Deal faithful mark first Sunday of Advent with Mass of Thanksgiving for restored church
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Deal faithful mark first Sunday of Advent with Mass of Thanksgiving for restored church
Much more than just a building, St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Deal, has stood as a testament to faith on the Monmouth County coastline for 101 years.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
And, over the decades, the Gothic structure, dedicated in 1906 as a sign of the Catholic presence in area, weathered storms, changing demographics and passing trends that all took a vast, collective toll on the landmark.
But on Nov. 27, the First Sunday of Advent, the fruit of a five year vision to restore the church – one of two worship sites of the twinned parish of St. Jerome, West Long Branch, and St. Mary of the Assumption-- came into clear view as hundreds of parishioners and friends strode up the repointed front steps of the building, or took the new elevator to the nave.
There, they attended a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.,marking the successful completion of a five-year project which saw the sanctuary refurbished and renovated along the lines envisioned by its founders and addressed numerous environmental concerns that plagued the building.
The atmosphere inside the nave was joyful as parishioners and visitors – many of whom were seeing the restored worship space for the first time – beheld the marble altar, reredos, statuary, ambo and altar rails. Included among them were many antique pieces which recapture the appeal of the original sanctuary as it appears in historical photographs.
Bishop O’Connell concelebrated the Mass with Father Douglas Freer, pastor of both St. Mary and St. Jerome, and Father Harold Cullen, now pastor of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake. Father Cullen inaugurated the project at St. Mary of the Assumption during his pastorate of the twinned parish.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell spoke of how meaningful it was to have this Thanksgiving liturgy – which would include the re-dedication of the altar – coincide with the First Sunday of Advent.
Noting that Advent marks the beginning of the new Church year, the Bishop called it a “happy coincidence that here in St. Mary Church, we also share a new beginning as we re-dedicate this altar for the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the central mystery of our Catholic faith.”
Drawing from the Scriptures of the day which begin with Isaiah, “one of the most prominent figures in Advent preparations,” the Bishop noted how the prophet proclaims the vision of a better world than the one at hand – a world “where people of faith ‘beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks,” and “walk in the light of the Lord.’ What a vision Isaiah prophesied some 800 years before Christ! What a vision was read and repeated again and again in the 2000 years since Christ first came!”
For Isaiah, he said, the vision was the hope of Israel, “the Messiah. For the Church, such a vision has remained ‘our Hope’ in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.”
The Bishop urged his listeners to “take a moment” and look at the world around us now where there is “fear; terrorism; violence and senseless, tragic, daily killings; rampant abortion in the name of rights; assisted suicide in the name of mercy; racism in the name of free speech; unbridled sensuality as close as any computer; poverty and hunger and homelessness the likes of which the world has never seen; a planet slowly collapsing in on itself at our hands.”
“We could use the vision of Isaiah,” he said. “We could use the ‘Hope of Israel.’ We could use time ‘in the House of the Lord,’ his instruction, his path for our steps.”
“My dear sisters and brothers, the House of the Lord still stands before us, around us. As we rededicate this altar, as we begin this Advent Season, let us rededicate ourselves; let us listen to his instruction; let us walk in his ways...As we rededicate this altar, God’s altar, your altar at St. Mary Church, take from it the Body and Blood of Christ and make of your homes and your lives, ‘a Table of the Lord’ where everyone can find and feast on his mercy.”
As the Mass drew to a close, Father Freer and Father Cullen thanked the many who participated in the project to reclaim the church from years of sustained environmental damage and interior transformations and restore its structural integrity and former beauty. In return, Bishop O’Connell commended them for their leadership.
The complexity of the $3.5 million project – largely paid for from the proceeds of the sale of the elementary school in 2011 – is outlined in a brochure that was available in the vestibule. The list of more than 54 improvements includes an underground water management system, french drains in the basement, nine new sump pumps and two drainage rain gardens along with 100 new shrubs and trees to help contain recurrent flooding.
Mold remediation throughout the basement was another major effort. New lighting throughout the structure, windows, bathrooms, entrance ways and steps were just some of the additions and improvements.
In addition, old oil tanks were removed. A new natural gas driven HVAC system was installed and the electrical system was upgraded and a 3-stop elevator (street, basement and sanctuary) with an extra length elevator car to accommodate funerals, was installed.
After the Mass, parishioners, friends, clergy and religious gathered for a social in the large hall that replaced the dank old basement. They shared their insights about what the project brings to the life of their parish.
Father Freer shared the emotion he felt after one parishioner told him how happy he was that because of the elevator, he was able to bring his mother back to the church for Mass for the first time in years. “It’s a great day,” said Father Freer.
Father Cullen said the day “surpassed all expectations,” especially in that he was able to see for himself the improvements in lighting and acoustics that enhanced the liturgy. “It was so dismal when I first came here,” Father Cullen said. “Now it’s just beautiful. It’s revitalized.”
Anthony Nocera, the general contractor, a member of St. Andrews Parish, Newtown, Pa., said he felt honored to have been involved with saving a 100 year-old-church. He especially appreciated the fact that it enabled him to meet so many people who cared so much about the church.
Nocerce spoke specifically of the "gentleman with a walker who came to the church every day." He also shared the emotions he felt when it became necessary to remove a tree that had been dedicated to the memory of a child and how touched he was when the child's mother called him to say she understood.
There was the lady who dug up the roses so they could be saved and transplanted on the grounds, he said. "You see how important this church is to people."
Rosemarie Lyons, a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion who has been a member of the church for 31 years, spoke of how happy she was that about the features that make the building accessible to all.
Parishioners Don and Linda Hopkins said that they felt the church had come “full circle. In a general way, it’s the re-birth of the building. The building has been here for 100 years,” he said, and endured “time, change, wear and tear.”
