JUPITER | Three houses of worship next door to each other in Jupiter are set to continue an annual tradition of neighborly engagement and “sweet” harmony that began in 1996 during their formative days.
This year will mark 29 years that the congregations of St. Peter Catholic Parish, JupiterFirst Church and Temple Beth Am have gathered for their interfaith service the night before Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. Rotating each year between the Jewish synagogue and two churches, the 2025 event is planned at St. Peter, 1701 Indian Creek Parkway.
Speaking with the Florida Catholic, Father Don Finney, who has been St. Peter’s pastor since 2003, said the interfaith service began when Father Chuck Notabartolo was pastor and Masses were being celebrated in the what’s now the social hall before the church was built. Also, JupiterFirst’s church hadn’t been built yet, and the synagogue was operating out of portable buildings, he recalled.
“As the interfaith service grew, so did our congregations,” Father Finney said. “Next year, we have big plans for the 30th anniversary of this at the temple.” He explained that, as the location of the service changes every year, so does the speaker delivering the Thanksgiving message. This year, Pastor Chip Jurskis of JupiterFirst is scheduled to give the keynote address.
Another focus of cooperation is bringing together singers and musicians from the three congregations to choose music and rehearse the selections. It helps that Gonzalo Gonzalez, St. Peter’s music director, regularly plays the piano at Friday night Shabbat services at Temple Beth Am, accompanying cantorial soloist Marcy Morris.
To a large extent, the success of the yearly interfaith event is a testament to the friendship between the three local clergy leaders. Rabbi Alon Levkovitz of Temple Beth Am said he is pleased with the long collaboration with Father Finney and Rev. Jurskis.
“I can certainly attest to the excellent relationships we have forged among the clergy,” the rabbi said. “This collaborative spirit among the leaders is naturally reflected in the relationships between our congregations. We are always happy to help and support one another’s programs and initiatives, which contribute significantly to a more harmonious and understanding community.”
Father Finney remembered the three congregations gathering a few years ago after a fatal shooting at a synagogue. “It wasn’t at Thanksgiving time. It was right after that happened, kind of really as a stand up against antisemitism,” he said. “We had it at the temple, but it was like an interfaith show of support. I think because the relationship had been built up throughout the years, when disaster struck like that, we were able to respond to it.”
The cooperative spirit extends to the monetary collection taken up at the yearly interfaith service, for the El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center, funding local programs focusing on labor, adult education, community care, community life, food and nutrition, and youth development. St. Peter, JupiterFirst and Temple Beth Am were influential when El Sol was established in 2006, Father Finney said.
“We’re also asking people to bring a nonperishable food item (to the interfaith service). Cros Ministries runs a food pantry out of El Sol, so they’re having the congregations bring something with them to share and then donate it to Cros Ministries,” he said.
The fellowship nurtured by the annual event helps avoid some of the difficulties that can arise in society, Father Finney said.
“The more we can build bridges and understand one another, rather than looking at the things that separate us, but rather to celebrate the things that we hold in common, is when we can get to know each other, appreciate the differences there and really kind of celebrate the harmony,” he said. “It would be so boring if everybody was just singing the melody, but when you have the harmony there, and you understand it, then it becomes this beautiful symphony.”
Rabbi Levkovitz said one of the most rewarding aspects of this interfaith collaboration is being recognized and receiving a friendly greeting at places like Publix and other community activities. It underscores “the genuine and sustained nature of our interfaith connections.”
“I can confidently say that these activities have substantially strengthened the bond not only with the other clergy but also with the members of St. Peter Catholic Church and JupiterFirst Church,” he said. “The consistent engagement and shared purpose fostered by the service go beyond the clerical level, creating a tangible sense of fellowship among our congregants.”
A popular part of the interfaith service is sharing homemade, handheld desserts with those who attend, who are urged to mingle afterward with their neighbors. The host congregation prepares the sweet goodies and generally tries to outdo their friends in faith.
“I know from personal experience that this is quite the competition,” Father Finney said. “The temple, they go all out and really kind of like desserts that a lot of people may not be familiar with. Fantastic desserts. And then even at JupiterFirst when they have it, they have a big push on doing it. So right now, we’re in the midst of getting people to think about what kind of secret recipes and family treasure recipes they have to share.”
He added that the event seems to work so well because all three houses of worship are within a short walk of each other. “I think that’s part of the strength, just the proximity of it.” n
For information about St. Peter in Jupiter, visit www.stpeterjupiter.com and connect through Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
FYI
To support St. Peter’s Food for Families pantry, which has seen an uptick in need lately, the parish is sponsoring Dinner in a Bag, in which parishioners pick up a 2-gallon plastic bag containing a list of ingredients with a recipe. They buy the items, put them in the bag and drop them off at the parish office. They are simple recipes that don’t require other ingredients like milk or eggs. The parish is looking to provide 700 dinners for the food pantry.
Father Finney also said that St. Peter is expecting a first-class relic of St. John Paul II to be delivered soon. A reliquary in which the relic — a drop of his blood — will be displayed in the church, is to arrive by Dec. 6.
