From powder-mill Catholics to Greenville parishioners

Dialog reporter

St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church, with its distinctive yellow exterior, celebrates 175 years

GREENVILLE – For 175 years, residents and travelers heading into and out of Wilmington to the city’s northwest have been greeted by St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church. While the parish has been around more than 200 years, the church itself was dedicated in 1841.

The parish has been celebrating the building’s birthday since May, and on Nov. 20, Bishop Malooly was on hand for an anniversary Mass and reception. One of the priests who joined him was the pastor, Msgr. Joseph Rebman, who has been there since 1999.

Msgr. Rebman said St. Joseph on the Brandywine is going through some positive trends, including increased attendance and offertory.

“Our October count is up a little bit to around 500 people at the four Masses,” he said, referring to the annual reporting of how many people attend Mass.

St. Joe’s can trace its origins back more than 200 years, to 1814, when a traveling priest would say Mass in the homes of nearby DuPont powder mill workers. Catholics in the area petitioned the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for their own church in the 1830s, according to the parish website, and work began.

The first Mass was celebrated on Dec. 20, 1841, and the dedication was the same day. Father Bernard McCabe was St. Joseph’s first pastor.

The church is the second-longest continuously operating Catholic church in Delaware; the Cathedral of St. Peter dates to 1818.

Ed Weirauch, a parishioner and member of parish council, said St. Joe’s served as a gathering place for those mill workers and, in a sense, exists for the same reason today.

“Our community is spread out. People work in Wilmington, Philadelphia, Dover, even Washington, D.C. Their children go to a number of different schools, so our church may be the only place where people from this geographically diverse community can come together,” he said.

A school opened in the basement of the church until a building could be constructed in 1855. The Sisters of St. Joseph staffed the school until 1870, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia remained until its closing in 1972.

One of the events this year was a school reunion in October that attracted 102 former students. They had a Mass celebrated by diocesan priest Father Jim Jackson, a graduate.

There was also a picnic in the fall that drew about 300 people, Msgr. Rebman said.

St. Joseph’s has been through several additions and renovations. The steeple with the bell on the front tower was added in 1887, the website notes. The distinctive yellow exterior paint arrived in 1902 courtesy of Alfred I. duPont. Interior changes in light of the Second Vatican Council occurred in 1974, and two years later, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It recently received the same recognition from the state.

Other buildings on the property include the rectory, family center and former convent, which now houses parish and diocesan archives. There is also a cemetery.

400 volunteers

The parishioners at St. Joseph on the Brandywine have transformed from mill workers to largely white-collar and older members. The religious-education program enrolls about 180 children.

Some parishioners, particularly those with children, left after MBNA bank and other employers closed or left the area.

Msgr. Rebman said the parish has many different ministries, both in and out of the parish boundaries. Parishioners have donated to the Kevin Sullivan Food Closet, located until recently at Christ Our King Parish in Wilmington, and they recently competed a drive for relief for Syrian refugees.

“We keep everybody busy. We probably have 400 volunteers,” the pastor said.

Loretta Carlson, a parishioner since 1988 and head of the Adult Faith Formation Committee, said St. Joseph on the Brandywine has a new Knights of Columbus council, a silent prayer group and sports programs for youth, among other activities.

Weirauch said he was looking for a church in 2009 and tried St. Joe’s. When he heard the choir, he was hooked. The director of liturgy and music is Michael Marinelli, and Mary Ellen Schauber directs the adult and youth choirs.

For Weirauch, hearing Msgr. Rebman say Mass clinched his decision.

“Msgr. Rebman reminds me of the power and importance of living our faith every day,” Weirauch said.

One of the ministries is adult faith formation, which is headed up by Carlson. The parish offers Bible study, retreats during Advent and Lent, programs on church history and doctrine, as well as speakers on many issues.

“Adult faith formation is a ministry dear to our pastor’s heart because he understands that faith formation is a lifelong journey,” Carlson said. “We need to stay informed about the teachings of the Catholic Church and to reexamine and recommit to our Catholic faith.”

Parishioners’ involvement should help ensure a vibrant future, Weirauch said. Mass is never a “downer,” and there is a great volunteer spirit and a pastor who is always “up.”

“I think we have a great future because there is a spirit among our people that keeps us active,” he said.