Nativity BVM in Media: 150 years of keepin’ faith, belief

Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Parish celebrates 150 years of faith, hope and charity

MEDIA » The congregation of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church has much to celebrate this year – 150 years’ worth of loving and praising God, compassionate and charitable parishioners, community involvement and a rich, vibrant history. Nativity BVM Church, as it’s colloquially called, will culminate its year-long series of special events on the Feast Day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8, with a special 150th anniversary Mass at 4 p.m., concelebrated by Archbishop Charles Chaput, and followed by a celebratory dinner at Drexelbrook Catering and Special Event Center. In addition to current parishioners and friends in the community, former priests and nuns who served at the church, former parishioners and school alumni will also be invited and welcomed to the celebration.

The Rev. Edward Bell, now serving his 15th year as pastor of the parish, explained, “From its founding in 1868, the mission of our parish has remained the same: to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, minister to the poor and sick, educate in ways of faith and celebrate the sacraments.”

Currently the spiritual home to 5,200 individuals, Nativity BVM Parish is situated in the heart of Media at 30 E. Franklin St. Rev. Bell is assisted by two retired priests in residence, Monsignor Joseph McGeown and the Rev. John Mulgrew and Deacon William Kussmaul. Before being named pastor in 2004, Rev. Bell was preceded by pastors the Rev. Henry Wright, the Rev. Francis Aiden Brady, Monsignor McCloskey, the Rev. Lawrence Deering, the Rev. Joseph McCaffrey, the Rev. George Shay, the Rev. Thomas Kelly, the Rev. Bradley and the Rev. Francis Giliberti.

From its humble beginnings as a spin-off from a mission site in Media for St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Chester Heights, the first 54 parishioners met in homes in Middletown and Media before the church was erected in 1882, at a cost of $15,000. The church building itself has undergone countless updates through the decades, including new windows, flooring, aisle expansion, Children’s Chapel, Adoration Chapel, the outside Shrine to Our Lady, pipe organ, updated Stations of the Cross, new and refurbished interior art, new roof, kneelers and lighting system and much more.

The parish’s logo is “We are the Hands of Christ,” representing their solid commitment to helping those in need, locally through their weekly and monthly hands-on involvement in a multitude of ways, from outreach locally in Philadelphia’s shelters and in Graterford and George Hill prisons, to globally through its mission group that has traveled to Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina, St. Croix to aid a sister parish in need, and only a few weeks ago, to Roanoke, Va.

In preparation for the 150th anniversary year, Father Bell and 18 parishioners formed a committee in April of 2016, meeting monthly and then bi-weekly. The committee includes Rev. Bell, co-chairs Linda Reilly and Alice Pearson, Frances Blanchette, Sandy Buchanan, John Blisard, John Deady, Ted Deady, Annette Debevec, Maryann Dotts, Marie Gianchetti, John Isselmann, Peg Isselmann, Barbara Kear-

“We have a great spirit in our church. People always tell me that when they come into our church, they immediately get the feeling of what a very caring and special parish we are.”

— Pastor Edward Bell

ney, Colette Pastore, Gary Rainey, Thomas Stephan and Patricia Walton.

“Father Bell really is the strength of our parish, embracing newcomers, lifelong parishioners and welcoming ideas,” Reilly said.

The group worked diligently to host a year full of events that kicked off last December with a Mass and reception and hasn’t skipped a month since.

“We truly worked as a team to make our anniversary year special,” co-chair Reilly said. “Everyone did their part and worked hard, but with great joy, to make it happen. Marie Gianchetti planned our trips, Gary Rainey worked on acquiring wooden church replicas, Tom Stephan was our photographer, Fran Blanchette worked with the printer on the history book, everyone helped in some way. I couldn’t even begin to name all of the ways each person contributed and helped to make our anniversary year special.”

So far, activities have included special speakers, a bus trip to Washington, D.C., with Mass celebrated in Immaculate Conception Basilica; a concert by Chester Children’s Choir in the church; a parish picnic in the schoolyard; Good Friday Stations throughout Media; a St. Vincent DePaul Poor Man’s Supper; a Memorial Mass and luncheon for Parish Founders and other deceased parishioners at Calvary Cemetery; an Anointing-Healing Mass; and many more. Even the youth got involved and held a special CYO sock drive with hopes of collecting 150 pairs of socks for the men at St. John’s Hospice. They surpassed their goal and collected almost 500 pairs.

