Parishioners, former pastors, and guests joined Cardinal Timothy Dolan in celebrating the 150th anniversary Mass at the Church of St. Peter in Monticello on Sunday, July 14.

“You don’t look bad for 150,” Cardinal Dolan said, greeting the parishioners, many of whom are summer residents of the area. “Father Bob, thank you for being a good shepherd, a good leader,” the cardinal said, referring to the church’s current pastor, Father Bob Porpora.

It was more than just a milestone for Father Bob. “Obviously it’s a very exciting day. I grew up in this parish — it’s my home parish — so it’s very nice for me to be here in the parish I grew up to see this,” Father Bob told The Good Newsroom in an interview before Mass. He celebrated both his first communion and the first Mass after his ordination at the Sullivan County parish.

In a reference to the previous evening’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, during intercessions Cardinal Dolan called on everyone, “whether Democrat or Republican,” to pray for the health and well-being of both Trump and President Biden, and for an end to political violence.

Toward the end of Mass, Father Bob directed Cardinal Dolan’s and the parishioners’ attention to 103-year-old Zeta Speer, widow of late parish member Harold Speer, a Monticello firefighter. In 1975, an arsonist set fire to the church’s interior. Although its stone walls were never in danger, Harold Speer and Father John Bida rushed inside to save the Blessed Sacrament. Cardinal Dolan presented Zita Speer with a statue of St. Peter to commemorate her late husband’s heroism.

Concelebrants of the Mass included Bishop Peter Byrne, who traveled from Staten Island to participate in the celebration; Father Bob Porpora, pastor of the Church of St. Peter; Father Glenn Sudano, CFR, chaplain of Holy Family Farm in Monticello; and former pastors Father Robert Ginel and Father John Tran. Also assisting were Deacon Larry Battersby and Deacon Dominick Delio. 

Following the Mass, Cardinal Dolan joined the parishioners and guests for a celebratory luncheon in the parish hall.

Located in Sullivan County, the Church of St. Peter is part of the Sullivan County Deanery. Historical artifacts from the church archive, including photographs of Father Bob’s first communion and first Mass, were on display at the luncheon. Included among them was the shovel used to break ground on the parish’s current stone structure. Its painted inscription reads, “Ground broken for new St. Peter’s Church, Monticello, N.Y., with this spade, by Rev. J.F. Raywood, pastor, October 17, 1898.”