St. Julia’s new priest is all about community and fun

Running a Catholic parish is serious business, but there is still room for fun.

Just ask the Rev. Scott Euvrard, the new pastor of St. Julia Parish in Weston and Lincoln.

“Always look for reasons to celebrate,” he said. “Life can be challenging; life can be difficult at times, but I always like to be on the lookout [for] somebody’s birthday, an anniversary, a holiday. I’m always looking for ways to gather people to celebrate.”

Some of those challenges hit home for him, when, on June 28, four days after he came to St. Julia’s, his mother died. Parishioners rallied, understanding that he needed to spend time with his family.

“People in both Lincoln and Weston were so compassionate and understanding,” he said.

Fr. Scott, as he is known to his parishioners, has always wanted to be a priest. He thought about it as a child, considered it as he approached the end of high school, and then again as he neared the end of college. He pursued the priesthood briefly for one year after college but left to become a music teacher for four years, before returning to the seminary.

He was ordained in 1994 and has been a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston for 32 years.

In addition to serving as pastor of St. Julia Parish, Archbishop Richard Henning has also assigned him to serve as the episcopal vicar for the west region of the Archdiocese of Boston.

“That is, I serve as his representative in 40 cities and towns that are in the western suburbs of Boston. There are 60 parishes in the region,” he said.

Prior to this assignment he served for six years in Cohasset and Hull and before that in Salisbury and Amesbury.

At first, he thought he might miss having the ocean nearby, but he has found that “every assignment has its own beauty, whether it’s by the ocean or in a suburb or even in the city. Every place has its unique kind of beauty to it.”

He has spent the summer months meeting “as many parishioners as possible,” and getting to know the towns of Lincoln and Weston.

“My most important role initially, and this is true with any new assignment in the church, is to listen and to learn,” Euvrard said.

As residents return from summer vacations, he anticipates there will be many more people to meet.

Those who have met him have likely met his dog, Lazer, too.

“He [is] a walking icebreaker. He keeps me humble because everybody asks about Lazer. They greet Lazer first,” he said.

The 14-year-old black Labrador retriever, a service dog trained by NEADS Service Dogs, has been with Euvrard for 12 years. Lazer accompanies Fr. Scott to hospitals, nursing homes, funeral homes and “just about any place where someone would be comforted by the presence of a dog.”

As the pastor of St. Julia Parish, Euvrard is responsible for the pastoral life of the parish, including administering sacraments, overseeing religious education for children and adults, and coordinating the ministries of serving others.

One of his favorite aspects of being a priest is “just becoming part of the fabric of the communities I’ve been assigned to serve. To be present in the town. To be present in the community to get to know the people and the joys and challenges of their lives and the reality of life for them. I think those two things go together, because when you become part of the community, then those sacramental moments have added meaning to them,” he said.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading and hanging out with his dog. He also spends time sharpening his Spanish-speaking skills. He taught himself Spanish during the COVID-19 pandemic using the app Duolingo and says he has been using the app every day since — nearly 2,200 days.

He is looking forward to his time in Weston and Lincoln and the celebrations to come.

“I’m an easygoing guy, so I like to have fun,” Fr. Scott said. “We’re about serious stuff in the church but also enjoy having a good time along the way.”