Cape Cod woman puts her faith into action

By Kenneth J. Souza

Anchor Staff

HYANNIS, Mass. — While prayer and the sacraments are an important part of Marilyn Lariviere’s spiritual life, she also devotes much of her time to helping others.

“You need the sacraments to feed yourself, but they should inspire you to do something else,” Lariviere said. “I get energized by being with people — particularly young people — and I enjoy helping other people discover their gifts.”

For nearly 40 years now, Lariviere has put her faith into action as a vibrant and vital member of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, where she’s done everything from serving as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion to running retreats for the parish confirmation students.

She also divides her time between her home parish and St. John the Evangelist in Pocasset, where she is the parish youth minister.

With everything she’s involved in — including positions with the interfaith Cape Cod Council of Churches and Church Women United — it’s a wonder Lariviere can find time to spend with her husband, Ed, and their four children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

“I just can’t imagine not being involved,” she said. “The thing is I think Jesus was radical for his time — he wasn’t just hanging around in the temple, he was out among the people. That’s what we’re called to do: to be with the people who need us.”

What’s more amazing about her commitment to the faith is that Lariviere wasn’t even brought up Catholic — she converted a few years after marrying her husband.

“I actually approached the priest right after we were married and said I wanted to convert, but he wisely told me I should wait and do it for myself and not for my husband,” she said. “Ten years later it just seemed like the appropriate time.”

Since joining St. Francis Xavier Parish in 1971, there’s been no looking back for Lariviere.

Over the years she’s been active with the Cursillo and ECHO retreat programs on Cape Cod; she directed the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults at her home parish for 17 years; and she’s been involved with countless youth ministry programs.

Thankfully, her husband Ed is usually right there alongside her.

“He’s pretty much involved in everything with me,” she said.

Although she’s dabbled in just about every parish ministry, Lariviere admitted she’s mostly drawn to youth-oriented programs.

“I’ve always been interested in working with young people and I actually went back to school as an adult learner and got a degree in Religious Education,” she said. “My first job, actually, was at the North Falmouth Congregational Church. I went there to practice interviewing and they hired me. I was there for six years.”

In 1996 Father Robert C. Donovan, then-pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset, approached her about starting a youth ministry program and she’s been there ever since.

“Marilyn is a very gracious lady who looks for all sorts of ministries to do,” the now-retired Father Donovan said. “She’s involved in youth ministry, she’s involved with various adult ministries such as Cursillo and she’s a devoted and faithful Catholic.”

Of the many programs she’s helped to initiate, Lariviere said one of the more fulfilling and interesting would have to be Youth Street Reach, where teen-agers spend time with and serving the poor and homeless in their community.

“That was started through Church Women United,” she said. “City Reach in Boston is a program where teen-agers come and sleep overnight in church, meet the homeless, and provide them with breakfast. We wanted to do something similar on the Cape. It was a huge undertaking but our kids said they really wanted to do it.

“We have six programs a year — three where the kids sleep overnight — and then we prepare breakfast to feed the homeless. These are kids from churches all over Cape Cod. It’s really quite an eclectic group. We have a cookout planned for this Sunday during which we’ll be picking up people from local shelters and bringing them to the beach.”

Another key program that Lariviere helped jump-start was Residents Encounter Christ — a prison ministry effort at the Barnstable County Jail.

“I’ve been involved with that for quite a few years,” she said. “It involves people going into the prison to put on a retreat for inmates. I’ve directed a few and been on team for a few. The thing about prison ministry is you don’t have to have any talent — you just need to show up. That is the most important thing. People are so impressed that you take time to go there. It’s just good to show them there’s a God who loves them and they can turn their lives around if they want to.”

She also helped start a book club for female inmates at the prison.

“There seemed to be a lot of programs for male inmates, but not as many for women,” she said. “I suggested a book club and that’s been going on for a couple of years now. We go in on Thursday mornings at 11. They are given a book to read and we discuss it. For many of these women, they’ve never completed anything — so for them to participate is a great thing.”

Since Lariviere and her daughter are cancer survivors, she’s also been involved with the annual Relay for Life at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School for the past 13 years.

“We actually had our youth ministry from the parish with us,” she said of the recent event. “The kids actually run it now.”

Not even the summer season provides a respite for Lariviere — she’s now in the midst of running one of her Vacation Bible School sessions and will begin another next month.

“The kids do crafts and music and have Bible study,” she said. “It’s a fun summer camp with a Christian twist to it. Last year at St. John’s I think we had about 50 kids participating.”

Never content to be just another parishioner who attends Mass every week, Lariviere stressed how important it is to remain active in her parish.

“I think if people don’t get involved, they’re missing so much,” she said. “So often people don’t think they have anything to offer and I encourage them to do whatever they want. And don’t be afraid to fail. People are always afraid something isn’t going to work, so they don’t try. I’m not afraid to try anything.”

While some might say these activities have helped to enrich Lariviere’s faith, she seems to view it the other way around.

“I think my spirituality is based on everything I do and the people I come in contact with,” she said. 

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