The warm light coming from antique lamps illuminates the church, as people slowly 
trickle in through the entrance. Mothers hush their children as the fathers make the sign of the cross. Old men and women with their canes, slowly make their way to empty seats, as others kneel silently in prayer. A young girl with a soft, eloquent voice gets up from the front pew and makes her way up the small stairs to welcome the people to the Sunday Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Led by two young boys in white gowns, each holding a tall post, Reverend John Francis makes his way down the aisle towards the brightly lit altar. The parishioners stand and look on, as the Reverend, in his green gown and golden staff, slowly marches to the sound of the church organ. Within three minutes, the Reverend reaches the altar to the rising tremor of the organ and in his thick foreign accent, announces the most common words to every faithful Christian, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Sunday mornings of celebrating Mass have been the essence that unites the small neighborhood of Woodhaven. Since 1910, St. Thomas is the only Catholic Church in Woodhaven, Queens. But what was once a community of Italian and Irish Americans is now noticeably more racially diverse. No longer are the Sunday Masses spoken in English; a separate Mass is held in Spanish for the growing Latin American and Hispanic community. Coming from a Pakistani background, Rev. Francis himself is part of the growing diversity in the Woodhaven community. In his fourteen years of serving as a Catholic priest, he has been a member of the St. Thomas Parish for the last five years.
During these years, the Reverend is not only seen serving Masses and shaking hands with parishioners, but he also contributes as a writer to the local paper, The Reporter. With a glance at his name printed below on one of his articles, one wouldn’t think twice about his involvement in the large Catholic community in Woodhaven. However, the distinctive, heavy accent laced through the words of his homily paints a different image.
The resonance of his voice, however, was lost upon meeting him in person in the privacy of his office. Small religious oil paintings of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are hanging behind his wooden desk. He gave a nervous smile, took a deep breath and sat on the black, leather chair. Against the frantic phone calls and the opening and closing of the office door, the Reverend quietly told his story.
“When I was a student, I saw in my hometown many priests, missionaries from different countries,” Rev. Francis said. The Reverend never thought of living in America—let alone, a mainly Caucasian neighborhood—but his mind was always set on sharing his faith with the community. “These senior priests were trying their best to convey their message and I [thought] why can’t I do the same job?” Rev. Francis said. From this point on, he began his journey in becoming a priest through out his high school and college years.
The Reverend’s determination outshines his quiet demeanor. This determination brought him from his hometown in Pakistan to the city of Rome to pursue his career as a Catholic priest. While in Rome, the Reverend received a calling. “They were looking for someone like me, who can speak Pakistani,” Rev. Francis said. It was in Rome that Rev. Francis decided to accept a job as a parochial vicar, a job that consists of speaking not only to the Pakistani community, but to the rest of the thriving community in Woodhaven, Queens, as well.
The Pakistani community makes up less than 10% of the neighborhood’s population, and not all of them are Catholics. The Reverend, however, does not neglect the rest of the congregation despite the racial disparity. “He celebrates Spanish Mass here twice a month,” said Natalie, the St. Thomas Parish secretary and office manager. The Latin American and Hispanic community makes up more than half of Woodhaven’s population at 55.7%. To accommodate this expanding community, Rev. Francis studied the Spanish language and speaks it almost as well as he speaks the English language.
The Reverend’s service goes beyond the church’s walls and into people’s homes. During his years as a parochial vicar, Rev. Francis visited senior citizens’ homes to provide them spiritual direction in the form of the Holy Communion. “He was a very quiet, but he did a great thing for my parents,” Rose Chia said. Rose Chia’s eighty-six-year-old parents are devout Catholics who are unable to attend Mass due to their old age. “He came here and prayed with them even if they haven’t met before,” Rose said.
Despite his guarded personality, Rev. Francis communicated words that inspired many parishioners. “He repeats things over because he wants us to understand,” said Angel, a local catechist and administer of the Holy Communion during Mass. The heavy accent is not a hindrance to Rev. Francis, but a way to earnestly connect to the local people, regardless of their ethnicity or even the language they speak. “Father Francis would take his time to do anything for you […] because he wants you to remember his words,” Angel said.
Religious education and diversity are what drives the Reverend to continue his service in Woodhaven. He longs for pews in the church to be filled during Sunday mornings and for more strangers to shake hands with and remember. He longs to see more faces of different races and ages. “Indians from Ghana, from Bangladesh, and of course, from Pakistan, they come with all these issues,” Rev. Francis said, as he glanced out the office to see the coming parishioners. “I want to really feed them with the word of God because this is our community; we are one Church,” he said.
By Roxanne Torres
