Pastor at Catholic church is moving on

Dozens of well-wishers milled around the patio at Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale on Sunday, visiting with one another and bidding farewell to their pastor, Father Joseph Shea, who has been reassigned after 13 years with the church.

Shea’s last day with Holy Family will be June 30. He will become the pastor at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Simi Valley. His replacement, Father Jim Bevacqua, will start at the parish on July 1.

Parishioners lined up in the courtyard after mass on Sunday to hug Shea or pose to have their picture taken with him. Several parish groups had brought refreshments to mark the occasion, and many parishioners took a snack or drink and in exchange added to the donations being collected for Shea.

Shea has left his mark on the parish in many positive ways over the years, and will be sorely missed, parishioners said.

“I am very sad,” parishioner Marge Gilmer said. “I think Father Shea has been one of the best pastors I’ve ever known.”

Shea brought lots of energy and enthusiasm to his job, and many new ideas, parishioners said.

It was Shea’s idea to renovate and restore the church building to mark the church’s 100th anniversary last year, said Brad Thomas, the pastor’s assistant. That project included new murals, paintings, statues and stained-glass windows, as well as refinished pews and a custom-designed organ.

“He had a new idea every single day,” Thomas said.

It was also Shea’s idea to establish an endowment fund to benefit Holy Family Grade School and Holy Family High School. To build the endowment, Shea launched a fundraiser called A Midsummer Night’s Cuisine Festival, an event that will be held for the 11th year on Sunday. The endowment provides scholarships so that students can attend the two schools associated with the parish.

“We’ve raised a lot of money,” said Hilda Marshalian, a parishioner who works as an assistant to the principal at Holy Family High School. “A lot of kids are on financial aid.”

Shea also gives engaging homilies to the grade-school students, said Marian Heintz, principal of Holy Family Grade School. He combines humor with practical advice and even helpful acronyms to make his point, Heintz said.

One such acronym that Shea has used is PUSH — Pray Until Something Happens, said Marietta Rogers, a fifth-grade teacher at the grade school.

Shea has also been a strong spiritual director who always makes time for everyone, Rose Ann Queano said.

“He was a pastor in every sense of the word,” she said.

For his part, Shea said he is quite sad to be leaving a community he loves.

“I love the people, and I love Glendale,” he said. “It’s just been a wonderful 13 years.”