Faithful fill pews at liturgy in newly-renovated spiritual 'home'

MONROE TOWNSHIP — Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a Mass in which three elements integral to Catholics’ faith were blessed and dedicated in the newly-renovated Nativity of Our Lord Church Feb. 9.
In solemn rites, Bishop Checchio blessed the ambo, from which the word of God is proclaimed and homilies are given; the baptismal font, where new members of the faith are christened with holy water; and altar, where bread and wine are consecrated to become the spiritual food of the faithful.

The renovations for the $2 million project also included: marble floors and walls of the sanctuary; lighting; ceiling; stations of the cross; and stained-glass windows depicting the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary and the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary. The third Joyful Mystery is the Nativity of Our Lord.
Renovation of the church, which was dedicated in 1996, were needed for several reasons, said Father Edward R. Flanagan, pastor.

“The majority of the parish [demographics] is 55-and-over, the sanctuary was very steep, the lighting was very poor, there was not handicap accessibility for people with disabilities, and we had a drop ceiling that was God awful,” he said.

Nancy Stone, a member of the parish for four years, described the renovations as “breathtaking.”
“I really want to thank Father Ed for making our home so beautiful. I cried through the whole Mass,” she said.

After the blessing of the ambo and baptismal font, Bishop Checchio and Father Flanagan processed down the aisles sprinkling holy water to bless the church and congregation.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio said, “In a moment, we will consecrate the new altar. Consecration of an altar is an important and unique prayer in the Church. We use sacred chrism oil consecrated on Holy Thursday.”

The bishop explained that the oil is only used in “significant moments of prayer in the Church:” the sacraments of baptism and confirmation; ordination of a new priest and new bishop; consecration of a new church and a new altar.

The consecration, he said, “sets the altar apart for sacred use” such as “affecting the sacrament of the holy Eucharist.”

“The altar takes on the person of Christ, that is why we bow to it as we pass by. It is why priests and deacons kiss it. They kiss Christ.”

In the blessing of the altar, Bishop Checchio poured oil of chrism, also called holy chrism, on it.
Then, members of the parish dried the altar, placed a linen over it and candles were arranged at its four corners. A crucifix and lectionary were the last items placed on it, while parishioners presented flowers that were placed on the floor in front of it. Among those who serve the parish are members of the Sisters of Christian Charity. Father Flanagan said entombed in the new altar was “a prized possession he has had since my youth” — a relic of St. Edward the Confessor and a relic of Blessed Pauline, foundress of the Sisters of Christian Charity.

“The sisters will always be a part of the parish,” he said.
Christine Dranchak, finance director, said the parish has an ongoing memorial campaign ­— not a fundraiser — to memorialize the objects that were part of the renovation. “Out of 62 memorials we have, 43 have been sold,” she said.

The renovation was done by liturgical designer Lawrence Hoy, president of the Westport, Conn.-based Lawrence Hoy Studios, Inc. In addition to his work at parishes, Hoy has created the furnishings for three papal visits to the United States: St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
“We are mostly complete in the sanctuary, but still have quite a bit more work in the rear of the church, which will feature six shrines with beautiful walls of votive candles in between as well as new marble and wood sanctuary shrines for Mary and Joseph,” Hoy said. “We will also be installing the new organ speakers in decorative casings in the center of the rear wall of the church.”

New front doors and vestibule stained glass and all remaining details are expected to be completed by Easter (April 12), he added.

Michael Rock, job supervisor for LH Studios at Nativity of Our Lord, said the renovation involved overseeing about 20 businesses or artisans and went “very smoothly.” Among the work was the installation of a terrazzo floor, which includes taking out the old tiles, putting a membrane down, pouring an epoxy on it then chips of marble and more epoxy. The hardened surface is grinded and polished.

Marble from Italy was used to make the altar, baptismal font and floor and columns, he said.
In his closing remarks, Bishop Checchio praised Father Flanagan for overseeing the renovation despite being treated for brain cancer.

“It’s challenging to be a pastor of a parish. It’s a hard job balancing the pastoral needs of the parish, finances, personnel, the list goes on and on,” Bishop Checchio said. “Most priests don’t want to be involved in renovation projects because they are a pain in the neck even though they turn out beautiful, they add a lot of stress to your life. Anybody who does all that while facing huge personal crises and steadily steering it, certainly he [Father Flanagan] did it all.

“We are grateful for Father Ed. He is a gift God gave us…keep him in your prayers.”

The congregation responded with a standing ovation.

In his closing remarks, Father Flanagan cited the support of the bishop for the renovation.
“He has called me frequently and I appreciated it. It alleviated my fears and concerns and has moved this project along as quickly as possible,” Father Flanagan said.

At a reception, when asked how he managed to oversee the project despite his illness, Father Flanagan cited “a great staff who had my back.”

“Whenever I ended up going to [Memorial] Sloan Kettering [Cancer Center] for cancer treatment or radiation, the project just continued,” he said. “And Larry Hoy was wonderful to work with. We scheduled appointments around my treatment.”

The reception was held at Father Congdon Hall, where Mass was celebrated with the old altar while the church was being renovated. The old baptismal font was also moved there.

Nativity of Our Lord Parish serves 1,642 registered families, Father Flanagan said. There are about 225 children registered in its religious education program for first to eighth grade, said Dr. Mary Kay Cullinan, parish catechetical leader and organist.

The parish was established July 7, 1992, by Bishop Edward T. Hughes to meet the needs of a growing Catholic population in that area of Monroe Township. Father Stephen Congdon was the founding pastor.

According to parish archives, its original office and adjoining chapel were in the Concordia Shopping Plaza on Perrineville Road. Weekend Masses were held at Applegarth Middle School.
The present church was built on a former potato farm. A solemn Mass of Consecration was celebrated Nov. 21, 1996, the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.