In addition to the upcoming Anniversary Mass on Sept. 8, other future activities planned, before the milestone year draws to a close, include a Blessing of Animals and a Pasta and Pinot night on Oct. 6; a Parish Mission with John Leonetti, Oct. 7-9; a Mass of Remembrance on Nov. 2; a parish karaoke night on Nov. 3 at Media Community Center; and an all-class alumni memorial Mass, followed by a reunion in the school on Oct. 27.

Nativity BVM School closed in 2012 and merged with St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford to form Our Mother of Providence Regional School, where some Nativity students now attend. The former school on Gayley Street is now used for the 300 plus PREP students who attend religious weekly instruction and as additional space for parish groups to meet and hold activities.

In celebration of the 2018 banner year, the church steeple has been equipped with outdoor lights, to shine as a beacon of hope and light in the community.

“We have a great spirit in our church,” Father Bell explained. “People always tell me that when they come into our church, they immediately get the feeling of what a very caring and special parish we are.”

Nativity BVM is an active parish, with parishioners participating as lectors, altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, CYO coaches and in other ministries of the church, as well as working as “the hands of Christ,” almost daily. The Nativity Stitchers make hats, blankets and more for Mother’s Home in Darby, as well as Baptism bibs for Nativity babies and hospice blankets. Another group at the church handcrafts Rosaries, which Father Bell blesses. The Rosary beads are then distributed, with messages of hope and inspiration, to area prisons.

The parish has a busy food pantry, its own Knights of Columbus and Saint Vincent DePaul Society chapters, which help those in need locally, an adopt-a-resident program that pairs parishioners with nursing home residents, a H.O.P.E. program that helps to transport elderly or disabled parishioners to doctor appointments and other errands, and an active outreach ministry to feed, clothe and provide toiletries for the men at St. John’s Hospice homeless shelter in Philadelphia. The parish prepares more casseroles for St. John’s Hospice than any other parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves lunch each month at the St. Francis Soup Kitchen in Kensington. Some parishioners also participate in the church’s Legion of Mary, Altar Society, Garden Club, Book Club and Rosary For Peace groups. The church also has an active youth ministry.

“Our dedicated and caring parishioners always are the first to respond to any kind of need, in our parish and in the community,” Father Bell said fondly.

“Our parish is all about faith, friendship and charity,” co-chair Alice Pearson added.

To commemorate the spirit of Nativity BVM, the committee collected photos, stories and artifacts from current and former parishioners for display. The committee also put together several items as remembrances of the special milestone and to recognize the extraordinary parish spirit that is so prevalent at Nativity BVM.

In addition to vehicle magnets, T-shirts and a wooden sill or table sitter replica of the church and school, the parish also published a Nativity BVM cookbook, full of parishioners’ recipes, which was compiled by Pat Walton.

“Nothing that we are selling is done as a fundraiser,” Reilly explained. “Everything is being sold at cost. We only decided to have these optional items for sale because we thought people would want to commemorate the special occasion.”

Additionally, the parish is selling beautiful glass Rosary beads, made in Italy and custom-designed for the parish. The Rosaries have the parish name and location engraved on the back of the cross, as well as embossed images of the Nativity BVM Church and the four American saints, St. John Neumann, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Seton and St. Katherine Drexel, resembling those painted inside the church to the far right of the altar.

A special commemorative calendar, featuring photos from throughout the 150-year history and inspirational quotes to ponder by Father Bell, was given to all parishioners, compliments of Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home and Cavanagh Patterson Funeral Home. Additionally, parishioner Annette Debevec, a professional artist, designed a high-quality coloring book containing images of Nativity BVM Church and other customized drawings. The book was distributed, free of charge, to all young children in the parish, as well as adults who wanted them.

One of the first acts of the committee was to commission artist Neilson Carlin to design and paint a logo to capture the parish’s namesake and mission for 150 years. To represent Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Carlin painted an image of Mary in a circle surrounded by stars, looking at the Holy Spirit in the center, while her parents, St. Joachim, in a smaller circle on the left, and St. Anne, in another small circle on the right, look up to their blessed daughter. The painted logo has been placed on banners, booklets and more this past year. A holy card with the logo on the front and the lyrics of the song “Gentle Woman,” which begins with the Hail Mary, was also given to every parishioner.

