Brothers
guard Real Presence
By Lou Baldwin
Special to The CS&T
PHILADELPHIA — You might say the men in the Gerstle family are pillars
of the Church at Our Lady of Consolation Parish, an Italian personal parish
in Philadelphia’s Tacony section.
Four Gerstle brothers — Will, 45; Jim 44; Joe, 39, and Rob, 36 —
were scheduled to hold the canopy over the Blessed Sacrament during the
Forty Hours’ closing liturgy on Feb. 26.
In point of fact, Will Gerstle came down with the flu; John Marinucci,
the sexton, served as his proxy. But no matter, Will was there in spirit.
Joe Gerstle’s daughter Angela, a fifth-grader in the parish school,
and nephew, Patrick Corcoran, grade eight, were torchbearers in the procession.
The Gerstles had once lived on nearby Torresdale Avenue, and belonged
to Our Lady of Consolation through their mother’s Italian heritage.
Now scattered throughout Northeast Philadelphia, they remain loyal to
the family’s parish.
“It’s unique and it has a special place,” said Rob Gerstle,
who is a member of the parish pastoral council. “The Eucharist is
a sign of our faith. Across the world, people are giving their lives to
be able to celebrate Mass. It’s good to be part of this.”
His brother Joe added that the Catholic faith “is the center of
my life — and it is a tradition for our family to be part of this
parish. Six of my seven siblings still worship here.”
For the second oldest, Jim, the Forty Hours devotion is a profound reminder
of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and an opportunity
to place himself before Jesus in prayer.
Before moving to Tacony the Gerstle family worshipped at the former Our
Lady of Pompeii Church on Erie Avenue.
“I would like to credit our parents and grandparents for teaching
us — and leading by example — that the Church should be the
center of our lives,” Jim Gerstle said, adding that their conviction
was “proved by the many sacrifices they made.
“I remember, as altar boys, dark, frigid mornings when our mother
would walk us to the seven o’clock Mass at Our Lady of Pompeii when
it was our week to serve,” he said, “and then she would hurry
home to get the rest of my brothers and sisters ready for school.”
Relying on men with a common bond for the Eucharistic honor guard is a
tradition at Our Lady of Consolation, according its pastor, Father Dennis
J. Carbonaro. He recalls it was the custom years ago when he preached
at the Forty Hours devotions.
“One time it was all newly married men,” he said. “Another
time it was recently widowed men.”
As with most Italian national parishes, traditions are important to the
members of Our Lady of Consolation. The Forty Hours devotion always draws
a crowd, as do the annual Feast of the Saints, the May Procession and
palm-weaving at Easter-time.
Inviting the Gerstle brothers to hold the canopy this year fits right
in with that sense of tradition, Father Carbonaro said: “They are
dedicated to family life, dedicated to the Church, and dedicated to God
and the Holy Eucharist.”
Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo Parish and a freelance writer.
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