LYNN — St. Joseph’s Church welcomed a new pastor Sunday.
Parishioners packed every pew in St. Joseph’s to watch Father Pablo Gomis be installed as the church’s pastor during a Mass presided over by Boston Archbishop Cardinal Seán O’Malley.
Born in Cartagena, Spain, Gomis said his journey to St. Joseph’s had been a winding one, including struggles with his faith.
“At a certain point in my upbringing, I rebelled against my family, against the church. I just wanted to do my own thing and look for happiness where I wanted to,” Gomis said. “This brought me to look for happiness in a lot of wrong places.”
Gomis said that he returned to the church with the help of his parents and his home parish when he was in his late teens, which he cited as a turning point.
“For the first time in my life I understood God loved me,” Gomis said.
Gomis entered the seminary in 2006 and was ordained a priest in his home diocese in Spain.
He was invited to study at Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Boston. As part of his studies, Gomis spent time as a missionary in Spain and Mexico, as well as in Utah and Nevada, before he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 2017.
Gomis has been at St. Joseph’s ever since, serving originally as parochial vicar, before becoming administrator in early 2023.
He said as a pastor, meeting people where they are at to spread his faith was a priority for him. He added that the church must be relentless in their efforts to be a part of the community.
“The church cannot be contained any longer in the building, so it is very important to go out,” Gomis said. “We have to show that the church is relevant and active and cares about them.”
Gomis, 37, said his focus will be on spreading the faith and that he and his parish would shy away from being a polarizing force amid an already divisive climate.
“I don’t believe that I, or my parish, should go around fighting and polarizing more,” Gomis said.
O’Malley said he was impressed by the enthusiasm parishioners had for Gomis, who was given a standing ovation by the church when he was recognized during the Mass.
“The applause that they gave the new pastor is just an indication of how much they love him and how happy they are to have him,” O’Malley said.
For Gomis, the support he had from the St. Joseph’s community was not something he took for granted.
“It’s not a one-man job.” Gomis said. “I have a lot of people behind me. I have a lot of support.”
Dora Garcia, a parishioner and volunteer at St. Joseph’s Lynn for 38 years, said that her experience with Gomis had been amazing and that her fellow parishioners were excited for him to take on the role.
“He’s always willing to help others. He’s always willing to go above and beyond for his parishioners,” Garcia said. “We’re hoping he will stay with us for a long time.”
Gomis is stepping into the role of former pastor the Rev. James Gaudreau, who had been a parishioner at St. Joseph’s for nearly 30 years before being accused of child sexual abuse in 2012.
Though he was not charged by the Essex County district attorney in the matter, Gaudreau was placed on administrative leave and was ultimately found guilty by the Roman Catholic judicial court in 2020.
The church sentenced Gaudreau to a life of prayer and penance and banned him from practicing “any public ministry” or celebrating public Mass.
