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HISTORY
- OUR FAITH
 In the 1950's, Snell Isle had a great period of
development and population growth. Catholics on the isle were
anxious to have their own congregation, and so on January 3, 1960,
the Snell Isle Mission was established. Masses were originally
said at the Snell Isle Center in what is now the Vienna Cafe. The
congregation soon outgrew this venue, and Masses were celebrated
at the Snell Isle Women's Club by Monsignor John Mullins, Pastor
of St. Paul's Parish. At the time approximately 425 families
attended Mass at the Women's Club.
The original number of parishioners grew rapidly and it became
evident that a church was needed to serve them. Plans for a
mission style facility were drawn up and ground was broken on
March 19, 1962. Just seven months later, the first Mass was
celebrated at St. Raphael's Church.
The family at St. Raphael's recognized that other facilities were
needed to meet their worship and educational needs. A new school
was completed and opened on September 1, 1964 with 175 students.
In addition to the school, a parish rectory, school library,
parish offices, and parish center were built on our magnificent
waterfront campus. The existing church was remodeled in 1981, with
the addition of stained glass windows and a much needed air
conditioning system.OUR FAMILY
For more than forty years, St. Raphael's Parish
has been a living witness to the active presence of Christ in our
lives. From small, humble beginnings to today's dynamic faith
community, our church is a place of refuge and strength to more
than 1,600 families. As a community, we are led by love, service
and obedience to our Heavenly Father. As a family, we celebrate
Mass and rites of spiritual and earthly passage and gain
nourishment to live out our obligation and commitment to build up
the Body of Christ. It is this spirit of family, along with the
care of our pastor, Monsignor Caverly and his staff, that leads us
to ever brighter horizons in the new millennium.
St. Raphael's currently has over seventy ministries touching and
making a difference in the lives of those we know and love and
others that live beyond our boundaries but still need our care and
compassion. Today St. Raphael's School is recognized as one of the
finest elementary and junior high school educational institutions
in the county. Its professional administration and faculty guide
and nurture over 260 children in grades K-8 in sound Catholic
values with an emphasis on academic excellence. As a parish,
therefore, we show the true meaning of the Holy Father's call of
not just belonging to the Church, but of being the Church.
OUR FUTURE
Now we stand at a crossroad in the history of
our parish. As exciting as it is to plan for this future, we
recognize that it will be equally difficult to let go of that
which has brought us here. We can accept that our church was
designed as a temporary building, prior to significant changes in
the celebration of the Mass, and continue to find peace and
comfort in the surroundings we have grown accustomed to... or we
can renew and fulfill the faith of the parish founders of our
mission church by embracing these same changes and construct for a
future that meets our growing needs.
We have recently concluded a three-year study to identify how to
best serve our thriving parish community. Throughout that time
there has been much discussion, prayer and debate on what type of
future we will embrace for St. Raphael's. What we have learned has
been both inspiring and challenging and has given us a deepened
sense of our rich Catholic identity.
Much of what we have learned lies in the document Built of Living
Stones: Art, Architecture and Worship issued by the authority of
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. This document
addresses the needs of the parishes of the 21st century and
defines the role and importance of the sacred liturgy in every
aspect of church construction. These new liturgical guidelines
encourage all participants in the liturgy - the congregation, as
well as the priest celebrant and ministers - to exercise more
active roles in the Mass and other sacraments. Upon careful
consideration of this document, the Long Range Planning Committee
came to appreciate all of the benefits that a new church built according to these guidelines
would bring to parish worship and our work of evangelization for
many years to come.
Our journey taught us that the growing needs of St. Raphael's
require that we embrace the building of a new church: one that
offers a richer spiritual environment and dedicated meeting rooms
for our many ministries and associations. Our current church will
continue to bring light and refreshment to the faithful in the
form of a beautiful Eucharistic chapel and parish hall. Likewise,
the future of St. Raphael's School and all that it promises our
children will be enhanced because of this new construction and the
modification of existing buildings and facilities.
When completed, in joy we will celebrate that, together, we
answered the scriptural call to be the living stones in building
up the church of Jesus Christ, our Lord (1Peter:2). |
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