COMMENTARY : Serving Our Lord from ‘the catacombs’

ABSECON ISLAND–We’ve all heard the stories about the early days of Christendom, where members of the church practiced their faith in catacombs. And while this general practice is ancient history, Joe and Bunny Franco of Ventnor are doing something similar — not just for their faith, but out of a true sense of stewardship.

For the past 15 years, Joe and Bunny have run the food bank ministry at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, a 112-year-old church that grew from humble beginnings, when Augustinian Father Michael Sullivan celebrated Mass in a tiny wooden structure on Absecon Island in 1855, into the giant brick and mortar building that occupies a significant section of Pacific Avenue.