The Reverend Molly Baskette's emotional return to the pulpit was an inspiring and gratifying event for both herself and her congregation. - Photo by Andrew Firestone

By Andrew Firestone

Easter is a holiday of rebirth and jubilation, when the spirit of life that has been lost comes once again renewed upon the world. The celebration was even more special in Somerville’s United Church of Christ, Sunday, April 25, when Reverend Molly Baskette was reinvigorated upon the pulpit, returning to lead her congregation in an Easter sermon for the first time since taking a leave of absence following her diagnosis with Ewing sarcoma.

“What an amazing thing it is to have what we went through as a church and then what we went through in our family in the rear-view mirror,” said Rev. Baskette who returns to full duties in June, “to be able to mark this day putting death behind us and having life before us.”

Baskette, much loved by her congregants, was considered pivotal in changing the fate of Somerville’s UCC when she arrived over seven years earlier. Many congregants the Somerville News spoke to consider her a bulwark to the church, and praised her soulful style of preaching. While Reverend Ian Holland has provided admirable coverage, it was thrilling, many said, to have Baskette return.

“She has such an amazing presence and the church responds so well to her,” said Michael Hearst, “they love her so much, and her sermons are just spot-on. She just spoke from the heart today.”

The experience of chemotherapy has left her with less hair, and, said Baskette, “It changed me in significant ways that I think needed to be changed. Cancer does that.”

Molly Baskette with her children, Carmen (L) and Rafael Baskette(R)

In her powerful return to the pulpit, Baskette said she felt one thing, “gratitude…not just in the ways they cared for me, but also for the whole experience,” explaining that her bout with cancer had helped clarify many things in her life.

“I think as adults we mostly learn through painful experiences. I think children are wide open to the world in a way that adults are not. We’re uncomfortable with change. We like to feel like we are in charge of our own lives.”

It’s only when something knocks us off our kiester like this that we really begin to evaluate how we spend our time,” she said, “whether the ways in which we spend our resources like money, time, and emotion is a real reflection of our values and what we really hold dear.”

Baskette’s outreach throughout the decade had made her very dear to the congregants, a group she added to in droves with her appealing and powerful brand of preaching. Her sudden illness took a toll upon her congregation, who were saddened by the potential loss.

“I think that last year around this time when we all found out about Molly’s diagnosis, the church had gone through a lot of different losses and that was the last straw in some sense,” remembered Gianna Marzilli-Ericson. “People were nervous and afraid and felt for Molly and her family.”

But the congregation remembered what Molly had tried to teach, and took it upon themselves to look out for better days, and to keep the church going. “I think over the course of the year everybody really came together. Together we were able to show each other how strong our community is.”

“I think today the feeling is completely 180 degrees,” she said.

One person who was thrilled to see his mother’s recovery was eight-year-old Rafael Baskette, saying of his mother’s yearlong battle, “It’s been really intense.”

“That made me happy, to see her preaching again, because she had been really sick all that year, so sick that she couldn’t go to church Sundays,” he said.

With the bout behind them, young Rafael says he is “looking forward to all the family trips we’re going to get together like we’re going to be celebrating a little bit and we’re going to have more fun.”

“Molly has been there so much for me and I try to support her as much as I can,” said Deacon Lindsay Baber. “I feel so amazing that a year from hearing about this awful news that she can now be fully back and fully alive and present in this church. It’s a real gift to have her back on Easter Sunday today.”

Baskette hopes to spend more time with both her congregation and her children in her coming return, including her four-year-old daughter Carmen.