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PARISH PROFILE
 St. Paul’s, Portsmouth: Proud of its history
By Sandy Grecco
of The Catholic Virginian
Church exterior photos by Renée M. Russell
Rising above High and Washington Streets in downtown Portsmouth towers an iconic symbol of a strong and vibrant church community.
The new copper steeple, lifted back into place December of last year, is just one of the recent restoration projects made possible by a fundamental renewal of spirit at St. Paul’s Catholic Church these past several years.
“The last of our stained glass windows was reinstalled last weekend,” said Bill Ficenec one of the founding members of the history committee, “just in time for the church picnic.”
The 28 windows culminated a five-year restoration committee project headed by parishioner Jim Resolute that included a major refurbishment of the church’s 100-year-old bell tower, the new steeple and cross, repainting and new plaster.
The windows, many of which are more than 100 years old, were restored and reinstalled by Mayer and Company of Munich, Germany, the same company that created them. Each window cost between $7,000 and $18,000 and was paid for in part by successful fundraisers and grant monies, but mostly by individual and family donations.
All of the hard work was celebrated at the annual St. Paul’s parish picnic earlier this month.
Food, fellowship and the prize drawings for the parish restoration raffle brought out nearly 100 people ready to eat, to laugh and check their winning numbers for the cash prizes.
“I was baptized on December 15, 1918 in this church,” said Mae Wakefield who will be 90 years old later this month.
 Still very active in the parish, Mae is the founder of St. Paul’s annual parish picnic and is credited for having “instigated the raffle” that began raising money for St. Paul’s original restoration fund more than 12 years ago.
This year the restoration fundraiser brought in nearly $21,000 and offered cash prizes totaling $12,000. Elizabeth Woodall was stunned and visibly overwhelmed when her name was called for the $5,000 grand prize.
“I heard she bought that ticket just today,” said her husband Robert Woodall Sr.
A few moments earlier, the congregation had stood in awe when the $1,000 third prize winner’s name was called. Carlos Didio had passed away just the week prior.
A master woodworker and patternmaker at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Carlos was a treasured life-long member of the St. Paul’s community as well. His son Louis accepted the prize on his father’s behalf, and thanked those around him for their love and encouragement.
“Experiences are what create the ties that bind us together as a family,” said Father Michael Boehling, during his homily later that evening.
 In remembrance of All Souls’ Day, “Father Mike” called the congregation to consider the genuine impact people in a parish have on each other, even long after they are gone.
“The ties of affection that bind us here on earth do not unravel at death,” he said. “We are all still connected, even in death, in the love of God.”
It is exactly those kinds of connections that have created a very tight knit community at St. Paul’s that even more so today is reaching beyond what any of them may have expected.
“St. Paul’s is one of my four favorite parishes,” laughed Father Boehling. He and Father Kevin Segerblom, parochial vicar, serve the cluster of Portsmouth parishes that includes St. Paul’s, Holy Angels, and Church of the Resurrection, as well as St. Mary’s in Chesapeake.
Originally from Roanoke, Father Boehling came to the area as parochial vicar for the cluster right out of the seminary in June of 2007. One year later he was asked to pastor the four parishes.
Father Kevin grew up in Virginia Beach.
“Clusters is really all I know,” said Father Mike, “and though we are still figuring out what it all means, I love being pastor of all four parishes.”
 St. Paul’s, Holy Angels, Church of the Resurrection, and St. Mary’s were clustered together in June of 2005. “The first couple years were a bit rough,” said Jeff Foster, cluster parish Coordinator, “but we have begun to make great strides in the communities working together.”
Currently the parishes share specific administrative staff positions, the priest and parochial vicar, Mr. Foster, and Marisa Beebe, coordinator of Christian Formation and her new assistant.
Together the cluster offers shared adult formation classes, young adult ministries, and vacation Bible school. They also have collectively embraced a number of social ministries including Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless; the Migrant Ministry, taking more donations this year than ever to migrant workers on Virginia’s Eastern Shore; Oasis Social Ministry, founded at St. Paul’s by Sister Zoe of the Sisters of Charity; and the Haiti Twinning Ministry.
“Social Ministry is one of the easiest areas for folks to work together and to branch out,” Mr. Foster said.
Where it gets more difficult is when it comes to sharing the clergy during liturgical celebrations, but they are finding ways to make that work for them too.
“You have to fully trust and respect your parishioners, and trust in the Holy Spirit when it comes to sharing of resources,” said Father Boehling. “Then let your parishioners do what they already do well.”
At St. Paul’s their rich heritage is what makes them unique, and it is at the very core of the parish’s strength and character.
Built in the Gothic Revival style and cruciform shape in 1905, the current structure is the longest standing of five different buildings on the same site.
Sacramental Records indicate that Catholics had a congregation in Portsmouth as early as 1803, yet the original church, “a small plain building that faced east,” was not erected until sometime closer to 1815.
 Torn down twice to make room for larger facilities, the third church building was destroyed by fire set by friends of inmates in the jail across the street who wanted a distraction for a jail break.
Construction of the fourth church was halted because of the Civil War, though services continued in various locations, including the unfinished structure. When the war ended in 1865, the building of St. Paul’s “larger, lovelier edifice resumed.”
Three years later the church was dedicated, and construction continued with the addition of a rectory, school, convent, and Brothers’ residence until fire once again leveled the church and this time the rectory as well. The fifth and present structure was dedicated November 12, 1905.
“Larger and more elaborate than the others,” then-Bishop John McGill deemed the planned costs for the church to be excessive and asked parishioners to either assume personal responsibility for paying for the new building, or choose a less elaborate structure.
They elected to build as planned, “willing to sacrifice for the glory of God and the welfare of prosperity.”
 Now 103 years old, the current structure of St. Paul’s is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
“The nucleus of our history program is Helen and Bill Maloney,” said Mary Sue O’Brien, a founding member of the history committee.
The couple began gathering as much information and history as they could from as many people as they could reach. They were blessed by an outpouring of artifacts, letters, photographs, and stories that needed a place to keep them all together.
“One of our most precious artifacts was a letter by Olivia Bilisoly Cooke to her brother in 1898,” said Mary Sue. “She’d experienced all five of the churches, and wrote it all down so it wouldn’t be lost.”
Helen Maloney pulled together the threads of the church’s rich history into a book called, “A Story of Faith.” The materials gathered have since found a permanent home in the St. Paul History Room and Library. Located in the Father Walsh Center, a former convent for the Daughters of Charity who once lived there, the library was furnished in large part by Bill Ficenec in memory of his mother.
Another result of the history committee’s work is the new Docent Guild in which volunteers give visitors tours of the historic building.
In the future the Docent Guild hopes to offer special reenactments using scripts of historical characters. Bill Ficenec already has presented a skit dressed as the church’s original pastor.
“We thrive in a very unique environment,” Father Boehling said.
To learn more about parish life at St. Paul’s go to www.stpauls-portsmouth.org »
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Copyright © 2008 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.
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