Diary of a Parish Priest

24 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration Beginning Wednesday 9 AM in Holy Cross Chapel

Please join in prayer with a visit before the Blessed Sacrament sometime tomorrow during the day or evening hours.  Sign up sheets are in the vestibule of the chapel. If you cannot commit for an hour, stop by and pray for as long as you like. Knock on the chapel door for entry during the late evening hours.

Our Adoration  coincides with the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a special patron of our parish building project, at the beginning of the Marian month  of May, with Mary, Queen of Grace watching over us from atop the carriage house for many years. 

There are so many reasons to offer prayer: for the safety of our nation and its people, for peace in the world, for a return to life-giving values by elected officials, for recovery of the local community, for reparation for our sins, for a re-invigorated personal faith, for guidance in making difficult decisions, for solace in mourning and loss, for spiritual and bodily strength in illness, for a loved one or family member...

We ask Jesus through the intercession of Mary and Joseph to guide to completion the project we undertake: to build something beautiful for God that will be a spiritual home for the Holy Family and for our parish families striving to become more holy.

 

Philadelphia Angels Are Coming!

Marble angels, that is. 

Today we received news that two of the marble statues we requested from the Archdiocese of Philadephia will be coming to Rumson. These angels have been sitting atop a baldachinno in Immaculate Conception Church, which has been closed,  in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. 

Our purchase not only helps a Catholic archiodiocese and ensures that the angels will be kept in sacred use, but gives us two beautiful works of art of skillfully executed in quality material. 

They're so high up, pictures are a challenge, but when we get some close-ups, we will picture them on the blog.

Great Coverage of Holy Cross Groundbreaking in The Monitor

Reading The Monitor is a great way to keep up with local, national and international news of the Catholic Church. 

We're grateful for coverage of our groundbreaking and building project. Check it out on The Monitor's Website

    Holy Cross Groundbreaking in The Monitor

First Communions and The Sacrament of Confirmation

This year's second group of First Communicants will make their communions
soon and the parish is scheduled to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in May as well.

Please pray for those about to be confirmed and for those making their first communions. 

Pastors and Parochial Vicars Transferred

 

Many priests  are scheduled to move to new parishes this June. Moving is one of the top stressors to physical and psychic health and doesn't get easier as we age. In the code of Church law before 1983, pastors were privileged to remain in the parish to which they were named indefinitely. The new code of church law places term limits on pastors appointed since 1983. Either system had benefits and burdens.

It can be a simple act of obedience, humility and love for a priest to accept a new assignment. Let us pray for our priests and that hospitality be extended to them by parishioners of every parish in the diocese.

 

 

 

Old Windows Gone and Stored

All the extraction of stained glass from the church has been accomplished. The remaining stained glass windows are staying in situ in the renovated church. The boards you see on some of the windows replace the protective layer of glass which was broken in the process of removing the stencilled glass. 

The windows, as expected, have seriously deteriorated over more than 100 years. The lead caming  which stabilizes the fragments of colored glass oxidizes and weakens with age. The resulting lead oxide dust can become airborne when the window is removed and is toxic if inhaled in sufficient quantity. You may have noticed the workmen wearing protective clothings and respirators.

Meantime, final adjustments have been made to the site plan which will be submitted to the Borough. Architect and construction manager continue to meet with sub contractors to refine the scope of work and reduce the construction costs so that a final construction cost can be determined.

 

Construction Project Update

The removal of the stenciled stained glass should be complete by Friday. All the windows facing Ward Avenue, and the first two windows in the narthex under what is now the choir loft will remain unchanged. Their present location will become the sacristy and they will not be visible from the new narthex.

Our construction manager is still meeting with potential subcontractors and "value engineering" portions of the project. It might be feasible to finalize the bids in the middle of May.

Please consider joining us in an hour or more of Eucharistic Adoration on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, May 1st to implore God's guidance for the project. The sign-up sheet for the 24 hour adoration is in the vestibule of Holy Cross Chapel.

 

Stained Glass Window Extractions

Scaffold in Church Interior

Yes, they call it that! Workmen from Beyer Studios will return to Holy Cross on Monday to extract the remaining stained glass windows from their frames.

