The Rev. Jonathan Reardon, the new pastor of St. Mary’s, Holy Trinity and St. Peter and St. Casimir parishes in Westfield, stands in the Blessed Stanley Rother Chapel at St. Mary’s High School.
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WESTFIELD — Next month, three Catholic parishes in Westfield and the city’s Catholic high school will have a new spiritual leader, and a school chapel with stained-glass windows for the first time.
The Diocese of Springfield has appointed the Rev. Jonathan Reardon as the new pastor of St. Mary’s, Holy Trinity and St. Peter and St. Casimir churches beginning Sept. 1, to replace the Rev. John Salatino.
Originally from North Adams, Reardon previously served Holy Family Parish in South Deerfield, Holy Name Parish in Springfield, as chaplain of Pope Francis Preparatory and St. Mary’s High School, and as director of vocations for the diocese. He will continue to serve as chaplain of St. Mary’s High School and will teach theology at the school.
He describes himself as the youngest of five siblings, three brothers and one sister, and has family still in North Adams. His mother lives in Florida and his father died in 2006.
Reardon graduated from Franciscan University in 2003. He went to the Pontifical North American College in Rome for studies for the priesthood and was ordained in 2008.
As one of his outgoing acts, Salatino gifted St. Mary’s High School with two stained-glass windows for the new Blessed Stanley Rother Chapel inside the high school. The windows came from the former St. Mary’s Convent, now the parish business office,
The new chapel was converted from a classroom a few years ago.
“Previously, we had a very small chapel,” said Hope Tremblay, director of institutional advancement for the school. Only two people could previously participate in private prayer or Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the old space.
“Prior to 2019, the physical presence of Jesus wasn’t in this building. We felt that as a Catholic school, Jesus has to be first, which leads to a better connection with students,” said St. Mary’s High School Principal Matthew Collins. He said in the new chapel, classes can attend Mass together, an opportunity they wanted to offer the students, which he said is appropriate for particular times during the year.
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“As Catholics, we believe Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist. What we do here is not just academic formation, [but the] whole person. Having the presence of Christ in the chapel is the most important piece of the puzzle,” said Reardon.
Tremblay said students will sign up for times in the chapel from 15 minutes to one hour. She said someone is in there at all times.
The 1905 stained glass windows depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother, St. Mary, are now at a restoration workshop being cleaned and repainted in areas that have faded. The restoration is being done by Guarducci Stained Glass Restorations of Great Barrington for $6,300, which Reardon said is a good price for very large windows.
Tremblay said the school is gratefully accepting donations to offset the cost of the restoration. She said a graduate from last year’s class has already stepped up. Anyone able to make a donation may contact her at htremblay@stmsaints.org, 413-568-5692, or send a check to St. Mary’s High School, 27 Bartlett St., Westfield, MA 01085.
“It’s nice to have this piece of history, something the whole campus can enjoy,” Tremblay said.
Collins said having the windows will pay homage to the Sisters of St. Joseph, who started the St. Mary’s parish schools and lived in that convent. Five sisters started St. Mary’s High School in 1899, when an eighth grader at the parish school wanted to continue into high school.
Tremblay said the school chapel will now have stained glass that’s been restored and came from the convent and Sisters of St. Joseph. The pews came from St. Mary’s lower church.
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Tremblay said while the sisters no longer live in community, they still support the school, and joined St. Mary’s High School on its float last year in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade. Their float, which honored Catholic education, won the first place religious-themed prize.
The chapel is dedicated to the Blessed Stanley Rother, the first American martyr to be recognized by the Vatican, as voted by the student body, Tremblay said.
Reardon said Stanley Rother was a priest from Oklahoma City who was ordained in the 1960s, and served as a missionary to Guatemala in the 1970s and early 1980s. With a bounty on his head, he returned home for one year, but then went back and was martyred.
Collins said when Rother’s sister found out that St. Mary’s High school had dedicated their chapel to her brother, she sent them what he described as a beautiful letter, which is now considered “a first class relic” in the chapel.
“Chapels and churches are meant to make everyone feel that they stepped into another world. They are transported to another world when you add icons, depth and beauty,” Reardon said.
This fall, St. Mary’s HIgh School enrollment is over 100.
“We’re starting with the largest freshman class in many years,” said Collins. The first day of school is on Aug. 29.
Collins said students in all grades are still being accepted. Anyone interested may contact Cara Grosso, director of admissions, at cgrosso@stmsaints.org.
