By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

Dreams can be delayed and still come true.

When that happens, fulfillment is apt to seem even sweeter than if things had gone exactly according to schedule.

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That was the sense Sept. 20 in and around Holy Cross Church, Rumson, where some 700 parishioners of all generations gathered to celebrate with their pastor, Father Michael Manning, as Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M., rededicated their splendid new house of faith.

Among those settled in the pews looking forward to this momentous occasion were Molly Ekdahl and her husband John who is also the mayor of Rumson. His membership in Holy Cross goes back to boyhood when he served as an altar boy.

The couple couldn't stop smiling as they beheld the new interior. “Everywhere you look, you get a peaceful feeling; the arches, the colors, it's all wonderful,” he said. It's the old church, she observed, in a way that's perfectly new.

And, after being relocated during the construction – with Masses in the school’s gymatorium and weddings and funerals in neighboring Nativity Church, Fair Haven, and Precious Blood, Monmouth Beach, it was so very good, they said, to be back in their spiritual home.

“It's long overdue,” John said, turning to regard the large, eager crowd which would have well overflowed the former church structure. The sight of everyone comfortably seated brought a sigh of affirmation which gave way to a broad smile as everyone rose.

Marking a Milestone

The entrance procession reflected the collegiality demonstrated among members of the clergy, with area priests gathering to offer their blessings on this neighboring faith community. The concelebrants included Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, Father Jeffrey E. Lee, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck; Father Daniel Peirano, pastor of Nativity Parish, and Redemptorist Fathers John McGowan and William Gaffney, both of nearby San Alfonso Retreat House, West End.

Twice delayed in recent months as all of the fine tuning that went into the structure's completion was accomplished, the Rite of Dedication unfolded with great solemnity as the heady perfume of incense and sacred oil blended with grateful prayers, genuinely happy smiles and not a few tears.

It had been 11 years since planning began to enlarge the capacity of the beloved church that was bursting at the seams, and two years since ground was broken.  And on that day of celebration, the timing seemed perfect: the old structure, which was joined seamlessly with the new, was blessed and sanctified.

Following a form rich in tradition, the entrance rite included the handing over of the 22,500-square-foot structure to the Bishop by those who worked patiently and creatively to bring it to completion: architects James McCrery and Michael Mesaros of McCrery Architects along with David Dowden and Daniel Rusbarsky, leaders of the A Time to Build Campaign and Doug Simons, member of the parish Finance Council.

Symbolically, the key was given to Bishop O'Connell as was a rendering of the new church, which tripled the seating capacity of the original and beloved Victorian Gothic church while retaining its country charm.

When the entrance rite was completed, water was brought to Bishop O'Connell and he blessed it as a sign of repentance, a reminder of Baptism and a symbol of purification for the people, the altar and the building itself.

He and Father Manning passed through the main body of the church, sprinkling the people and the walls with holy water. Upon returning to the sanctuary, Bishop O'Connell sprinkled the altar with the holy water and prayed that God, the Father of Mercies, would dwell in “this house of prayer. May the grace of the Holy Spirit cleanse us, for we are the temple in his presence.”

‘Lasting and Visible Symbol’

In his homily, Bishop O'Connell spoke of the meaning of dedication rite and anointing that would follow. “As we enter into this ancient ritual, we realize our connection to every Church throughout the world, especially throughout the Diocese of Trenton: where 'two or three gather in Christ's name' and he is present.”

The Bishop described the church as a place where “God's word is proclaimed and preached; where the Eucharist is celebrated and Christ's body and blood are shared; where prayers are prayed lifting lives and needs to God; where the sacraments are given, new Catholics are welcomed in the waters of Baptism; sins are confessed, Confirmation is administered; husbands and wives are joined and loved ones are sent home to God.”

“This is an awesome occasion,” he continued, “a sacred event; for in this place that we dedicate and consecrate, we come to meet God. We meet God in many other places during our lives, for sure, but the Church is a lasting and visible symbol” of every encounter.

When we look at the “Church, this Church our Church, we recall that God walked among us in the perfect temple of his own body and that he gathered a people to be his own. Two thousand years later, he still gathers a people to be his own – we are that people; this Church is our gathering place and the Eucharist is the most important of all gatherings.”

The ritual used in dedication, he explained, “involves anointing, incensing, covering, lighting –- all gestures that express in visible signs several aspects of invisible work that the Lord accomplishes through the Church in celebration of its divine mysteries...”

“Much attention is paid in this dedication ceremony to the Church building and rightly so. The most important element of what we do and call to mind, however, is what the building itself symbolizes: the body of Christ that is the Church, the community of faith, the people of God...

“Today is a day of great rejoicing in Rumson and throughout our Diocese because God is glorified in what we do here... and in who we are here: his Church, his baptized Catholic people who, with the priests and faithful, gather around the bishop as successor to the apostles to continue their work.

“Yes, we rededicate a building today, but we rededicate our hearts to the purpose for which this place exists... drawing closer to God. May this Church of Holy Cross --- building and people --- open up a doorway to eternity and a path to the heavenly kingdom.”

His words framed a setting for all that was to come – beginning, according to tradition, with the Litany of the Saints and then, the prayer of dedication. The very moving anointing of the altar and the walls followed during which Bishop O'Connell poured chrism on the middle of the altar and its four corners and then anointed four walls of the church, signing crosses with chrism.

The rite of anointing was followed by incensing of the altar as Bishop O'Connell prayed “Lord, may our prayer ascend as incense in your sight. As this building is filled with fragrance, so may your Church fill the world with the fragrance of Christ.”

In his closing remarks, Father Manning extolled the journey of faith that his flock had taken, and he thanked everyone for their contributions. He called the day a reflection of the “way God works in our lives. Let us remember who helped us to get here today.”

“...It is so awesome to see so many of you here,” he said. And most of all, he added, “it is glorious to have Jesus in the building once again.”