The death of the Rev. John Nacca, who served faithfully for so many years at St. Francis of Assisi Church, in Auburn, signaled the end of an era for our community and I might even say for the Roman Catholic Church.

Father Nacca, who was 92, became pastor of St. Francis in 1949 just after World War II and continued to lead his flock until retirement in 1985. To say this wonderful priest saw some changes during that period in our town, our culture and the church would be an understatement.

In those days the pastor of a parish ruled the roost and Father Nacca used this opportunity to build St. Francis into one of the finest parishes in the area. An adequate discussion of his achievements would take a book instead of a newspaper column.

One of Father Nacca's shining moments was the unveiling of Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in 1956. It stands adjacent to the church and is recognized as a marvel of craftsmanship, engineering and beauty. People come from all over the state and throughout the country to pray at this memorial of the Blessed Mother's apparitions to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, France. It also reflects Father Nacca's special love and devotion to Our Lady.

Then in 1958, he completed the monumental task of building the new church that stands as a tribute to his energy, determination and management skills.

Another of his pet projects was the designing and building of the Christopher Columbus memorial across the street from the church. This was Father Nacca's way of helping us to always remember the immigrants who he held in such high esteem.

But his greatest achievements are the many lives that he touched for God throughout his career. It was a time when vocations to the priesthood were plentiful and were encouraged within the Catholic family. The universal church was signified by a universal language. The Mass was in Latin and Catholics could go to Mass anywhere in the world and feel right at home.

Father Nacca saw all that change during his tenure at St. Francis. But he maintained a sense of order and sanity amid the liturgical revolution happening around him. St. Francis recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with a visit by the bishop and other community leaders. They acknowledged the many contributions to our way of life by Father Nacca and countless parishioners, largely Italian immigrants and their descendants.

They were typical of the kind of people who worked, raised families, paid taxes, voted and built our community and our nation. We'll probably never see their likes again. The St. Francis parish centennial need not be a bittersweet celebration but a fond remembrance of Father Nacca and the generations who left a foundation on which today's parishioners can build a faithful and hopeful future.

Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen and she can be contacted at

sacredheart6005@hotmail.com