It was billed as the “I Love St. Lawrence Dinner-Dance,” but in reality, it meant far more than that. The gathering of approximately 175 parishioners at the Weehawken Catholic Church – nestled in the “Shades” section of town – represented life, a sense of energy that hadn’t been found in the parish in decades. Parish socials have been a staple of the Catholic Church for many years. Dinner-dances serve as a way for the community to get together, uniting for a cause while getting to know each other better. While practically every other parish enjoys such activities, St. Lawrence’s parishioners always felt left out, because simply, there weren’t any activities offered. “Basically, we all just went to Mass, then went home,” said Doris Mulvaney, a Weehawken crossing guard. “For at least, I’d say the last 20 years, there was nobody willing to get involved.” Father Bob Emery is the reason for the rebirth. He arrived at St. Lawrence last July, then was installed as the parish’s permanent pastor two months ago. One of the things he wanted to establish was a sense of community, a sense of pride in the parish. “We wanted to have an event that symbolized the excitement and new life in the parish,” Father Emery said. “Our parishioners have been asking for more social events, ways to get the community together and a chance for everyone to get to know each other better.” Emery first announced the dance at Sunday services and the response was overwhelming. Because the parish does not have its own center, Emery had to find another site. He first received permission to use the Weehawken Elks, but when ticket sales topped 150, that eliminated the possibility. He then approached neighboring St. Francis Parish in Hoboken, which allowed him to use its parish center for the dance. “I never expected so many people to be interested,” Emery said. “Because we don’t have a parish center, I expected everything to be a little more difficult. And I was convinced we had to be creative with a theme. But that wasn’t the case. People just wanted to come. Considering that the parish didn’t have a history with such events, I was very surprised.” And they volunteered as well. Mulvaney was glad to serve on the decorating committee. Approximately 20 others chipped in to make the evening run smoothly. “That was just another indication to me that people want to do more things,” Emery said. “To get that many people involved as volunteers, willing to help, means a lot.” And it encouraged Emery to want to do more. “They asked for more and I’m willing to do so,” Emery said. “I think the response just shows that there are people who feel a sense of commitment to the parish. I think that’s so important. People want to get involved. It was just meant as a way to bring people together and it’s turning out to be so much more.” Mulvaney said that people have been asking about the next event. “I’ve told them all how great the night was and they told me that they have to get to the next one,” Mulvaney said. “We’re so happy to have them and so happy that we can help. We haven’t had anything like this in so long, involving the parish, getting the community together. You can see that people are now interested. They stop and talk after Mass. Our church has come a long way. We haven’t had this much excitement in the parish since I was a teenager.” Mulvaney credited Emery with the response. “When God sent Father Bob to us, he sent us a blessing,” Mulvaney said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better pastor. He’s what the parish needed, a younger priest, a people’s priest.” Emery doesn’t want to be portrayed as a savior. “I just knew that this was a parish that was looking to get involved,” Emery said. “I had that feeling. This event was an indication.”
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