Palms and adoration in St. John's parking lot

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

    It felt like Holy Week to one woman, even though she couldn’t go to Mass on Palm Sunday.
    A child, excited about helping pass out palms in the church parking lot, asked if they could do this every year.
    These were among stories told at St. John Parish in Worcester Sunday afternoon, as Catholics in the Diocese found alternative ways to celebrate the popular holy day in light of coronavirus restrictions that left Masses closed to the public.
    Like some other churches, after live streaming Mass, St. John’s handed out palms in the parking lot. In addition, the inner-city parish exposed the Host in a monstrance for veneration - in that same parking lot.
    Judith Marr, a member of St. John’s, said having adoration meant “everything” to her.
    “It brings the Body of Christ out into the community,” said her husband, Michael.
    He expressed appreciation for their pastor, Father John F. Madden, doing this for parishioners, and his wife said the parish Flocknotes are helpful in keeping them informed about what’s happening. They said they got extra palms - for her mother in a nursing home and his sister in Cambridge who is quarantined while having chemotherapy.
    Other parishioners and non-parishioners also benefited.
    “I should join,” said Nancy Quinlan, when asked if she’s a member of St. John’s. “I love Father Madden! I love everything they do! … The way they had the Mass streaming today - it made me feel like it was Holy Week. I was having a tough time. Without being able to go to Mass, I wasn’t sure ...would it really feel like Holy Week?”     But hearing the music and the reading of the Passion on the live-streamed Mass made her feel like she was there. She said she would take some palms to a nursing home, stand at the door and hand them to someone, since she might not be allowed in.
    Denise Boucher-Garofoli, owner of Boucher’s Good Books in Worcester, from which St. John’s bought the palms, said she would take a sealed bag of them to Christopher House, where her mother, Bernadette Boucher, lives.
    As volunteers were packing up Sunday afternoon she said there were about 800 of the 4,500 palms St. John’s ordered left. Later she said she took another bag of 100 palms to the Worcester Police Department.
    A member of St. John’s, she helped distribute palms at the church, as did her husband, John Garofoli; their daughter Jonelle Garofoli, and her children, Lorenzo Pasquale, 10, and Nicolina Pasquale, 8. She said Lorenzo was so excited he asked Father Madden if they could do this every year. His quieter sister just asked drivers if they wanted more palms.
    “It was a good lesson,” Mrs. Boucher-Garofoli said. “I … wanted them here.” They watched Mass from another church at home first, then came to St. John’s to get a taste of community service.
    Their palm-distribution outreach did extend into the community.
    “My daughter was live streaming it,” Mrs. Boucher-Garofoli said “My grandson’s baseball coach came down.”     Others, upon arrival, said, “We saw your live stream.”
    Worcester Police Officer Sean Lovely Sr. loaded a police car with armfuls of palms bound for Ascension Village.
    Victoria Berube and Lindsay Wheeler took a break from distributing palms to motorists entering the parking lot - to deliver some to the church basement for the people finding shelter in Hotel Grace there.
    “I was grateful that we can do this for people,” Ms. Wheeler said. “People started showing up at 12:30” for the 1-3 p.m. distribution of palms. Though many just drove by the Blessed Sacrament, many others didn’t want their palms until they had venerated Jesus present there, she said.
    “I just absolutely love it!” said parishioner Ken Dufresne, who came with his father, Clem Dufresne, and friend Patrick Quill, after stopping before the monstrance. “We can’t get into the church right now.” He said he was thankful that “Father Madden has allowed us to do at least this.”
    Parishioner Peter Twomey, stopping by with fellow parishioner Laura Cavanagh, said he was just glad “that things are somewhat normal.”
    Father Madden said there was a steady flow of people. He talked with them as they drove up, and praised those who helped.
    Rich Linga directed traffic. Eugene “Slim” Rucker, who helped distribute palms, called it a “first-time experience.”
    “We love Father Madden - he’s the best!” raved Mary Oroszko. During the pandemic “he’s a calming force.”


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