His wife added: “now, it’s back to its beauty.”[[In-content Ad]]
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Much more than just a building, St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Deal, has stood as a testament to faith on the Monmouth County coastline for 101 years.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
And, over the decades, the Gothic structure, dedicated in 1906 as a sign of the Catholic presence in area, weathered storms, changing demographics and passing trends that all took a vast, collective toll on the landmark.
But on Nov. 27, the First Sunday of Advent, the fruit of a five year vision to restore the church – one of two worship sites of the twinned parish of St. Jerome, West Long Branch, and St. Mary of the Assumption-- came into clear view as hundreds of parishioners and friends strode up the repointed front steps of the building, or took the new elevator to the nave.
There, they attended a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.,marking the successful completion of a five-year project which saw the sanctuary refurbished and renovated along the lines envisioned by its founders and addressed numerous environmental concerns that plagued the building.
The atmosphere inside the nave was joyful as parishioners and visitors – many of whom were seeing the restored worship space for the first time – beheld the marble altar, reredos, statuary, ambo and altar rails. Included among them were many antique pieces which recapture the appeal of the original sanctuary as it appears in historical photographs.
Bishop O’Connell concelebrated the Mass with Father Douglas Freer, pastor of both St. Mary and St. Jerome, and Father Harold Cullen, now pastor of St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake. Father Cullen inaugurated the project at St. Mary of the Assumption during his pastorate of the twinned parish.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell spoke of how meaningful it was to have this Thanksgiving liturgy – which would include the re-dedication of the altar – coincide with the First Sunday of Advent.
Noting that Advent marks the beginning of the new Church year, the Bishop called it a “happy coincidence that here in St. Mary Church, we also share a new beginning as we re-dedicate this altar for the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the central mystery of our Catholic faith.”
Drawing from the Scriptures of the day which begin with Isaiah, “one of the most prominent figures in Advent preparations,” the Bishop noted how the prophet proclaims the vision of a better world than the one at hand – a world “where people of faith ‘beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks,” and “walk in the light of the Lord.’ What a vision Isaiah prophesied some 800 years before Christ! What a vision was read and repeated again and again in the 2000 years since Christ first came!”
For Isaiah, he said, the vision was the hope of Israel, “the Messiah. For the Church, such a vision has remained ‘our Hope’ in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.”
The Bishop urged his listeners to “take a moment” and look at the world around us now where there is “fear; terrorism; violence and senseless, tragic, daily killings; rampant abortion in the name of rights; assisted suicide in the name of mercy; racism in the name of free speech; unbridled sensuality as close as any computer; poverty and hunger and homelessness the likes of which the world has never seen; a planet slowly collapsing in on itself at our hands.”
“We could use the vision of Isaiah,” he said. “We could use the ‘Hope of Israel.’ We could use time ‘in the House of the Lord,’ his instruction, his path for our steps.”
“My dear sisters and brothers, the House of the Lord still stands before us, around us. As we rededicate this altar, as we begin this Advent Season, let us rededicate ourselves; let us listen to his instruction; let us walk in his ways...As we rededicate this altar, God’s altar, your altar at St. Mary Church, take from it the Body and Blood of Christ and make of your homes and your lives, ‘a Table of the Lord’ where everyone can find and feast on his mercy.”
As the Mass drew to a close, Father Freer and Father Cullen thanked the many who participated in the project to reclaim the church from years of sustained environmental damage and interior transformations and restore its structural integrity and former beauty. In return, Bishop O’Connell commended them for their leadership.
The complexity of the $3.5 million project – largely paid for from the proceeds of the sale of the elementary school in 2011 – is outlined in a brochure that was available in the vestibule. The list of more than 54 improvements includes an underground water management system, french drains in the basement, nine new sump pumps and two drainage rain gardens along with 100 new shrubs and trees to help contain recurrent flooding.
Mold remediation throughout the basement was another major effort. New lighting throughout the structure, windows, bathrooms, entrance ways and steps were just some of the additions and improvements.
In addition, old oil tanks were removed. A new natural gas driven HVAC system was installed and the electrical system was upgraded and a 3-stop elevator (street, basement and sanctuary) with an extra length elevator car to accommodate funerals, was installed.
After the Mass, parishioners, friends, clergy and religious gathered for a social in the large hall that replaced the dank old basement. They shared their insights about what the project brings to the life of their parish.
Father Freer shared the emotion he felt after one parishioner told him how happy he was that because of the elevator, he was able to bring his mother back to the church for Mass for the first time in years. “It’s a great day,” said Father Freer.
Father Cullen said the day “surpassed all expectations,” especially in that he was able to see for himself the improvements in lighting and acoustics that enhanced the liturgy. “It was so dismal when I first came here,” Father Cullen said. “Now it’s just beautiful. It’s revitalized.”
Anthony Nocera, the general contractor, a member of St. Andrews Parish, Newtown, Pa., said he felt honored to have been involved with saving a 100 year-old-church. He especially appreciated the fact that it enabled him to meet so many people who cared so much about the church.
Nocerce spoke specifically of the "gentleman with a walker who came to the church every day." He also shared the emotions he felt when it became necessary to remove a tree that had been dedicated to the memory of a child and how touched he was when the child's mother called him to say she understood.
There was the lady who dug up the roses so they could be saved and transplanted on the grounds, he said. "You see how important this church is to people."
Rosemarie Lyons, a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion who has been a member of the church for 31 years, spoke of how happy she was that about the features that make the building accessible to all.
Parishioners Don and Linda Hopkins said that they felt the church had come “full circle. In a general way, it’s the re-birth of the building. The building has been here for 100 years,” he said, and endured “time, change, wear and tear.”
His wife added: “now, it’s back to its beauty.”[[In-content Ad]]
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