SOUTH JAMAICA — When Father Chris Piasta became the pastor at St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor six months ago, he knew the parish’s financial situation was dire.
But upon fully recognizing the extent of their problems — including $377,000 in debt — Father Piasta turned to his parishioners and decided to be fully transparent about immediate changes that needed to be made.
Otherwise, he explained, the South Jamaica parish would not survive.
In a first-of-its-kind “State of the Parish” address on Thursday, Jan. 18, Father Piasta spoke for nearly two hours about how St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor must create a ministry of hospitality that is inviting for the neighborhood.
Knowing that he needed $11,000 more a month to cover expenses, Father Piasta told the community that discipleship — of the kind that can be provided by the new ministry — must become second nature, and tangible solutions must be implemented immediately to lure more people into the church.
“If we don’t light a fire in the congregation, we could close down,” Father Piasta said during the address.
In an interview with The Tablet, Father Piasta described how the solution to the current state of the parish requires systemic change from within. He held the State of the Parish address so everyone would be on the same page, working as a collective to develop plans as to what was needed.
Fundraising alone, he said, is “a band-aid that is not going to fix us.”
St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor is a predominantly black faith community and has been for decades, Father Piasta said. The next step toward solvency, he explained, is to be a welcoming space for those who have stepped away from their faith to feel acknowledged and encouraged to return.
It takes more than believers to bring people into church — it requires growing disciples, an initiative the pastor started to turn the parish’s Catholics “into what we are supposed to be,” by going out into the community to speak with people.
The exodus of black Catholics from the faith is not exclusive to the Diocese of Brooklyn. The Pew Research Center found that only 54% of black American adults who were raised as Catholics remain within the faith, compared with 61% of white adults and 68% of Hispanic adults.
Born in South Jamaica and baptized at St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor, Shaniqua Wilson hopes to see the parish become a viable option for a community “surrounded by these mega-churches and these big Protestant and nondenominational Christian centers.” After attending the State of the Parish address, she said she supports Father Piasta’s drive for discipleship.
“I felt like he was right on time. Discipleship, and really plugging into God as a source is the only thing that’s going to, quote-unquote, save us,” she said.
Since taking the helm of the parish, Father Piasta has been putting change into action, beginning with deploying ministers of hospitality to greet individuals upon their arrival at the church. Most notably, he created “The Vineyard,” St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor’s unique spin on Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Instead of operating from the fall to Easter, the parish’s group is a year-round, ongoing process for anyone interested in exploring their faith.
“We do it as an ongoing process because simply [being] after Easter doesn’t mean that people are turning themselves off to the issue of faith, spirituality, and their spiritual needs,” Father Piasta said. “It’s a different mentality as to what pastoral care should be like these days.”
Held biweekly and/or hybrid, the meetings are for those who wish to become Catholic as well as people who simply need spiritual support. It has drawn attention from beyond the tri-state area, with some joining from as far away as Belize in Central America.
“I think that eventually people will come around and notice that you have to put in a little more into your church than just the money, coming to get Communion, and going home. You have to reach out to people. You have to be involved. You have to really be a part of the evangelization,” St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor music minister Devin Olivas said.
For Olivas, it was alarming to hear the extent of the financial troubles facing his lifelong parish. However, Father Piasta gives him hope by acknowledging the problem head-on and believes that the community will overcome the difficulties.
“I was always taught that being Catholic, or even being Christian, isn’t a spectator sport. You have to do the work. Being a disciple is more than just coming to church,” he said.
To balance out their monthly expenses, St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor must double the number of people in the pews. To do so, Father Piasta is taking evangelism to the streets and letting young parishioners take the lead.
On Feb. 3, the parish commissioned the new officers for the Young Adults Ministry, a group of around 15 to 20 people. After Easter, they will hold a revival on the streets of Jamaica.
“We need to attract people that basically are shopping for a church who, maybe they are not sure about whether the church is updated to the 21st century,” Father Piasta said.