BELLE GLADE | Marking the 75th anniversary of St. Philip Benizi Parish Aug. 23, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez urged the faithful to imitate the life of their patron, a 13th-century man of humility, tenderness and service.
“He was originally from Tuscany, that beautiful part of Italy where the city of Florence stands,” the bishop said. “He was part of the Servites, this beautiful religious community that flourished, especially in those years, as a tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary. And he was a man of profound love for the Church.”
Bishop Rodríguez was joined by Father Nobert Jean-Pierre, St. Philip’s pastor, visiting clergy, parishioners and others who filled the Belle Glade church with three talented choirs. Father Jean-Pierre said it was a “great moment” for the bishop to experience the diversity of his parish, which offers weekend liturgies in Creole, English and Spanish.
The theme of the silver anniversary is “‘75 years of faith, hope and service,’ in which we celebrate our past, living our faith and building our future,” he said, adding that a jubilee banner was unveiled Aug. 16 for the larger community to see that a special event was occurring at St. Philip.
“We want to build a community of faith so that whoever comes in contact with us may see and feel the presence of Jesus in us. And I give thanks to God for all the many blessings he has showered upon the parish from the beginning of its foundation,” Father Jean-Pierre said.
‘Deep sentiments of fraternity’
Even though Belle Glade is at the western periphery of the Diocese of Palm Beach, St. Philip Benizi is “at the heart of prayers and our joy and our most deep sentiments of fraternity because you are at the frontier of our care for everyone,” Bishop Rodríguez said at the start of the Mass. He added that “you are tremendously important for us in terms of our ministry and our mission.”
In his homily, the bishop spoke about St. Philip’s life, joining the Servites in 1253 and becoming one of the foremost preachers of his time. He was so well thought of that he was named a possible candidate for pope, which distressed Philip so much that he hid in a cave until the papal election was over. “He refused because he was a man of humbleness. He preferred to be among God’s people as a priest available to serve,” Bishop Rodríguez said.
He advised the families in the parish to follow St. Philip’s devotion to Mary, pray the rosary every day and eat a meal together at least once a week. “I’m not asking too much,” he said.
“It is certainly very sad that our families today don’t have enough time to pray together. Do not let that kind of action destroy the Catholicity, the Christian spirit of your family,” Bishop Rodríguez said.
The bishop urged the faithful to work with Father Jean-Pierre — whom he called one of the best pastors in the diocese — to keep evangelizing and building up the parish to ensure its growth and vitality.
“I would like to encourage all of you to keep moving forward in a spirit of faith, trusting in the Lord,” Bishop Rodríguez said at the end of the liturgy. “Do not give up. Do not give up! And always trust in the power of the Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom you are called to be specially devoted because of your patron saint, St. Philip Benizi.”
New hall dedicated
As a sign of progress, the bishop, Father Jean-Pierre, priests and members of the parish processed afterward to St. Philip’s new parish hall. Father Jean-Pierre said that when he came to the parish in July 2021, he saw a dire need for a hall for parishioners to gather. They transformed a basketball pavilion — “not because I don’t like sports,” he emphasized — into an enclosed building.
The hall lacks a few finishing touches, he said, but having the bishop present for the anniversary was a perfect opportunity to bless and dedicate the building.
“That was a grace-filled moment for all of us to see how beautiful is our parish, and to have this beautiful hall where the people are going to gather, where we are going to teach the faith, where we are going to be together to share the love of God, especially with all those who have never experienced the love of Jesus in their heart,” Father Jean-Pierre said.
“We recognize the people who contributed to the development of our parish and to the completion of this parish hall,” he said. “We remember with gratitude those who came before us and laid the foundation upon which we continue to build. We also recognize our benefactors, parishioners, volunteers, contractors, workers, parish organizations and all those whose generosity and dedication with this project made it possible. May their generosity continue to inspire future generations.”
“Viva la Parroqia San Felipe!” the bishop shouted.
Parish history
Speaking with the Florida Catholic Aug. 26, Father Jean-Pierre detailed some of the Catholic history in the area. The first Mass in western Palm Beach County was celebrated in 1922 in the Pahokee area by a priest from St. Ann Parish in West Palm Beach. He traveled by boat in the canals used to transport sugarcane to ships in Palm Beach.
In their earliest days, St. Philip Benizi and St. Mary in Pahokee were missions of St. Margaret in Clewiston, back when the Diocese of St. Augustine encompassed the entire state of Florida. Construction of St. Philip Benizi Church began in 1960 as part of the Diocese of Miami, and it officially became a parish in 1961, Father Jean-Pierre said. Father Francis X. Fenech served as the first pastor from 1960 to 1966.
Father Jean-Pierre said he has encountered many people in the Diocese of Palm Beach who know little about Belle Glade and the conditions in other areas near Lake Okeechobee. He offered this invitation to Catholics throughout the diocese:
“Come to visit us to see the reality in Belle Glade because our brothers and sisters, they are God’s children created in the likeness and the image of God. We all are God’s children,” he said. “But as the church, the universal church, we have to be there for our brothers and sisters, to know our brothers and sisters, their lives, their lifestyle. That’s the moment they need more support, especially as Christians, as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
For information on St. Philip Benizi Parish, visit https://stphilipbenizi.com/, call 561-996-3870 and connect on Facebook and Instagram. A recording of the bishop’s Mass can be watched on the parish’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stphilipbellegladefl.
