Confirmation day in Vernon
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April 11, 2019
BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLIFIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Father Christopher Barkhausen (second from left) receives congratulations from Father Brian Quinn, former pastor of St. Francis, who is now pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle in Randolph, and Deacon Dennis Gill after being named pastor by Bishop Serratelli during the Bishop's pastoral visit tp St. Francis DeSales Parish April 6.Bishop administers Sacrament of Confirmation to Vernon youths; names Father Barkhausen pastor of St. Francis DeSales ParishVERNON Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Francis DeSales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon April 6 where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. During the Mass, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish. The Bishop also named Father Christopher Barkhausen as pastor of St. Francis. He was serving the parish as its administrator.
The history of St. Francis Parish began when St. Monica Parish in Sussex established a mission in McAfee in 1963. A former school was purchased on Route 94 and renovated for a church. In 1965, St. Francis became a mission of the new parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Highland Lakes. Bishop Rodimer advanced the mission to parish status in 1979. A new church was built on Route 517 in 1986.
