LYNN— Rev. Daniel Zinger was formally installed as pastor of St. Mary’s of the Sacred Heart Parish in a Mass celebrated by Archbishop of Boston Richard G. Henning.
Rev. Zinger came to St. Mary of the Sacred Heart in June, replacing Rev. Brian Flynn, who served 15 years before moving on to St. Theresa in North Reading. Rev. Flynn and Rev. Msgr. Paul Garrity, who served at St. Mary’s Parish for 18 years, concelebrated Rev. Zinger’s installation Mass.
A Syracuse, N.Y., native, Rev. Zinger graduated from St. John’s University in New York in 2013 and St. John’s Seminary in 2020. He spent a year in Stoughton at St. James and Immaculate Conception parishes, almost two years at a 4-church collaborative in Cambridge, and almost three years at Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston.
“I’m very happy to be here,” said Rev. Zinger, who speaks three languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese). “It’s been a wonderful five months so far. The parish is diverse and full of life.”
Rev. Zinger said the location of the parish, which consists of St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart churches, and the connection to St. Mary’s School, make his new assignment appealing.
“I love the school. I go over almost every day,” he said. “The kids are our future. We have to find ways to invest in them. And I love the city environment. It’s very active and there’s always something to do.”
St. Mary’s Church was full for the installation Mass, a bilingual liturgy that involved many groups that are active in the life of the parish. Vivian Iannotti, vice chair of the St. Mary’s School Board of Trustees, read a proclamation formally welcoming Rev. Zinger to the board.
“Throughout the parish history, St. Mary’s has been blessed with wonderful pastors and dedicated priests and deacons,” said St. Mary’s Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan. “We are thrilled to have Fr. Dan with us as the leader of the parish and a member of the school’s board of trustees.”
Rev. Zinger’s parents still live in Syracuse. He has two brothers, one in New York City and the other in Massachusetts.
