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PARISH PROFILE
 Holy Name of Mary, Bedford: Catholic presence recognized in community
By Jean Denton
Special to The Catholic Virginian
Bedford County is one of the fastest growing areas in Virginia, and Holy Name of Mary Parish is growing with it — in both size and vitality.
Although the church has a number of retirees, the 400-household membership is balanced across all generations with many young families swelling the parish Christian Formation program to twice the enrollment of only three years ago. And as the local Catholic community grows, its presence in the Bedford community is increasingly recognized.
Like most parishes in the Richmond diocese, Holy Name of Mary is surrounded by many larger Protestant congregations.
“Oh, we’re definitely a minority,” said Phil Garbarini, a parish leader who has lived in Bedford since he was a boy. “But the weight of our presence in the community is felt in the heavy participation of our members in various social ministries in the area.”
He specifically mentioned Betty and Tony Dudek coordinating Holy Name’s part in the interfaith Shepherd’s Table ministry providing meals to the poor, and Tom Gilsinan heading a crew of a dozen parishioners who help repair and rebuild homes for low income families through Bedford’s “Christmas in April” project.
Many parishioners are active volunteers with Bedford Christian Ministries to which the church also gives monthly, budgeted financial support.
 Mr. Garbarini suggested that such deep community involvement is influenced by pastor Father Stephen McNally’s active ministry beyond the parish.
“No matter where I go in town, people say, ‘Oh, is Father Steve your pastor?’ He’s out in the community. Everywhere you go people know him and have positive things to say about him.”
Holy Name staff member Rita Zimmerman added, “He encourages us to go out into the community, too. He tells us find your thing and go do it.”
Father McNally, pastor in Bedford for seven years, explained, “The parish always is my main focus. But I see great value in being involved in the community, seeking ecumenical connections and partnering with others and trying to build up the Body of Christ.
“That’s what we do. I just try to show by my words and example that we (Catholics) are ecumenical and involved in living the Gospel daily.”
Besides being active in Bedford’s interdenominational ministerial association, Father McNally serves as chaplain for both the local police department and Bedford County Fire and Rescue Department. He also recently was named “grand chaplain” of the Elks organization which has its national retirement home in Bedford. Those roles provide inspiration for his priesthood.
By ministering to victims of fires or accompanying troopers to notify families of death of a loved one in an accident, the priest said, “I see people at their worst and the love of God impels me to be there, to offer strength, consolation, prayers and presence.”
“The feedback I get says people need that,” he said, “and lucky me, I’m Mr. Extrovert.”
Holy Name of Mary’s own parish ministries are vibrant and active, too.
“There are a lot of self-motivated people here,” Father McNally noted. “They know they are trusted and empowered, so they go with it.”
Ms. Zimmerman, parish Faith Formation coordinator, is a case in point. She and her husband Philip — and five children — joined the church in 1985 when they moved to Bedford from West Virginia where she had served as coordinator of Christian Formation in a small parish. She soon became coordinator of the program here, while also working fulltime for a food distribution company.
 When the parish began to grow three years ago, Ms. Zimmerman approached Fr. McNally about members’ expressed desire for more formation, especially for adults. The result: she was made a fulltime staff member.
“It’s the best decision we’ve made,” the pastor said. “Dollars don’t buy faith. She is a blessing to this parish.”
The church’s pre-K-11th grade religious education program now has 208 children enrolled and 33 committed catechists. Also, Kathy Miller and Marjean Rivera lead an active high school youth group of about 20 that meets on Sunday evenings for “service, socializing and spirituality,” in addition to Sunday morning classes.
While children attend class between Sunday Masses parents are offered a weekly session on basic Catholic teaching.
“It’s a brush-up class and the content is very much driven by the interests of the group,” Ms. Zimmerman explained.
Holy Name of Mary also offers adults a bi-weekly Bible study and a year-round program of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults led by parishioner Dr. Brian Buchanan.
Ms. Zimmerman pointed out that a monthly series called “Devotions of the Faith” is also popular among parish adults. Participants learn the history of traditional and contemporary Catholic devotions and pray them together. She explained that the devotions run the spectrum of Catholic spirituality from Marian devotions and Liturgy of the Hours to Centering Prayer and meditation through a labyrinth.
 Openness to all styles of Catholic worship is something parishioners have worked at over the last several years. The atmosphere at Holy Name Masses on a recent weekend suggests their efforts have been successful.
Music minister Jeanne Craig, who has helped lead worship at the parish for seven years, said church members “recognize that piety comes in many forms, and everyone here is very respectful of that.”
She explained that music at Sunday Mass is mostly contemporary while at the Saturday vigil Mass it is more traditional. The Saturday evening choir, led by Kelly Morales, “enjoys singing music of Latin four-part hymnody,” she said, but emphasized, “No one attends one Mass or another because they believe it’s superior. We see it as different forms of the same worship.”
Ms. Craig, who majored in piano performance in college and this month goes from a stipend position to fulltime staff music minister, said that when she began leading Holy Name’s music ministry, “I really wanted to foster congregational singing.”
Indeed, her high energy has rubbed off. Following Ms. Craig’s fast-paced piano, the singing at Mass is enthusiastic, loud and uplifting.
Ms. Craig is a mother of three young children and has been playing piano at church since she was 11. She encourages youth to participate in music ministry. In fact, several young people serve as cantors.
The Bedford Catholic community began gathering before the Civil War when a young priest came on horseback from Holy Cross Church in Lynchburg to preach and explain the faith. After the war, workers arrived, especially Irish Catholics, to help construct the railroads. To address their spiritual needs the Diocese of Richmond established St. Mary’s Church in 1874.
As new industries came to the area after World War II, the Catholic population grew and a new, larger church was built at the present location in 1955. The worship area was renovated in 1993 and two years ago the facilities were expanded to include office space, 11 classrooms, a larger commons and a social hall.
Mr. Garbarini, an engineer at a local textile mill and father of three teenagers, said people continue to move into the area, drawn by the physical beauty and what he described as a “laid-back lifestyle.”
 Regarding the recent expansion of facilities and ministry, Mr. Garbarini noted, “People here are very giving. When they see a need they step forward. They define stewardship.”
He said that when the parish realized it needed to build additional space, church members responded by reducing the existing mortgage within a year. Currently, he said, the parish is ahead of schedule in paying off its debt.
Fr. McNally is among those who love the Bedford area. He was appointed pastor at Holy Name of Mary in 2001 after spending six years in a unique capacity as chaplain at the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany. He recalled fondly the rich experience of his ministry there which involved ministering to American government and military employees and celebrating Mass which often was attended by Catholic embassy staffers from English-speaking countries throughout the world.
The pastor said he wants to know the people of his parish even better, especially new parishioners. He admits that his extroverted nature makes this enjoyable.
“I’m very much at home with the members of the parish and I hope to go to more parishioners’ homes,” he said. “I enjoy visiting with them. I want to know their issues and help with their struggles — especially in their faith.”
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Copyright © 2006 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced here due to copyright considerations.
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