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| May 13, 2008 |
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Christ Our Redeemer Parish dedicates new church
PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC NICEVILLE | The people of Christ Our Redeemer Parish celebrated two years of hard work, prayer and patience when they worshipped for the first time in their new sanctuary April 20. The parish outgrew the multipurpose building that served as sanctuary and parish hall long before the new church was completed, so being able to bring everyone together to worship in one place at one time was a high point of the dedication, according to Trish Zermeno, parish secretary. The new church on White Point Road has windows on all sides supported by sturdy concrete posts and beams. Worshippers enter into a light-filled and spacious narthex that will soon contain a statue of Jesus welcoming the children. Stained and polished concrete floors lend warmth to the building. A large bowl-shaped hammered copper baptismal font on a wooden stand welcomes all who enter the worship space. Simple pews fan out creating a half-circle with the altar at its center. A white stone wall backs the square wooden altar. There are vertical openings in the wall, through which one can see into the eucharistic chapel. The chapel, with the tabernacle set in a tall window alcove, looks over green lawn and into the neighboring woods and seems almost to be in a garden. Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, celebrated the Mass of dedication of the new sanctuary. The ceremony began in the multipurpose building. Led by cross and candle bearers, the bishop, numerous priests and deacons led the faithful from the old building to the new one. When they reached the locked doors of the new building, the bishop received its keys from the parish building committee. After unlocking the door, the bishop presented the keys to the pastor, Father Roy Marien, and invited the faithful to enter, “giving thanks and praise.” 
PEGGY DEKEYSER | FC Once inside the new sanctuary, the bishop, assisted by Deacons Bill Schaal and Joaquin Treviño, blessed the baptismal font and circulated throughout the church, liberally sprinkling holy water on all present and on the altar, ambo and walls of the new building. In his homily, Bishop Ricard explained the rituals that accompany dedicating a new church. He also told the assembly that “we have been called by Christ ‘living stones’ — stones that build an edifice of faith, of hope and of love. In the second reading, St. Peter said to the first Christian community — and it applies to us as well — that we are a holy people, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart. He wasn’t talking about the ordained priesthood that the priests who are here today and I share. … He was talking about the priesthood of the baptized. All of us share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ because we have been anointed in baptism and thus we are to offer to God spiritual sacrifices. “And so whenever you experience difficulties, setbacks or inconveniences, offer them up to God as spiritual sacrifices,” he said. “When you experience pain, suffering, the loss of something very serious, offer that, too, to God as a living, spiritual sacrifice. Most importantly, join your offering with the offering of Jesus on the altar. When it is joined to Jesus in the sacraments, it gives glory and honor to God, and God accepts your sacrifice. In this way, every day, in the ordinary circumstances of our lives, we become what we receive. The church is the structure, it is the body of Christ.” The bishop continued, “The Catechism of the Catholic Church asks the question, ‘Who is the celebrant of Mass?’ It answers, ‘It is Christ’ who is the celebrant of Mass. The priest stands in the place of Christ, in persona Christi; it is the whole Christ, you the people of God with the priest, all of us sharing in the Lord’s table as Christ offers his body and blood for us once more to the Father, that we might be saved in a continual sacrifice of praise. That is why this place is so very special.” Following the Liturgy of the Word, the choir, led by Adam Ubowski, intoned the Litany of the Saints. Then the bishop anointed the altar with sacred chrism, pouring the consecrated oil over the surface and rubbing it in. Concelebrants Father Marien and Msgr. Michael Cherup, former pastor of the parish, took the chrism to four wall-mounted crosses around the sanctuary, anointing each with the oil. The five places of anointing represent the five wounds of Christ, the bishop had told the assembly in his homily. Once the altar had been anointed, parishioners carried five censer bowls to be set upon it. The bishop poured incense into each of the bowls, sending fragrant smoke lifting toward heaven. Father Marien and Msgr. Cherup also carried censers to the four crosses on the walls, censing each, and throughout the assembly. As the censer bowls were removed to stands throughout the church, altar servers cleaned the altar, and women of the parish brought linens to cover it and bouquets of flowers to adorn the entire sanctuary. Finally, Father Marien lit the paschal candle, the altar candles were lit and the Liturgy of the Eucharist began. At the conclusion of Mass, as the choir chanted “O Sacrum Convivium,” the bishop censed the ciborium and carried it in procession to the tabernacle in the new eucharistic chapel. After a moment of silent prayer, the tabernacle was closed and the sanctuary lamp was lit for the first time. The children’s choir offered a special arrangement of the final hymn, “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” Following the Mass of dedication, the parish hosted a reception on the lawn between the old building and the new. During the reception, Zermeno remarked that while getting to the dedication had been filled with challenges and hard work, “now the real work begins — building up the faith community to continue the work of Jesus.” Building committee co-chair Barbara Vanderbeek said that the dedication had been “a wonderful, God-filled day of joy and celebration.”
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