LEOMINSTER - After a long wait, Holy Family of Nazareth Parish got a home for its pastor, in the Year of St. Joseph.
“We chose not to call it a rectory; it’s called Nazareth House,” said Father José A. Rodríguez, the pastor.
Reflecting on the decision to name it after the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the holy family, Father Rodríguez said, “My hope is myself, and anyone else who visits, experiences the same joy of the house in Nazareth. It must have been an awesome place to live. I hope (Jesus, Mary and Joseph are) the ones hosting me when I go in.”
Some people, he said, have the perception that a rectory has parish offices, and that a priest’s residence is a retirement home; neither applies to this house at 725 Union St. that is simply his living quarters. It has a living room, family room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom, and a second bathroom is to be added, he said. It is located across the street from the church.
“It’s a nice commute,” he said. “Especially in the winter it’s going to pay off.”
It’s quite an improvement over his previous commutes – from St. Anna rectory at 199 Lancaster St., then St. Cecilia rectory at 170 Mechanic St.
The need for those commutes can be explained partially through parish history.
Holy Family built the present church, dedicated in 2004, and sold the previous church at 800 Union St., which had its rectory on the second floor, Father Rodríguez said.
Father Thomas F. Egan, Holy Family’s pastor at the time, lived in his own home after the parish building was sold, so he didn’t need a rectory.
When Father Egan retired nine years ago, Father Rodríguez became pastor of Holy Family and chaplain of Capilla Santisima Trinidad on Lincoln Terrace, home of the Hispanic community.
Since the parish had no rectory, Father Rodríguez lived in St. Anna’s rectory with that neighboring parish’s pastor. He wasn’t helping with Masses there, as he had his own parish to serve, so Holy Family paid rent to St. Anna’s, he said.
After eight years at St. Anna’s rectory, he moved to St. Cecilia’s, where he was named administrator just before the ailing pastor, Father Robert D. Bruso, died in July 2020. Father Rodríguez said he handled financial matters there, and retained his duties at Holy Family and Santisima Trinidad. Father Mateus Souza, then St. Cecilia’s associate pastor, celebrated the Masses and took care of pastoral needs.
Father Rodríguez said that on May 14 this year Holy Family and Santisima Trinidad bought the new place for him to live – the home of a parishioner who died in March.
“The house went on the market and we made an offer,” he said. He said the parish bought it for $365,000 with its savings and it is all paid for. With the escalation of costs for building a new house, it was cheaper to buy an existing one, he said.
Holy Family had started saving for a rectory after paying off the debt for the church in July 2018, he said; “it was our duty to pay the debt first.”
But he continued living at St. Cecilia’s until July 1, when Msgr. James P. Moroney became St. Cecilia’s pastor.
“I wanted to be present to the end at St. Cecilia’s,” Father Rodríguez explained. “I waited nine years. What’s a few more weeks?” He and his community are “very thankful to our neighbor parishes for their warm welcome,” he said.
He said his new home is the right place, as it’s close to the church, will be easy to take care of and “I’m living in the midst of the flock.”