By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
Parishioners in Lavallette gathered for a Mass celebrating the re-opening of the
Parishioners in Lavallette gathered for a Mass celebrating the re-opening of the renovated century-old St. Bonaventure Chapel.
Father Joseph Hlubik, pastor of the linked parishes of St. Pio, Lavallette, and Sacred Heart, Bay Head, celebrated the Feb. 4 Mass, which was followed by breakfast and fellowship.
“[The improvements] mean a lot to me, and the people loved the way the chapel looked,” Father Hlubik said, noting how important it was to him to preserve the integrity of the chapel’s original ornaments. “As long as it gets regular use, it will get the care it deserves.”
St. Bonaventure Chapel was the first church building for St. Bonaventure Parish, which was formed officially in 1921; the chapel was erected in June 1924. Upon the parish’s 2008 merger with Our Lady of Peace, Normandy Beach, the worship site became part of St. Pio Parish. The chapel is used for daily Mass, with attendance of 20-30 per day during the winter, expanding to near capacity of 90 during the summer months.
Artist Beth Gersten adds new and refreshes original stencil embellishments throughout the St. Bonaventure Chapel. Courtesy photo
The enhancements began in early December, with the plan to address needed repairs and upgrades in the sacristy. Upon finding the stencil artist – Beth Gersten of Elizabeth Studios, Belmar – who had updated the chapel’s original stencils about eight years prior, the parish expanded plans to include refreshing the painted details.
“The sacristy was quite outdated; the walls and ceiling were bad, and the whole chapel needed to be repainted,” Father Hlubik said. Renovation moved forward with Gersten’s artistic hand, “and we decided to do not only the sacristy but the entire chapel. Pews needed re-staining, and the Stations of the Cross were so bland that you couldn’t make out the distinctions of where Jesus was.”
Renovations included complete interior repainting with refreshing of stenciled images, realignment of elements to be more symmetrical, newly varnished pews, enhanced Stations of the Cross with gold leaf and installation of ceiling fans.
The sacristy was overhauled, with new countertops, sink and sacrarium for purifying vessels; a window was added to allow the sacristy to double as an occasional confessional. Attic access was also relocated to allow for repair work to take place without disturbing sacristy use.
Mary Guza and Cameron Evans, St. Pio parishioners, funded most of the improvements. The work was a combined effort of Gersten and local contractors Anthony Frankoski, Frankoski Construction, Lavallette; and Nial O’Mahony, O’Mahony Painting, Point Pleasant.
“I’m so grateful to our painter Nial – he always does good work,” said Father Hlubik. “Beth and her cohort did a beautiful job on the stencils and Stations of the Cross and repaired the feet on the Crucifix … and [added] a stencil around the Crucifix to focus attention on it and the tabernacle.”
Father Hlubik said he hopes to replace the worn kneelers when funds become available.