After serving about 2½ years as administrator of St. Anselm Parish in Chesterland, Bishop Edward Malesic installed Father Christopher Cox as the new pastor of the parish during a liturgy on May 11.
Father Cox noted it had been 29 years since the parish experienced a pastor installation, that of Father Tom Sweany, pastor emeritus, who retired in October 2021. Father Sweany concelebrated the Mass along with Father Jay McPhillips, pastor of St. Helen Parish in Newbury.
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Reflecting on the importance of a parish as a family, Father Cox recalled a Christmas Eve Mass during his childhood at St. Justin Martyr Parish in Eastlake. He was part of the children’s choir and they were crowded onto risers in the church. It was very warm and Father Cox said he apparently blacked out. The next thing he remembered was seeing the face of the principal, a Notre Dame sister, checking to ensure he was all right.
“I saw a big smile come over her face when she realized I was OK. That’s when I knew what it meant to be a parish,” he said, recalling the concern shown to him.
After arriving at St. Anselm in October 2021, Father Cox said he talked about family.
“What we do is a team effort. It takes everyone, including the parish staff, choir, finance and parish councils, school personnel – everyone – to do what we do as a parish,” Father Cox said.
“You never know what’s on someone’s heart when they enter the church doors. We pray together for the fullest experience of what it means to be parish, to be family. The news can be troubling,” he said, “but we come to church to celebrate our faith as a family. God speaks to us and bestows grace on us and we pray with and for each other.”
Members of the early Church were trying to figure things out, he said, but it was a beautiful thing because they were faithful.
“The world tries to fill us with things that are only temporarily fulfilling. What we get here (from the Church) lasts forever. What we do today is what we always do: pray together and for each other. You may not know the people around you, but you are all part of the parish family,” Father Cox said.
He told the congregation that God would stretch them – as needed – to meet their needs.
“My great hope is the hope that the Gospel brings. Those readings (from the Mass) took place a long time ago, but the words have the same meaning today. They are still with us. So let’s be family and allow God to stretch us so St. Anselm Parish can be the best family possible,” he added.
Bishop Malesic said a good pastor is a member of the parish, just as he is – even though he’s the bishop – still a Catholic and a member of the diocese. “As members of the Church, we all work together. We are in the same boat and need to row in the same direction in order to build up the body of Christ. Father (Cox) is the captain who keeps you all rowing in the same direction.”
He also urged the congregation to spread their faith and build up the body of Christ outside the church walls.
“Don’t let these walls hold you in. This parish and the Church should not be kept a secret. Make this church (St. Anselm) a place where people want to come. Father Sweany is handing on a great parish to Father Cox,” the bishop said. He asked parishioners to encourage their new pastor, to stand behind him and to pray for him.
“Always invite people in. Be proud of your church. Thank the Lord for giving you the time to be here and for so much. We are blessed. Jesus told us to go out and spread the good news because we’ve been loved,” he said. The bishop suggested that parishioners go home and find a quiet place to pray. “God calls us his beloved sons and daughters. Pray and you will feel his blessings,” he added.
After Mass, the bishop, Father Cox, Deacon Bob Kovach and Father Sweany greeted the faithful before heading to the parish hall for a reception.