Welcome, Father Gormley! Meet the New Pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish

In the ebb and flow of summer, the days surrounding the July 4th holiday are undoubtedly some of this island’s most busy, crowded, and raucous. With fireworks blasting from beach to bay, and parties popping up around every corner, church seems far from most people’s agenda. Thus, it was an interesting time for the Rev. Ray Gormley to begin his tenure as the pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish.

As it turns out, he was in for a little surprise.

“When my assignment began on July 1st, and I’m coming down the shore the week of the Fourth of July, I had no idea what I was walking into. But when I saw the crowds at mass on the weekends, I was amazed,” says Gormley. “I even said at Mass that weekend that seeing the number of people really showed that God is a priority in people’s lives, even on their vacations, they’re still taking time to worship God. It’s a beautiful testament to people’s faith.”

And so began a new chapter for Gormley and St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, which encompasses both Maris Stella Church in Avalon and St. Paul’s in Stone Harbor. “People have been wonderful,” he says. “From the day I got here, everyone has been very welcoming, very gracious.”

Gormley brings 32 years in the priesthood, a wealth of experience, and great familiarity with South Jersey to his role at St. Brendan’s. He’s previously been assigned to several parishes including Immaculate Conception in Bridgeton, Sacred Heart in Vineland, Queen of Heaven in Cherry Hill, St, Agnes in Blackwood, and most recently Incarnation in Mantua, where he was the pastor for the last 12 years.

While managing a merged parish is a challenge, it’s not a new one for Gormley. In 2010, he was in Runnemede at St. Teresa Church, when it was merged with St. Maria Goretti to form Holy Child Parish, where he was named pastor for a six-year term.

The difference with managing St. Brendan the Navigator Parish is its unique location. “Holy Child Parish wasn’t in a vacation destination, like this one,” he explains. “Here as pastor, I am responsible for the people visiting on vacation as well as the year-round parishioners.”

And while he enjoyed the overflowing masses of summer, he’s also grateful for this quieter season. “This time of year, I’m enjoying getting to know the year-round community better.”

With many goals for the St. Brendan Parish, Gormley is very interested in helping people recognize and utilize their gifts for the greater good.

“People have talents that God has given them. We all have to see our gifts and how they can be used, not just to build up parish life, but also to build up his kingdom among us,” he says. “That’s one thing I really want to try to do. Everybody has a story. And it’s how that story awakens in us, the gifts, the talents that God has given to us, and how to bring those gifts forward to use them on behalf of the community.”

In fact, this concept was part of a program Father Gormley was interested in before coming to St. Brendan’s and one he hopes to implement here.

“This is something that is even great to bring to the religious education classes for the young people,” he says. “When you’re young, you don’t always know what you’re good at, but this is something that can help give kids a course of direction in their lives.”

Certainly, Gormley is already appreciative for the talents of the staff at St. Brendan’s who have assisted him from Day One. “The staff has been wonderful,” he says. “They’ve given me great direction.”

With two churches in two towns to manage, Gormley says, “it would be impossible to do it all by myself.” So, he is also grateful for the clergy who help keep everything running smoothly, including Monsignor Liam Quinn, Father James Betz, Father John O’Leary, Deacon John Kirk, Deacon Bob Dooley, and Deacon Charlie Devlin, as well as Father John Kelly and Father Steve Curry, who helped throughout the summer.

Outside of this work at the church and in the community, Gormley says that he enjoys music, crossword puzzles and spending time with his 8-year-old black Labrador retriever named Nick. He also recently enjoyed a quick trip to Ireland in September, before he was formally installed as pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish the morning of Oct. 6 at a service in Maris Stella Church.

With one busy summer under his belt and a holiday season on the horizon, Gormley is firmly in the flow of life at St. Brendan’s and quite grateful for it.

He reflects, “I was recently at a convocation for all the priests from the diocese to come together down the shore for a couple of days. We had Mass each day, and I was sitting in St. Paul’s church, and I thought to myself … a year ago, I never thought I’d be sitting in this pew being the pastor of St. Brendan’s parish. But you never know how the hand of God will work. I’m very grateful that the bishop chose me for this assignment.”