Fr. Wayne Campbell |
By Sharon Abercrombie
Staff writer
As Father Wayne Campbell took leave of St. Felicitas
Parish in San Leandro Dec. 30 to become the new pastor of St. Monica Parish
in Moraga, more than 13 years of good memories traveled with him. Just
for the record, he said, they can be compressed into one word —
joy.
“The greatest happiness for me has been to walk on a spiritual path
with the people. They are so supportive. It’s easy to be a leader
to them. They invite spiritual leadership. They make it happen.”
Father Campbell a former Franciscan Brother who directed San Damiano Retreat
Center in Danville from 1981-85 and was ordained for the Oakland Diocese
in 1986, served as parochial vicar at St. Joachim Parish in Hayward and
St. John Vianney in Walnut Creek.
As he headed for Moraga, where he once spent four years as a St. Mary’s
College student, the priest said he will always recall the fantastic sense
of community outreach that is so integral to St. Felicitas.
Every month for the past 10 years, the parish staff and volunteers have
cooked lunch for seniors. It is an intergenerational event with kids from
the parochial school serving as wait persons.
For many years, the parish has also fostered outreach through Loaves and
Fishes, a group of parishioners who provide post-funeral receptions for
family members.
The group also makes certain that small families who lose loved ones will
have many people to help them mourn at the funeral. Parish volunteers
are on alert, not only to be there for the liturgies, bur also to be part
of a choir, “so that everyone has a sung funeral,” said Father
Campbell.
Community outreach takes on a world-wide dimension as well. Since the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks, the parish has sponsored a peace prayer
service every first Monday of the month.
During his years at St. Felicities, Father Campbell was responsible for
building up a team of seven nun-helpers. Thirteen years ago, there was
only one Sister around, he recalls, a situation which was certainly different
from his own childhood experiences growing up in Coronado, near San Diego,
where Sisters were integral to the every day school and parish life. They
were one of the major reasons “why I loved being Catholic,”
he said.
Wanting to recreate the experience for the current crop of kids and adults
alike, Father Campbell says he “went out and recruited more Sisters
to balance the masculine energy.” He invited four Holy Cross Sisters
from Vietnam to come to the school as teachers’ aides. Next aboard
were two Dominicans from Mission San Jose and Oakford to take charge of
faith formation and pastoral care. Today the group includes a Marist Missionary
Sister who does pastoral care for the Hispanic community.
But Father Campbell isn’t the only one with good memories to share.
His parishioners have some of their own to share about their pastor.
“We’re going to miss him a lot,” said Laurie Kennedy.
Kennedy, a parishioner for the past nine years, paid tribute to Father
Campbell for “giving us a sense of what Catholic community is about.”
On every given Sunday, he updated the assembly as to current happenings
in the lives of parishioners. Kennedy remembers one Sunday when the priest
announced, “I see the newest member of our parish walking in the
door right now.”
Another day, he gave them the sad news that “Helen, who has sat
in this pew for 27 years, lost her dear husband last week.”
Another plus, said Kennedy, is the priest’s emphasis on people sharing
with those in need. The parish has contributed money to many causes, including
Dominican Sisters in Iraq, and a local family whose house burned down.
Gerry Marchi, who recently retired after serving as principal of St. Felicities
School for three years, said he would go out of his way “to attend
one of his Masses and hear one of his sermons. Father Campbell has a great
sense of humor, but at the same time manages to communicate a sense of
the spiritual in a serious way.”
Marche added that “he’s also great with kids.” He recalled
the time last year when Father Campbell visited the kindergarten class.
The next day, one of the kids asked, “Where’s God?”
Marchi gulped and launched into a theological discussion he hoped a five-year
would understand. About three sentences into his reply, the kid interrupted
and said, “No, you know — the man who came over yesterday
with the collar.”
When Father Campbell arrived at St. Monica’s on Jan. 1, his Mom
was waiting for him. She lives four blocks from the parish in a retirement
community.
Serendipitously, Lorraine Campbell decided to give up the family home
in Coronado to be near her son in the East Bay, just a few days before
Bishop Allen Vigneron assigned Father Campbell to St. Monica’s.
“It’s four blocks from St. Monica’s,” just a short
bike ride away, added the priest, who is an avid biker.
Even before his official arrival, Father Campbell began familiarizing
himself with his new community. He said Mass and preached on weekends
and met with the parish staff. On Dec. 2, he held a town hall “meet
the pastor” session.
St. Monica’s had been without a pastor since mid-July when Father
Paul Minnihan became provost of the Cathedral of Christ the Light.
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