St. Sebastian marks 50th

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

FORT LAUDERDALE | Back in 1956, Olga Adamo knew she and her husband had found the right location for their new home when they saw a sign advertising the future site of St. Sebastian Church in the Harbor Heights area of Fort Lauderdale.

"My husband's name was Sebastian," said Adamo, 97. "We said this is a sign from God. We were meant to live here."

Adamo's husband ran a barber shop on Las Olas Boulevard and one of his customers talked about land he was developing in Harbor Heights. It would be closer to her husband's shop, so they moved from Hollywood with their two children, William who is called Ben, and Cynthia. A third child, Ronald, was born soon after.

At first, the Adamos attended St. Anthony Church in Fort Lauderdale. Faced with overflow attendance there, the diocese planned for a new parish on six acres in Harbor Heights, adjacent to Port Everglades. A new mission church opened on the site in 1957.

"Before the church was built, the first winter season Masses were celebrated at Harris' Restaurant, which later became Patricia Murphy's Restaurant in Bahia Mar," said Adamo.

St. Sebastian Church became a parish in 1959. Adamo and her son, Ben, 57, were among the pioneers who attended the parish's 50th anniversary Mass Jan. 24, 2010. Ben remembers Father Lamar Genovar, pastor from 1965 to 1974, watching or joining the kids as they played on the playground next to the church, before a pastoral center was built on the site.

"Father Genovar would cheer for us kids as we played," he said. "Sometimes he joined us playing football or baseball."

Along with Father Genovar, the pastors who served St. Sebastian were Msgr. John Fitzpatrick, later a Miami auxiliary bishop and bishop of Brownsville, Texas; Msgr. William McKeever, Father John Kellaghan, Msgr. Francis Dixon, Father Robert Hostler, Father Cyril Hudak and the much-beloved Msgr. Patrick McDonnell. The current pastor is Father Liam Quinn, who is expanding the parish outreach programs to include sponsoring an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

"Today, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary," said Father Quinn. "It's a poignant time. We're celebrating expectations — hopefully, great expectations. From the littlest baby to the oldest parishioner, together, we are the Church. Most of us won't be around in another 50 years, but the children will be. The banner is being passed to the younger generations. Now, it's your turn."

Archbishop John C. Favalora extended congratulations from the archdiocese to St. Sebastian's current parishioners and all who went before them.  "All of us in the archdiocese share in your joy," he said.

Under the administration of Father Hudak, the church underwent extensive renovations and a bell tower was added.

"The tower is visible from Port Everglades," said Anne Gardner, church secretary. "Cruise ship passengers and seamen can see that there's a nearby church they might want to attend."

At the vigil Mass on Saturday afternoons, the port makes its presence known, Gardner added. "Several times during the Mass, foghorns blare as cruise ships set out to sea," she said.

The cross, tabernacle, sanctuary lamp, candlesticks and other altar fittings came from Ireland and a statue of St. Sebastian was made in Germany. The pastoral center is named in honor of Msgr. McDonnell, pastor from 1995 to 2006, under whose leadership it was built.