St. Paul’s Church celebrates 50th anniversary in Foster

Posted

“i am a little church… at peace with nature …winter by spring, i lift my diminutive spire to merciful Him Whose only now is forever”
FOSTER — Few churches in the Diocese of Providence more closely resemble these verses by ee cummings than St. Paul the Apostle in Foster, which has now stood for 50 winters and springs in a sleepy woodland grove beside the Danielson Pike.
The anniversary was commemorated with a special Mass on Sunday, Oct. 2, with Bishop Thomas J. Tobin as the principal celebrant.
Although it does not take many people to make the church appear crowded, Sunday’s service was standing room only, with no fewer than three concelebrants and a deacon gathered around the small altar. St. Paul’s pastor, Father MJ Bernard Doré, was joined by his predecessor, Father Paul Grenon (now pastor at St. Joseph’s in North Scituate), and the church’s initial pastor, Father Paul LaPorte.
In his homily, Bishop Tobin expressed gratitude for “all the gifts God has given to this parish and through this parish to the wider church and the community for the past 50 years.”
The bishop was also on hand to offer congratulations to a number of married couples from the church celebrating milestone anniversaries of their own.
The parish plans to celebrate its history with a commemorative cookbook.
“We had people start sending in their family recipes at the beginning of the year,” explained St. Paul’s Deacon Fernando Botelho.
“We have a very diverse parish, so the book includes Italian, Portuguese, and Polish dishes, among others. Father Doré even included a few Indian recipes. There are historical photos and stories all through it, too — it’s a great little book.”
To learn more about the cookbook, visit https://stpaulsfoster.org/cookbook.