Parade of thanks
T he cars drove by one by one, and there was such a steady stream that the priest stopped counting. The Rev. Joseph Jacobi wasn't interested in the numbers anyway.
All he saw was the “wonderful blessing” of the familiar faces of his parishioners as they rolled by Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1100 N Sara Road, where he is pastor.
The April 19 “Thank You Parade” in Mustang was among similar processions held by Archdiocese of Oklahoma City parishioners who wanted to express appreciation for their priests and other clergy. Many parishioners and priests have connected online via streaming Mass services, but many of them said they miss the face-to-face conversations, homilies and fellowship that comes from in-person gatherings.
“The gift of this parade made me realize how much I miss the face-toface connection with people, which technology can never really replace,” Jacobi said.
Deacon Paul Lewis, associate pastor at Holy Spirit, was tasked with keeping the parade a secret and getting Jacobi outside at the appointed time. He said so many people participated that the event caused a bit of a traffic jam, but it was for a good cause.
“I mean the parishioners just showed up in droves. For 30 minutes, cars drove through our parking lot to say hi to Father Jacobi, and it was really cool to see his reaction,” Lewis said. “As people drove through, I could see that it was just as joyous for the parishioners as it was for us. It was just beautiful.”
`We miss them'
Other parishes that held parades for their priests and clergy included St. James the Greater Catholic Church, Epiphany of the Lord, St. Peter Catholic Church in Woodward and Our Lady's Cathedral. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley also was treated to one of the parades.
Theresa Bleeker-Raines coordinated the parade for priests at St. James the Greater, where she is a parishioner. She said church members made signs and brought gifts. They honked their horns, played music and waved to the parish clergy to show their love.
Parishioner Zulema Ortiz even created a rosary out of balloons, which she draped on her car.
“I thought about making the rosary to show our appreciation to our priests for everything they have done for us,” Ortiz said.
Bleeker-Raines said she was excited to see so many parishioners participate in the parade for their spiritual leaders.
“It's been hard on everybody not to go to church. We did it to show that we miss them, we're thinking about them and we can't wait to come back together,” she said.
The Rev. Bill Pruett, St. James' pastor, said he was surprised to see the parade of parishioners.
“It was delightful to see all these cars driving by with people,” he said. “They
brought teddy bears, cookies and candies, and I was happy that it was a combination of all different parts of the parish.”
St. James' other clergy include associate pastors, the Rev. Cristobel De Loera and the Rev. Rajesh Nettem, along with deacons Marti Gulikers and Fernando Hernandez.
Pruett said he and the other church leaders appreciated the parishioners' enthusiastic efforts.
“It was a lovely gesture of support for all of us. I have some good people in this parish,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rev. John Metzinger, pastor at Our Lady's Cathedral, said he and the Rev. Thanh Nguyen, associate pastor, received a little advance notice that he needed to go outside the church at a certain time. He was glad he did.
“It was certainly uplifting,” Metzinger said.
The priest said his church at 3214 N Lake Ave. had not one but two processions because the parish's youth group had a separate parade.
“There were balloons and signs, and the kids were excited,” he said. “As a priest, gathering with God's people is what we do. Just seeing them, even for a few minutes, did wonders for my spirit.”