THE LIFE OF ST. PETER Visitors from St. Vincent Martyr Church in Madison pose next to a sculpture of St. Peter the Apostle fishing on the shores of Galilee during a museum exhibit showcasing the life of the parish patron at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany.
PARSIPPANY How well do you know the patron saint of your parish? At St. Peter the Apostle Church here through a week of Bible study and a museum-inspired exhibit, the parish gave its community the opportunity to learn about its patron St. Peter, chosen by Jesus Christ as “the rock” upon which he built his Church.
During the week of July 17 to 24, a team of parishioners from the parish’s Bible Study group visited the homes of 10 parishioners to read accounts of the Bible on St. Peter’s life and to focus on the message to be “fishers of men” just as Jesus called St. Peter to be on the shores of Galilee. Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, pastor of St. Peter’s, chose this week’s Bible study theme deciding it should focus on the parish’s patron.
Father Yojaneider Garcia, parochial vicar and coordinator of the second annual event, said, “Like in the passage of Luke 10:1-20, Jesus sent the Apostles to preach, we sent couples to parish families and to evangelize through the Bible.”
Families whose homes were visited received preparation a month before the visitation. They learned about the accounts of St. Peter’s life in the Bible. Some of these accounts include Jesus calling Peter to be the first Apostle, Peter witnessing Jesus walk on water, Peter’s denial of Jesus and the account of Jesus giving Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Deacon Bob Lang led the Bible study for English-speaking parishioners at the parish while Father Garcia led the Spanish-speaking study.
During the third weekend in July, these same stories were created visually as museum-like displays throughout St. Peter’s church hall, which was themed “St. Peter the Apostle’s Life.” Father Garcia said, “We wanted to provide a clear picture of the apostle and how to understand some practices in our Church and where they came from. We wanted to also show how St. Peter helps encourage us to be true disciples of Jesus.”
When visitors first entered the exhibit, they were welcomed by a life size paper-mache statue of St. Peter in a fishing boat and Jesus on shore, who is calling St. Peter to be one of his apostles. The exhibits were created by the Garcia and Naranjo families, parishioners of St. Peter’s, Angelita Osorio, art and environment director of the parish, and several volunteers of the parish sharing their ideas and artistic talents.
In total, there were 14 stations focusing on the Bible stories featuring St. Peter and some historical background on the apostle. One of the stations focused on the symbols of St. Peter — keys, a fishing net, a rooster and a rock. Another station focused on St. Peter’s martyrdom. He chose to be crucified upside down feeling unworthy to die like Christ. There was also information on the history of the popes with St. Peter as the first pope. In remembrance of the event, each person was given a prayer card of St. Peter with a novena of the saint.
The parish hosted a similar event with exhibits last November marking National Bible Week featuring St. Paul the Apostle and his conversion story. The display room attracts many visitors from many neighboring parishes. Next year, the parish will continue the weeklong Bible study and focus on the Blessed Mother.
Father Garcia said, “We can be inspired if we understand the beautiful life of the Apostle Peter. Jesus did not choose professional people to be part of his group. Peter is someone we have similarities to — he experienced a loss of faith when Jesus invited him to walk on water and he denied Jesus three times. Like Peter, Jesus also gives us a special mission. Jesus looks at our heart, not our ability to do something with our shortcomings.”