By Carol Olivieri | Correspondent
For years, parishioners and staff of St. Alphonsus Parish had noticed the growing need for repairs in their Hopewell church.
“Many of the pews were at least 50 years old, and most were splitting or cracked. They were solid wood and we worried about people getting injured,” said Father Stephen Sansevere, pastor. “The floor itself … felt like you were walking on an unsteady boat.”
Father Sansevere recounted that the sanctuary also needed a facelift – something that would continue to reflect the origins of 148-year-old church.
“We had the funds and decided this was our chance to bring everything up to date and still keep the style of this historic place,” he said.
With permission from the Diocese, the project was launched in the fall of 2025. The sanctuary was completed before Advent, and the pews and floors were replaced in January.
Celebration with Bishop
On March 14 – Laetare Sunday, marking halfway through Lent – Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrated a Mass with parishioners to mark completion of the renovations. These included new framing around the crucifix behind the altar. Mel Ahlborn, a liturgical artist with Illumination Studio in California, created a five-sided frame that mirrors the architecture of the building. Albhorn drew upon more than 30 years of experience as a painter, sculptor and illuminator.
While the congregation appreciated the “sight” of the refreshed and renewed interior of St. Alphonsus, Bishop O’Connell called them to consider spiritual blindness in the Gospel account of the man born blind.
“The Gospel of John is often called the ‘Gospel of Signs,’ and this healing is the sixth sign – a moment rich with meaning,” the Bishop said. “The physical cure is only the surface. The deeper sign points to a blindness that afflicts every human heart: the darkness of sin. And it points to the One who alone can dispel that darkness – Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. ‘While I am in the world,’ he says, ‘I am the light of the world.’”
Special connection
Father Sansevere said as pews were replaced, parishioners were offered a chance to claim an old pew, “and almost every one of them found a home.”
Renovations included a new subfloor, vinyl under the pews and some new carpeting. The pastor said many parishioners will rejoice at the quiet that resulted from the changes in flooring.
“I wish I could live here forever. It’s my home. I love it here,” said Phyllis Mazzella of St. Alphonsus Church, where she has been an active parishioner since 1978.