Diary of a Parish Priest

Church Pews Available Beginning Monday, February 4

Parishioners may take possession of a church pew or pews beginning Monday, February 4^th. A donation of $100 to the parish is requested. Call Eileen George in the Parish Center for availability and appointment to remove the pew which must be during business hours, Monday-Friday.  If you use the services of one of the carpenters listed below, they will handle the removal and delivery of the pew for you.

• Tom Casale of Thomas Charles Cabinetry 908-309-7734 
• Ralph J. Delia Jr., of Wood Grain Design LLC 732-397-1446 
• Bill Black of Kudos Enterprises-732-673-9203

All are parishioners or related to parishioners. Their prices vary ($300-450) for the basic service. The basic service includes removal of the pew from the church, cutting it down to required size, removing the end panel and re-installing it on the shortened pew, and delivery to a local address. Other modifications can be discussed with the contractor and priced accordingly.  Parishioners wishing to have a purchased pew cut down will deal directly with the contractor.

We have experimented with a small  pew in the chapel and it fits perfectly – sorry to those who had their eyes one.  Accordingly, we will be retaining the smaller pews for use in the chapel. This way we will be able to have kneelers, especially for the Latin mass and a more sacred environment for the relatively long period we will be in the chapel. If you'd like a pew act now, we cannot promise the smaller pews will be available even when construction is complete.

Holy Cross Church Tabernacle Moves to the Chapel

 

Today, the tabernacle from Holy Cross church was moved from the church to the chapel. The orginal tabernacle was built in to the old altar which was replaced decades ago, so the present tabernacle is not nearly as old as the church, although it has surely been with us for a very long time.

A new shelf was fabricated to hold the heavy, heavy tabernacle and it was safely installed with great care in its new temporary home. Obviously, the Blessed Sacrament was not in the tabernacle during the move! It will be good to be comforted by the Lord's presence in our old friend.

The Sedes Sapientia, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom was given a place of honor in our sanctuary.

Today we will also move the baptismal font to the chapel and eventually several of the church pews. We need to determine whether it is worthwhile to outfit the chapel with pews from the church, depending on which pews fit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After the really, really heavy lifting was done, Father was given the honor of driving the tabernacle to its home in the chapel.

A few careful adjustments...

Almost there...

 

 

 

Mission Accomplished!

 

Parish First Communions are the Best Days

"New" Baptismal Font Arrives Safely

The baptismal font for the renovated church arrived safely today by truck from Clinton, Iowa via King Richard's Liturgical Design of Alpharetta, Georgia.

It was crated several years ago when St. Mary's in Clinton was closed and demolished until we called it out of liturgical limbo to serve as our font. We will clean and polish it and investigate the possibility of drilling a drainage hole in its basin for easy disposal of its water to the sacrarium.

I wonder how many babies were baptized in this font? (After some research, we might be able to answer that question!)

Bishop O'Connell Greets Holy Cross 2013 March for Lifers in Washington, D.C.

In Great Company

Holy Cross Pilgrims on Steps of Basilica National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Presentation on Stained Glass Iconography, History and Restoration

Image of the Sacred Heart

Great news! Joe Beyer of Beyer Studios in Philadelphia has agreed to visit Holy Cross and speak to us about ecclesiastical stained glass. 

Joe and Rita Beyer founded their studio in 1980 and have not only been designing, fabricating and installing new stained glass windows for houses of worship, but preserving, restoring and adapting historic stained glass as well.

More details on date and time to follow...

Check out Joseph K Beyer's Stained Glass Blog.

 

This image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the windows Holy Cross may soon acquire for our Church renovation project. 

Holy Cross Church Pews

Parishioners will soon be able to take possession of some of the church pews in Holy Cross. A donation to the church of $100 per pew is requested. Arrangments can be made to transport the pew by the donor, or though one of three designated carpenters for refitting, refinishing and whatever other services might be arranged with the craftsperson chosen.

Costs will vary according to the services requested and the carpenter chosen, but will range between $300-450 additional services paid directly to contractor.

Be sure we have your name if you wish to be called when the pews are available, probably in early February.

 

 

Baptismal Font On the Way

The baptismal font for our renovated church is on the way, a long way, actually from its original home.

The font, in Celtic design of green marble was used for many years in St. Mary's Church in Clinton, Iowa. The brick, early Gothic revival church was begun in 1884 and was demolished in 1995 when the parish was combined with several other Catholic parishes in the area. It's interesting that the demolished church was the same age as our church and without knowing the history of the font, we were able to acquire it.

The former St. Mary's Church, Clinton, Iowa, now demolished.

 

The font is taking a rather roundabout journey, and we'll let you know when it finally arrives.

 

Church Renovation Project Update 1/25/2013

Signing bank loans and construction manager agreements are one thing, but you know the planning stages are nearing completion when the architect brings paint chips, finishes and floor tiles!

Those selections are on the agenda for next week's meeting with McCrery Architects.

Meantime, modifications to our chapel are slowly being made and it is really becoming beautiful. It has already proved itself a spiritually warm and community-building space.

 

2012 Bishop's Annual Appeal

Thank you to those who responded to our final mail appeal for contributions to the 2012 Bishop's Annual Appeal. Every contribution counts and will help us reach our goal.

Contributions received by the end of the month will be included in our 2012 totals.

 

Rumson - Sea Bright Bridge to Close Weekdays for Repairs

The bridge that connects Rumson and Sea Bright will be closed to vehicles and pedestrian traffic from 9 a.m. on Mondays through 3:30 p.m. Fridays, from Jan. 28 until Feb. 15, weather permitting.

