WINTHROP -- Call it a reverse baptism.

At last year's St. Michael the Archangel Parish picnic in Winthrop, then-Pastor Father Chris O'Connor sat atop a dunk tank, leaving his fate up to the aim of his parishioners. Kelli Gaynor, whose husband Eric Gaynor organizes the annual picnics, managed to dunk her pastor.

"I didn't think I would ever hit the target in a million years, and I don't think he did either," she recalled to The Pilot on June 19. "I was more shocked than anything."

She was quick to add that Father O'Connor "got a kick out of it."

Despite being dunked, Father O'Connor nominated the Gaynors for the Cheverus Award last year for their service to St. Michael. The annual archdiocesan awards, named after Boston's first bishop, honor those who have given long-time service to the Church. The Gaynors were two of the 101 people who received Cheverus medals from Archbishop Richard G. Henning last November.

"Eric and Kelli Gaynor have a special gift of bringing the Catholic faith to our culture and showing how our faith can help benefit the culture through dance, through music, through theater, and through laughter," Father O'Connor told The Pilot. "They are committed to teaching both adults and children that our faith should be active and lived."

Since 2021, the Gaynors have operated St. Michael's Drama within the parish. The ministry was born out of the couple's shared love of theater and the need for young people to reconnect in church after the pandemic. Under the Gaynors' supervision, the kids put on skits and musical numbers, most recently a production of "Godspell," a rock musical based on the Gospel of St. Matthew, which hit Broadway in 1976. Seeing young people put on the show "really hit hard" for Eric Gaynor. When he and his wife spoke to The Pilot, they were sitting in the basement of St. John the Evangelist Church, where St. Michael's Drama had performed "Godspell" in the round.

"It's hard to describe, but it was very emotional," he said. "It had an incredible impact watching that. I've seen that show done many times, but with kids doing it, and here in a church basement, you could feel that message so powerfully."

Kelli Gaynor directs the shows. Eric Gaynor choreographs them and handles the sound and technical elements.

"Obviously, we want the show to go well, but it's really the process, and the kids learning, and they really have built a nice sense of community," Kelli Gaynor said. "They always run up and give each other this big group hug at the end and stuff like that. That kind of thing, it's really nice to see."

St. Michael's Drama's first show was a collection of skits written and performed by parish youth in 2022. In 2024, they put on "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A boy who was about eight or nine years old played the part of Linus, reciting his famous monologue about the Nativity. His performance was such a hit that he repeated it at the town Christmas tree lighting and after a Mass at St. John's.

"It's very relatable for the kids," Eric Gaynor said. "The message is a really strong one, and it is presented in almost a comedic way, but it definitely resonates for me."

The songs and shows are "another way of helping to convey Jesus's message."

"Jesus was a storyteller himself," he said.

Eric Gaynor, 53, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and raised in Duxbury. He and his family "went to church all the time."

"I will tell you right now," he said. "For me, looking back on my youth, I feel like I would've been really lost if I didn't have my faith."

He works with children in the parish because he wants them to have a relationship with God as strong as the one he had as a kid.

Kelli Gaynor, 47, was born in Boston. Her parents both taught at Catholic high schools, and most of her education was Catholic. Raised in Gloucester, both she and her husband were altar servers in their youth. Her "nana" played the organ for daily Mass. She met her husband while directing the musical "Oliver!" at the former Winthrop Playhouse. Eric Gaynor was filming the show for the local public-access station.

"I was in the booth, and we just started talking," Kelli Gaynor remembered.

It was love at first sight. The two have been married for 22 years and have one daughter, Ellen, named after Kelli Gaynor's organist "nana."

Kelli Gaynor also sings in the parish choir and hosts confirmation retreats. The most recent one inspired her to "think deeper about things." Even after all her years of Catholic school, she's still learning new things about her faith. Eric Gaynor helps run St. Michael's vacation Bible school over the summers. Both he and his wife were shocked when they won the Cheverus Award.

"It's very humbling," he said, "because there's so many people here at this parish that give and serve and are here doing work, so many to make everything run."