St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Indian Head, Maryland celebrated both its patronal feast and its 115th anniversary as a parish on Sunday, Sept. 8 with what seemed to be a lot of joy.
There were traditional elements common to most parish anniversaries: the presence of a bishop (in this case, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito) to serve as celebrant of the Mass; a luncheon buffet that included a roast pig; a live auction of homemade cakes; and a silent auction whose prizes included a “spa day” for the winner’s lawn courtesy of the St. Mary Star of the Sea “Holy Mowers.”
But also at the celebration were the thriving Latino, Filipino, Samoan and Cameroonian communities that St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish has within its ranks.
That diversity may be due to the presence of the Naval Support Facility Indian Head a half-mile or so from the church at the southern terminus of Indian Head Highway. Others came for teaching jobs in the Charles County public school system. Still others had a relative living nearby, so they came to Southern Maryland and liked the experience of being at St. Mary Star of the Sea.
These days, much of that is attributable to Father Brian Coelho, a native of India who heads the parish at Indian Head.
Father Coelho has been a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington for 16 years, and assigned to St. Mary Star of the Sea for the past eight. He is seen as a force of nature, encouraging and exhorting and comforting his people.
Cheryl Kraft, who came to Indian Head as a youngster when her father was stationed at the naval support facility in 1973, noted that in recent years, she lost both her father and mother. She said Father Coelho was with them every step of the way.
In the case of her father, who lived one month after doctors estimated he had just one week to live, “Father visited him every day, twice a day,” Kraft said.
“Father Brian is amazing,” she added. “They wanted me to pull the plug” on her father’s life-support system, Kraft recounted. “I had to talk to Father Brian” because “people want you to, you know, live the life that’s easy. I needed to know what to do.”
After her pastor’s counsel, she brought her father home with a ventilator.
“You have to believe that in faith, you can do miracles,” Kraft said. “Father Brian gives you the courage to live that way.”
In his homily for the anniversary Mass, Father Coelho attributed it all to the Blessed Mother, who was “open to the will of God,” just as the ears of the deaf man were opened by Jesus in the Sunday Gospel passage (Mark 7:31-37) for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
And, through the intercession of Mary, the parish named for her can be a “community of faith, hope and joy,” Father Coelho said.
Bishop Esposito, acknowledging that it’s “good to get out of the city” to visit parishes, quoted Pope Francis in his opening remarks to the assembly: “In the Blessed Virgin Mary we see that hope is not mere optimism.”
Evelyn Cerilla, a Philippines native who came to teach in Charles County’s school system, became the parish’s religious education director. “We really are one as a parish,” she said. There was a performance by some of the parish’s Filipino Catholics in ceremonial dress at the end of the luncheon.
Vineta Mateko, in church with her daughter, niece and husband, performed in native garb with them and others from St. Mary’s Samoan contingent. She’s a Methodist, although everyone else in her household is Catholic. “I’m here all the time,” she said. “I haven’t converted completely, but we’re getting there!”
Mary Wanji was in church by herself, praying, one hour before the anniversary Mass began. She only arrived to Indian Head in June from North Carolina at the invitation of a niece, who was still at home preparing jollof rice, a Cameroon specialty, for the luncheon. Wanji expects her U.S. citizenship to be finalized in 2026.
“I’m looking for an opportunity to work to keep myself busy,” she said. Until that happens, Wanji spends time cleaning the church. She was one of four parishioners surprised by Father Coelho near the end of Mass with gift bags for their service to the parish.
Joe Plemons, St. Mary Star of the Sea’s facilities manager for the past 34 years, said, “I’ve been through nine different priests,” but he seems to like how his parish is turning out with Father Coelho at the helm.
“We’re a pretty diverse parish,” Plemons said. “We have Asians, we have Filipinos, we have all kinds of Latinos, and we have Samoans. … Everybody pitches in.”
