Participation in worship and social activities in Visitation Church, Brick Town, had literally become an uphill climb for many parishioners in recent years.

But thanks to the installation of a new elevator, parishioners will now have easy access to the upper and lower levels of the church’s gathering space.

Msgr. Gregory D. Vaughan, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, celebrated a Mass and dedication of the new elevator in Visitation Church Aug. 29. Msgr.

Vaughan was joined by Father Albert Ricciardelli, administrator of Visitation Parish, and Father William Dunlap, former pastor of Visitation and current pastor of St. Agnes Parish, Atlantic Highlands, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Highlands, as well as many excited parishioners in blessing the church’s new addition.

Construction on the elevator began last October, when the parish received a generous bequest that would help fund the renovations. The project also included the addition of a new upstairs and downstairs lobby for parishioners to enter and exit the elevator, as well as renovations to one of the church’s existing entryways.

According to pastoral associate and parish business administrator Vicki Cottrell, members of the community had clearly voiced the need for an elevator in the church. In particular, Cottrell said, volunteers who took Holy Communion to parishioners in the hospital heard many times that access to the church presented a serious obstacle.

“They would hear, ‘I am not going to be able to come back to the church because I can’t navigate the stairs any longer,’” Cottrell said.

The church did have a chair lift to help parishioners access the worship space, she said, but many parishioners found it difficult to get in or out of the lift. The long ramp leading up to the church’s entrance was also problematic for some parishioners, especially when bad weather conditions made the ramp slippery.

And the parish’s auditorium – where many parish social functions and community gatherings are regularly held – was not handicapped accessible, Cottrell added, which excluded some parishioners from participating fully in the parish. But with the new elevator, those concerns have been eliminated.

“This just opens up so many opportunities to people in terms of being involved,” Cottrell said.

The elevator became functional in July, which was around the same time of Father Ricciardelli’s appointment as administrator of the parish. Although he is new to the community, Father Ricciardelli said that he has already seen that the elevator is making a significant difference for parishioners.

“They really love it,” he said. “It is a big improvement to the life of the parish as a whole.”