Nativity BVM’s music director Cally Welsh not only directs the music at the special Liturgies, but she wrote an original song for the anniversary Mass.

“The talent in this parish is truly unbelievable,” remarked committee member Peg Isselmann. “We are blessed, because so many of our parishioners generously share their time, talents and treasures with our parish.”

Peg Isselmann and her husband, John, longtime parishioners who were married at Nativity 50 years ago, chaired the church history committee. With the help of some other parishioners, including John Deady, they visited the courthouse, talked to longtime residents and pored over records, photos and other archives to piece together the details of 150 years of acquiring land and constructing the church, school and rectory, celebrating Masses, administering sacraments, performing charitable works in the community, student life at the former Nativity BVM grade school and how parishioners through the ages participated in parish life and ministry. The job was intricate and tedious, but the end result was rewarding, the Isselmanns said.

“Working on the history of our parish has revitalized us,” said Peg Isselmann. “I’m sad to see this coming to an end because it has been a great project. We all learned so much about our parish that we never knew before.”

The long history of the parish, as well as a selection of the photos were compiled into a high-quality color, 8 ½ by 11 inch keepsake book that will be available to all 1,500 families in the parish. The softback books can be picked up in the back of the church after all Masses on Sunday, at the Anniversary Mass in September and at the all-class alumni Mass in October.

“This has been a fantastic year so far celebrating 150 years of God’s goodness,” Rev. Bell said. “As a parish, we look forward to continue being ‘the hands of Christ’ and to further develop and grow in our Catholic faith.”

Daily Mass is celebrated at Nativity BVM Church at 8 a.m. Monday to Saturday. The Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5 p.m. Sunday Masses are at 7, 8 and 10 a.m. and 12 noon. For more information, call the church office at 610-566-0185,

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Pastor Edward Bell, center, stands in front of the altar inside Nativity BVM Church in Media, with the co-chairs of the parish’s 150th Anniversary Committee, parishioners Alice Pearson, left, and Linda Reilly, right.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA John and Peg Isselmann of Wallingford, longtime parishioners of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, chaired the history sub-committee for the church’s 150th anniversary celebration. The husband and wife, who were married in 1968 at the church and recently celebrated their own 50th anniversary, led a team who put together a booklet about the history of the parish. They are holding the book, which will be given to every member of the parish, and the upcoming anniversary Mass and dinner on September 8.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Media is celebrating 150 years. The church, at 30 E. Franklin St., is a welcoming house of worship with a vibrant congregation of over 5,200 individuals whose mission is to love and praise God and be “the hands of Christ” in the community.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The Nativity BVM Church’s 150th Anniversary committee members are, left to right, John and Peg Isselmann of Wallingford, Father Edward Bell, pastor, Linda Reilly of Media and Alice Pearson of Media. The committee has planned and orchestrated dozens events over the past year to celebrate the church’s century-and-a-half history, as well as its continued vibrancy in the community and the lives of thousands of individuals.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Nativity BVM parishioner Linda Reilly of Media, a cochair of the parish’s 150th anniversary committee, holds up one of the customdesigned rosaries made to commemorate the milestone occasion of the church. The Rosary beads, made in Italy, have “Nativity BVM, Media Pa.” engraved on the back of the crucifix, as well as images of the church itself and four American saints that are painted inside the church.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Alice Pearson, co-chair of the Nativity B.V.M. Parish’s 150th Anniversary committee, holds up the commemorative T-shirt and vehicle magnet available this year to parishioners and friends of the parish. Over 1800 families belong to the thriving parish. The committee has worked on hosting a variety of events and projects throughout the year to mark the century and a half milestone of their church.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Rev. Edward Bell, the pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Media, holds up the commemorative remembrance calendar distributed to members of the parish. The calendar, made possible by the generosity of Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home and Cavanagh Patterson Funeral Home, both located in Media, contains photos from 1868-2018, depicting the parish’s 150 year history.

SUBMITTED PHOTO The three current priests at Nativity BVM Parish, left to right, Father John Mulgrew, Father Edward Bell, pastor, and Monsignor Joseph McGeown, are pictured on the altar at the opening Mass of the church’s 150th Anniversary celebration year.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The banners proclaiming the 150th anniversary of Nativity BVM Church in Media depict the Blessed Virgin Mary with her parents Saint Joachim and Saint Anne looking up to her. The anniversary logo was especially designed and painted by artist Neilson Carlin. The banners are outside and inside the church.