I guess the weather permitting part means that crews can work outdoors.

CCD families and school families should take note. There are some detour or closure signs on Ward Avenue which are still covered in tarp.

March for Life in Washington Today; First Eucharist Tomorrow at Holy Cross

So many prayers today!

We pray for our own intrepid pilgrims who left this morning for Washington to participate and witness the Annual March for Life. It's amazing to see in person the huge, enthusiastic crowds, the young people and be a part of something to which you can contribute just by your prayerful presence. That so many people get so little coverage in the press or in political speeches by our elected representatives tells us we must persist in prayer and evangelization.

 

 

 

Tomorrow's First Communions will be one of the last parish liturgies in the Church until the renovation project is completed. Let us pray for the First Communicants and their families that they be filleld with the love of the Lord their entire lives.

 

First Holy Communion at Holy Cross Church Saturday, 1/26/2013

I've met with all the classes of First Communicants to get them excited about receiving communion and answer their questions. Getting them excited was unceccesary...they all seemed to look forward to the day with great anticipation!

Answering their questions is always a fun challenge. There were many questions about the taste of the bread and the wine. They had a hard time imagining that when I received Holy Communion, we could not touch the consecrated hosts nor drink the Precious Blood. We did practice receiving the hosts though, except a round piece of white paper substituted for the host. I wonder how Sister dealt with hundreds of spitballs - all I remember is having to get the paper host in the wastebasket somehow.

The taste and the smell will be of bread and wine, but Jesus will be truly present. I encouraged them to begin thinking about what prayers they will say to Jesus after communion.

How blessed we are to have so many children receiving Jesus for the very first time.

 

 

Holy Cross Chapel

We were able to configure the chapel using its original arrangement and fit more chairs than we first measured. This will enable us to have the altar, ambo, priest's chair, tabernacle and baptismal font on the north end of the chapel - its original design.

I think everyone will be more comfortable with the new arrangement, even those arriving a bit late.

 

 

Holy Cross Chapel Update 1/18/2013

We've been praying in the chapel for one week and there are a few minor modifications planned:

The tabernacle will be placed on a wall shelf in order to eliminate the column on which it now stands.

A handrail will be installed on the two steps leading into the chapel

A security cam has already been added and the streaming webcam will be moved from the church.

The back row of chairs along the wall might be replaced with pews from the church.

Some adjustments to make the lighting more pleasing.

If you have any suggestions, email to the webmaster or call Eileen, Lori or Susan in the Parish Office.

 

 

Nicola D'Ascenzo - Stained Glass Master Craftsman

You may wonder why  I am writing about a stained glass craftsman who lived from 1871 - 1954? No mystery, really. He is the maker of some beautiful windows we may acquire for the renovated church.

Photo of Nicola D'Ascenzo from an article in the May 1936 issue of The Rotarian

 

D'Ascenzo immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1892 and studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He then taught painting until he could open up his own studio. The artist championed a Gothic revival in stained glass making and became reknowned for his own style of glass with strong reds and blues and a more disciplined style compared with Tiffany and LaFarge, especially for his ecclesiastical glass.

D'Ascenzo Studios thrived even during the Great Depression - a tribute to the reputation and skill of this master craftsman, whose Philadelphia studios were not so much a factory as an artisan's guild.

His works are collected and traded at auction, and his stained glass still bathes admirers in colored light all around the world. Here are just a few of his commissions: The Seven Ages of Man window in Shakespeare's Folger Library in Washington, DC; the chapel windows in the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge, PA; "Nipper" the RCA dog, the West Window in Princeton University's Chapel; windows in the Washington National Cathedral, the Horn and Hardart windows in NY and PA; and closer to home, the cathedrals in Newark and Philadelphia, St. George's by the River and the former Bishop's Chapel in Trenton, NJ.

 

 

Come Let Us Adore Him

The Christmas season has ended, but not the graces and blessings from the Mystery of the Incarnation.

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for veneration in Holy Cross Chapel beginning immediately after the 9 AM mass and concluding at 4 PM.

The door to the chapel is open during the daytime for visits and prayers every day of the week.

 

Faith Seeking Understanding on Wednesday Night

Faith Seeking Understanding will meet on Wednesday night from 7 PM to 9 PM in the St. Michael Media Room of the school.

Our discussion topic will continue the Catechetical Sunday series and will be "The Marks of the Church."

Everyone is invited. Bring a catechism if you have one, or the Compendium of the Catechism if you have purchased one.

 

New Look for Blog

I decided to take my watercolor of the church down from the welcome page and  give the blog a fresh new look as we move forward to the renovated church.

So far we have prayed two masses in the chapel, and tomorrow is the first day of Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel. The Blessed Sacrament has been reposed in the tabernacle there since the first mass on Monday morning. 

A few seating adjustments have to be made to deal with the smaller space. The setting is surely more intimate for everyone, especially for those who liked to sit in the last pew!

Come pray with the Blessed Sacrament tomorrow anytime between 9 AM to 4 PM.

PS After the pizza box fire in the kitchen on Sunday night called out our fire department, we're going to be really certain that we can use incense in the chapel before we try it!

 

Church Webcam Offline after Sunday night Latin Mass

Holy Cross streaming webcam will be offline after the last regularly scheduled Sunday liturgy in the Church at 7PM. We are working on a streaming connection from the chapel which should be operational soon.