Father Richard Gennaro Cipolla
Pastor of St. Mary's, 2015–2018
And with the procession at the end of Mass, we not only bring Christ into the world, our world of Norwalk. In this act we inject Catholic culture into the world. This is not some culture that is associated with the Middle Ages. This is the culture that is the fruit of the life of a world into which the infinite God of truth, goodness and beauty became finite, one of us, in the tabernacle of the womb of Mary. This is the affirmation of a Catholic culture that does not dwell in a ghetto, that is never drawn in on itself, that is not afraid of the secular world, but rather affirms a true culture of life. (Sermon for Corpus Christi, 2018)
It is a great honor, privilege and a source of great happiness for me to be the Pastor of St Mary's Parish. Before becoming Pastor I was a parochial vicar at St. Mary's for almost eight years and was privileged to be a part, under the guidance of Fr. Markey, our former Pastor, of the restoration of the liturgical life of the parish and the restoration of the beauty of the church building itself. To be Pastor of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, inner city parish is not easy work, but for me it is truly a labor of love and a source of Christian joy. The heart and soul of this parish is the worship of God in Spirit and in Truth, in the Beauty of Holiness. It is at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that one encounters the living God in a full albeit hidden way. The whole staff of the parish, including our Deacon, Steve Genovese, and each of our families understand that why we exist is to provide a place worthy of the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass and to put the Love that is at the heart of that Sacrifice to work in our own lives wherever we are and spread the Good News of the Gospel. The Traditional Form of the Roman Rite lies at the very heart at the parish, and its beauty spills over to all Masses celebrated here, whether in English or in Spanish. Those of you who are traveling to this part of the country, please come and visit St. Mary's. You will always be welcomed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From the Pastor's Desk
Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Fr. Cipolla’s Last Sunday)
I write this column as the last one before I retire as Pastor of St. Mary’s. As I said to Bishop Caggiano at Confirmation last Sunday, I have been privileged and blessed to be the Pastor of St. Mary’s for these past three years and two months. This is has…Growth and Restoration
I am starting an article for publication that will be titled “Organic Development of the Traditional Roman Rite—as we speak.” I want to share with our parishioners who love the Liturgy only briefly why I think it possible and salutary that the Traditional Roman Mass should continue to grow organically.…Corpus Christi
The most beautiful thing now in Saint Mary’s Church is the Rood and the Rood Beam. The restoration of the Rood was something that I wanted to do as soon as I became pastor. When the renovation of seven years ago began, I suggested to Fr. Markey that we put…Trinity Sunday
The Easter Cycle feasts of the Church are all glorious in their very own way. We celebrated the feast of Pentecost last weekend: the empowerment of the Church by the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles in the Upper Room. And it is that same Spirit…Pentecost Sunday
Our Bible Study group this year studied Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. When we finished this study of this truly seminal text, we decided to read the first 9 chapters of The Confessions of Saint Augustine. I suggested this because this book has meant so much to me personally,…