Bishop makes pastoral visit to Good Shepherd in Andover
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July 21, 2022
FIRST SPANISH MASS Bishop Sweeney at the Consecration during the first-ever Mass in Spanish in Good Shepherd Church in Andover on July 14. Concelebrating are (from left): Father Yohan Serrano, chaplain to the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry with particular responsibility for the pastoral care of the Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities in Sussex County; Father Emerson Francisco, Good Shepherd’s parochial vicar; Jesuit Father Tom Florek, executive director of the Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network, and Father Javier Bareno, parochial vicar of St. Therese Parish in Succasunna.Bishop makes pastoral visit to Good Shepherd in Andover where he celebrates parish’s first Spanish MassANDOVER Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to Good Shepherd Parish here July 14 to celebrate the 5:30 p.m. Saturday night vigil Mass — the first-ever Mass said in Spanish at the parish.
Concelebrating the Mass were: Father Yohan Serrano, chaplain to the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry with responsibility for the pastoral care of the Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities in Sussex County, who resides at Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Sparta; Jesuit Father Tom Florek, executive director of the Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network; Father Javier Bareno, parochial vicar of St. Therese Parish in Succasunna, and Father Emerson Francisco, Good Shepherd’s parochial vicar. Father Timothy Dowling, Good Shepherd’s pastor, was unavailable for the Spanish Mass because he was officiating at a wedding. Father Francisco represented the parish at the liturgy.
Spanish-speaking people from around Sussex County participated in the Mass.
The parish’s history began in 1976 when a mission was established by St. Joseph Parish, Newton. In 1979, Bishop Frank J. Rodimer raised the mission to parish status. Masses were first held in the Andover Presbyterian Church and the Andover firehouse. Good Shepherd Church and the parish center were built on property donated by Finn Caspersen on Route 517 in 1985. Father Richard Steiger was Good Shepherd’s founding pastor and Msgr. Martin McDonnell is Good Shepherd’s pastor emeritus.
