the joy of the people just with the fact that they were there walking in the procession, praying and singing together and holding up the Eucharist and an image of St. Joseph for all to see. They really wanted to be there!”
“I felt proud to have so many of my parishioners walking with me and praying along the way,” Father Sia continued. “Now whenever I drive between the two churches, I can confidently say I have walked every inch of this route as the pastor of the Ottumwa Catholic community.”
De La Torre hopes that as a new parish, “we will continue to show God to others through our testimony of unity. People need God and we can certainly bring God to the people through our actions and our faith and supporting our pastor in this new mission with our prayers.”
In her role as evangelization director, Billy said, “I feel like it’s my duty to keep (the momentum) going.” However, she realizes it is not her task alone. “I’m just a member, a part of a great team.”
Cenci hopes to “see our new parish grow, while honoring the traditions of the two parishes it is built upon.” As a mother, she feels drawn to St. Joseph’s title as “Pillar of Families. I ask for his intercession under that title for our new parish, that our parish can be a pillar for families, where the parish helps to foster the domestic church, where vocations — to the priesthood, religious life and marriage and family life — are fostered and grow.”
