On this day: Our First Mass

Mother Teresa Parish can give thanks for St. Michael’s (overfilled) parking lot and Msgr. Wall for its existence. Earlier, Msgr. Wall had established another "off-site" Mass coordinated by John Barron. Our own parishioners, Mark and Susan Swallow, were members of that community.

In August 2000, I agreed to help my friend, Doris Donovan, by setting up for the first Mass at Green Hope HS. I went to St. Michael early on Sunday, August 20, 2000, to get everything needed for Mass, cross, hosts, and wine (a gallon container), and loaded it all into my car.

Clayton Johnson, the lead custodian at Green Hope HS, helped locate and set up a folding table, a small table (school desk), and a folding chair for Msgr. Wall, and a podium (an ambo in church speak). With these items in place, I brought the remaining items needed for Mass into the auditorium putting them in place ready for the arrival of Msgr. Wall and our congregants.

Msgr. Wall, accompanied by a longtime friend of his mother, Ann, arrived. He was very excited to celebrate the first Mass at 9 a.m., starting a new off-site location for Sunday. We were a congregation of 17, including Msgr. Wall, Ann, and yours truly. Mass was over in about 45 minutes, but the memory lasted.