Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, had two reasons to celebrate March 7.

In the morning, parishioners gathered with their pastor, Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, in St. Anthony Church on S. Olden Ave., following the 10 a.m. Mass to witness the blessing of the newly-installed elevator.

Later that day, the throng headed over to Mercerville, for the dedication of the newly renovated Our Lady of Sorrows Church during a Mass celebrated by Bishop John M. Smith. (Click here for a slideshow of photos)

“Wow!” Bishop Smith chimed when he first entered Our Lady of Sorrows Church and saw all the work that had been done to the church on the corner of East State Street Extension and Nottingham Way.

Bishop Smith said, “It’s extraordinarily beautiful. Congratulations to Msgr. Gervasio, the staff and all the wonderful people of this parish who cooperated in the efforts to restore this church building and perhaps, make it more beautiful than it had ever been before.”

Noting that the dual celebration was the first major parish event that has taken place since Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Anthony Parishes were merged five years ago, Msgr.

Gervasio said that the preliminary planning to install an elevator in St. Anthony Church predated the parish’s merger with Our Lady of Sorrows. But plans were put on hold when Msgr. Gervasio and parish staff instead directed attention to building community and fostering collaboration among the newly-merged parish. Once the merger took effect, Msgr. Gervasio said that studies were conducted on the buildings of both campuses and plans were formulated as to what needed to be addressed in terms of renovations.

Response to Needs
All along, the need to install an elevator in St. Anthony Church was great, because the steps at the entrances posed a challenge for many people, making it difficult for them to attend Mass in the upper church or events in the parish hall which is beneath the church, said Msgr. Gervasio. He added that it was a “tremendous blessing” that all of the buildings on the Our Lady of Sorrows’ campus were made handicapped accessible a number of years ago.

“It was important for me to know that we tried to make our church more accessible to the elderly, those with physical challenges and those who otherwise would not have come to church because the steps were too challenging,” said Msgr. Gervasio, noting that along with the elevator, the lower church hall in St. Anthony was refurbished with painting and new lighting.

Renovations in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, which began in August and were completed in time for Christmas. Msgr. Gervasio and Caryn Wohn, architect, described some of the highlights that included a new roof, air conditioning system, lighting, restoration to pews and confessionals; the carpeting and linoleum flooring were replaced with granite; new sanctuary furnishings and appointments. The tabernacle was moved to the center of the sanctuary and the small chapel that had housed the Blessed Sacrament was made into a shrine in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows. The statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph were restored and the parish acquired new woodcarved statues of St. Theresa the Little Flower, St. Anthony, Padre Pio and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

                                 “This building was a diamond in the rough, which 
                                needed its inner beauty to be revealed”

“This building was a diamond in the rough, which needed its inner beauty to be revealed,” said Wohn of Inter Arc, Robbinsville. “I pray the intent of this renovation, which was to create an inspiring and reverent worship environment, is truly realized by the parishioners.”

“At Our Lady of Sorrows, it was my desire to make the Lord’s house as beautiful as our means would permit,” said Msgr. Gervasio. The total cost for both worship sites was $1,350,000 and most of the money was raised through a parish capital campaign as well as through bequests.

“I’m grateful to all who worked together to realize the transformation of this sacred space,” said Msgr. Gervasio. “We had a group of people who understood well that they were using their talents for no ordinary building. They understood that it is God’s dwelling place, the threshold of heaven. They went above and beyond the call of duty in their work. Their collaboration was indeed a blessing for our parish. This has been a great celebration, a prayerful celebration and I’m grateful for the Lord’s blessings and the support that these endeavors have received from parishioners who were generous in responding so graciously.”

Legacy of Faith
Longtime parishioners from both Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Anthony’s reflected on the unique history that the two parishes share and how excited they were about the work that was done to both worship sites.

St. Anthony Parish was incorporated and established as a parish in 1921 and had served a wide area including the Mercerville section of Hamilton Township. In 1939 Our Lady of Sorrows was established as a mission church to St. Anthony to accommodate the increasing number of people who had moved from the Trenton city boundaries into the suburbs. In 1942, Our Lady of Sorrows Mission was raised to the status of an independent parish and the church was blessed in 1942 by Bishop William Griffin, sixth Bishop of Trenton.

Our Lady of Sorrows served a big territory including Mercerville and Hamilton Square until 1953 when St. Gregory the Great Parish was established in Hamilton Square.

Marianne Gryziewicz, who has been a member of St. Anthony Parish for most of her life, acknowledged how parishioners “have been waiting and praying for this elevator” for a very long time.

She said that the renovations “look wonderful” and noted that she particularly likes the new alcove that’s dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows and the room for the candles.

“It was a smart move on Msgr. Gervasio’s part to have things done in both parishes at the same time,” said Gryziewicz. “Parishioners are pleased with the way everything turned out.”

Being an architect, Dave Uhaze, a member of Our Lady of Sorrows for about 20 years, admitted that Our Lady of Sorrows “was due for a lot of refurbishments” and that it was important for St. Anthony to install an elevator to help make access to the upper church and parish hall easier for the elderly parishioners and those with various physical challenges.

“I can’t say enough about the campaign,” said Uhaze.

“There was a good response from the parishioners. They all chipped in because they knew that work needed to be done and it turned out wonderfully,” said Uhaze.

The renovations at Our Lady of Sorrows, helped to “give our church a facelift and a new lease on life,” he said.

Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony is “a parish that has a very generous spirit,” said Mary Vanderhoof.

“I think the renovations made to Our Lady of Sorrows Church have helped renew the spirit of the parish. Since the merger, we were in need of that and I see a lot of excitement and positive feelings around the renovations. I think it renovated not only the beauty of the church, but the beauty of the people too.”