Incarnation Parish, Melrose & Saugus, Melrose, MA

Incarnation Parish, Melrose & Saugus, Melrose, MA


Pillars & Foundations documents an exploration of communities, as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often intimate groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work.

Building & History


The parish was started in 1958 and an interesting write up on the parish website demonstrates just how much this region of Melrose has changed over the past 60 years. It notes that the land was once a dairy farm located near the Saugus border, and that parishioners originally met in Mount Hood Lodge, "under a stuffed moose head," as the website accounts. The church building is described as a nod to colonial Congregationalist traditional design of the region. An accurate description, it is a surprising choice of design for a Catholic Church, however it creates a beautiful, and unique sanctuary. Unfortunately my cell phone was not properly charged and I was unable to get pictures of the interior. It has off-white wainscoting and trim throughout the church contrasted with light blue accents, and the pews have the white washed stylings of a protestant church as previously mentioned.




The Mass


As this was the first Mass of the Advent season, one of the candles was ceremoniously lit. In the homily Father Steve reflected on Advent as a time of preparation for the arrival of Christ. He related this to how we prepare for death throughout our lives by living in a manner that would serve us well when it is timed to be judged.




Outreach


Incarnation Parish is active in the community paying it forward in various ways. A stewardship webpage details several such efforts such as volunteering at My Brother's Table in Lynn, organizing food drives, and setting up Backpack Drives for Homeless families. In the bulletin they note they are organizing a Spaghetti Supper to benefit the First Baptist Church Relief Fund. The First Baptist Church of Wakefield recently suffered a devastating fire (see my blog post from just prior to the tragedy here). The dinner is Wednesday December 5th at Most Blessed Sacrament parish hall in Wakefield. (Most Blessed Sacrament (see my MBS post here) and Incarnation Parish will be uniting under one organizational structure in 2019)



Incarnation Parish taking time to help out a fellow church of a different denomination in a time of tragedy, and their efforts of charity speak volumes about the character of the parishioners, and value it adds to the greater community.

Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links



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