Meet Deacon Joseph Vitello
July 2003
 Deacon Joseph Vitello, our new deacon, was introduced to us at weekend Masses in June 2003. He was accompanied by his wife Mae, their children (6) and grandchildren (11). Another grandchild is due in August 2003, and yet another in January 2004. Deacon Joe was ordained in 1990 following four years of theology and training at the seminary. His first and only assignment to date prior to St Jerome was St. Francis Xavier in South Weymouth where he spent 13 years.
During his years of service at St. Francis, the deacon founded an evangelization outreach group that targeted married couples who were about to have a child baptized. He and others in his group would meet with parents in their homes prior to the baptism of their children. He also initiated and ran a group for divorced and separated Catholics. He also began a morning prayer group prior to daily mass and a greeters program as we have here at St. Jerome.
By profession, the deacon is a painting contractor with a unique specialty. He paints churches, and he has been doing so for 25 years. He paints mostly the inside of churches, including the once yellowish, rainwater stained ceiling of St. Jerome Church which he did just a few years ago. He also paints the outside of churches. Asked if he painted only Catholic churches, he said "no", and added that he conducts an ecumenical business that includes Protestant churches and synagogues (temples). Asked if his painting of churches influenced him to be a deacon, he said "no". He believes that he was initially inspired by devout Catholics who attend daily mass. On his way to work in the morning, he would observe them leaving the church. It occurred to him that he could be one of them if he got up just a half hour earlier. Deacon Joe began going to Mass daily during Lent of 1978 and has never stopped. He later became a Eucharistic minister at the urging of his pastor; and the rest is history.
Deacon Joe, when asked about his wife Mae, made it clear that she is very involved in his ministry but prefers to be very private about what she does. However, he did share a few things. He recalled that his wife attended about 75% of his classes with him at the seminary. Following his ordination in 1990, she continued to support him in his ministry by assisting him with many of the groups he ran at St. Francis. She also ran a mom and tots program at St. Francis. This was a group of volunteers who played with the kids while the mothers socialized with each other. It was a pleasant change of scenery for the kids and great respite for their mothers.
Our new deacon has already begun getting involved in ministries here at St. Jerome. We will keep you posted on specifics in upcoming Beacon stories about ministries. In the meantime, we welcome Deacon Joseph Vitello and look forward to seeing him around. In our interview, I was particularly inspired by his constant expression of his deep faith in God and his love of the Church. At the same time, he came across as a very down to earth person with a great sense of humor.
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Father Ed's Last Mass
July 27, 2003
by Richard Ruel
Father Ed Doughty celebrated his last Mass at St. Jerome Sunday, July 27, at 11:30 A.M. It was a concelebration that included our pastor, Father Thomas Wyndham, Father Peter Martocchio, and Deacon Joseph Vitello. True to form, Father Ed's last homily was brief. He spoke about the youth of our parish and how vital they are to our future as a vibrant parish community. He spoke of the young man in today's gospel who gave Jesus the five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We all know how that story turned out. Although a few loaves and even less fish did not seem like much to feed a crowd estimated at 5,000, it was more than enough. Everyone ate, and there were plenty of leftovers. Much like the boy in the gospel, the youth of today have a lot to offer, and although it may not appear like much at times, they are capable of nourishing us spiritually forever as Father Ed said.
One of Father Ed's many legacies was the teen Mass. The first one was celebrated on January 6, 2003; we have had them monthly since, and they have continued through the summer. The next one is Sunday, August 3 at 5 PM. It was very fitting that the teen mass musicians and singers performed at Father Ed's last Mass. The band included Tim Maynard at lead guitar (acoustic), Andrew Maynard at the drums, Joey Maynard at bass, and Jane Cleary at the piano. The terrific music was the perfect accompaniment to the singing of Alison Barrett, Moira Bradley, and Tim Maynard who sang in perfect rhythm and harmony. Their contribution to the Mass was immense. Again, you can hear them again next Sunday, August 3 at 5 PM.
Father Ed kept his goodbyes till the end of Mass because as he put it, "I cry when someone wins a washer on The Price is Right." At the end of Mass, Father Wyndham thanked Father Ed for all of his contributions to the parish. The congregation stood up and applauded Father Ed before he spoke. He was choked up as he predicted, but he did well enough to say his goodbyes and thank yous. Father Peter pointed out that he had not seen Father Ed cry that much since he had shanked a ball on the second hole in a golf game in Florida. A reception followed in St. Paula's Hall where parishioners stood in line to say goodbye and good luck to Father Ed in his new ministry as Pastor of St. Bernadette Church in Randolph. We at the Beacon would like to take this opportunity to thank Father Ed for sharing with us his great qualities. We are sad but also delighted that he will be able to share those same qualities with the people of Randolph. And one more thing: Be good to him, Randolph!
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