LOCAL

New church in Viera will fit St. John parishioners

Lyn Dowling

VIERA – For 17 years, parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Community worshiped in quarters borrowed from the Brevard County Government Center, a neighboring Lutheran congregation and, from 2007, in an all-purpose building on its own property across from what was the Space Coast Stadium complex.

Most Rev. John Noonan, bishop of Orlando, swings the censer at the dedication of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church Saturday morning in Viera.

Saturday morning, one of the largest congregations in the Diocese of Orlando finally got a church of its own after Bishop John Noonan dedicated a 19,000-square-foot, basilica-style structure that seats more than 1,000 people, also located on Stadium Parkway.

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More than 1,500 people attended the ceremonies, which were telecast to the all-purpose building, at which Noonan presided. It was concelebrated by Most Rev. Bernard Harrington, bishop emeritus of Winona, Minn., and a frequent visitor here, as well as St. John’s pastor, Very Rev. Bradley Beaupré, and the Rev. John Britto Antony, its parochial vicar.

Diocesan officials joined members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, priests of which have served St. John’s since it was founded by the Revs. Larry Olszewski and Bob Wiseman in 2001, in the rites. It now has about 2,300 active families.

Most Rev. John Noonan, bishop of Orlando, left; Very Rev. Brad Beaupre, center, and Rev. John Britto pray at the dedication of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church Sunday in Viera.

“All I can is, is there any joy in this church today?” Noonan joked as he opened the two-and-a-half-hour-long ritual, and the responses were laughter and applause.

“This house of prayer is now yours,” said Beaupré, who rang a bell to celebrate and received a standing ovation for it.

He expressed gratitude to all involved with the church’s history, including the Rev. Ron Meyr, who allowed the parish to use nearby Faith “Viera” Lutheran Church before its first building was complete.

Beaupré also noted challenges overcome on the way to completing the church, construction of which started in June 2016. The site was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which caused significant delays, and then construction workers were forced to abandon the project for a time after Hurricane Irma last year.

Rev. John Britto, CSC, is congratulated by parishioners after the announcement that he will be pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Viera.

The $7 million church, designed by Atlanta architects Lyman Davidson Dooley, features a 58-foot nave ceiling with a double barrel vault with an east-facing rose window, in a nod to tradition. Eventually, stained glass windows will be installed behind hurricane-resistant glass in its 12 large arched windows and smaller clerestory windows.

The biggest applause of the day, accompanied by whoops, cheers and whistles, was saved for Beaupré’s dedication-ending announcement that the youthful, Indian-born Britto will become pastor of St. John the Evangelist soon.

Beaupré will retire Feb. 1 and move to the Holy Cross residence in Cocoa Beach, he said.

“Pray for me,” Britto shouted as he was hugged by parishioners at the post-dedication reception. “Just pray for me.”