As you may know, they have already removed the most valuable windows - Holy Cross, St. Alphonse and St. Anthony. Now they will begin work on the side windows of patterned glass. At this point, the plans are to hoist them into the hay loft window of the carriage house for safe keeping. The crew anticipates being here all week long.

 

Video of Holy Cross Church Groundbreaking Ceremony April 14 2013

 

Glorious Day, Glorious Beginning

Thank you to all who gathered and prayed for the Church's groundbreaking this beautifully sunny afternoon. It was truly a splendid day.

 

"Mr. Don" Leads Children's Choir with Assist by Fr. Manning in Hardhat

Glorious Weather, High Spirits and Terrific Food

Strong Muscles and High Hopes for the Future of the Church

 

Surveyors Are Marking the New Perimeter of the Church Building for Blessing and Groundbreaking Tomorrow

The rain has disappeared long enough to give our surveyors the opportunity they needed to mark the perimeter boundary of the church footprint.

Everything else is in readiness for tomorrow's groundbreaking immediately following the 12 noon mass.

Please join us for prayer, some refreshments and an update on the most recent construction timetable.

 

Eucharistic Adoration to Mark Beginning of Church Construction

We are in the planning stages for either a 24 hour or 48 hour period of Eucharistic Adoration in the Holy Cross Chapel to mark the beginning of church construction on May 1st. 

Our chapel provides the perfect opportunity for private prayer and meditation and a secure, well lit entrance with security cam. 

The duration of the exposition depends on how many can volunteer to sign up and spend an hour with the Blessed Sacrament, especially during the evening and night hours. 

We will also pray the Liturgy of the Hours during the time.

If we turn to the Lord and implore His continued help and guidance, our parish will stay on the right path.

Chapel Cam Live

Click for Live Chapel Cam

 

Screen Capture Image of Chapel Cam

Thanks to Roger and Rob for their ingenious work in bringing live webcam streaming to the chapel.

Join online for mass, Eucharistic Adoration or private prayer.

 

Where Have You Gone Anthony and Alphonse?

The pipe organ and three of our stained glass windows were successfully removed over the past two days. 

It was amazing to see how meticulous and detailed the dissembly of the pipe organ was -the intricate craftsmanship of the keyboard mechanism and series of levers, the tracker, and the very many assorted sizes of pipes, only a small portion of which were visible from the choir loft.

By the same token, the removal of the windows though carefully done, was a relatively crude process - hammers and scraping. A few panes of the protective glass were broken in the removal of the stained glass, requiring plywood paneling to shield the interior of the church from the elements. Most of the stained glass made it out of the church safely except for mimimal damage which can easily be repaired during the cleaning process.

St. Alphonsus Window. The stained glass is removed. A plywood panel covers the broken exterior glass.

A Stained Glass Sandwich To Go

Two of the Panels Removed From the Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Choir Loft Windows

Facing Rumson Road From the Choir Loft. These are the lancet windows visible from Ward Avenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of the Sanctuary From the Choir Loft. The natural light reveals an amazing amount of cracking and dirt on the ceiling.

Not Seen in While

Two unusual sites in Holy Cross Church today.

First, the organ pipes and keyboard are almost completely removed, giving a view of the long-blocked stained glass windows on the facade of the Church facing Ward Avenue in the choir loft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, the entire Holy Cross / St. Helena window has been safely removed yielding an interesting view of the outside world from the sanctuary window. One of the workmen said the remaining window glass is among the largest piece of hand blown American glass he's ever seen.

Scaffold In Sanctuary For Removing Sanctuary Stained Glass Window

Now A Large Picture Window

Saints Survey So Far

Agnes

Ann

Anthony

Elizabeth Ann Seton

Francis

Francis

Francis

Francis DeSales

Francis of Asisi

Francis of Assisi

Gabriel

Gerard

Ignatius of Loyola

Joseph

Joseph

Jude

Mary Magdelene

nicholas

Patrick

Patrick

Paul

Peter

Saint Cecilia

Saint Domenick

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick

Saint peter

St Francis

St Francis

St Patrick

St. Andrew

St. Anthony

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Clare

St. Francis

St. Francis

St. Jude

St. Mark the Evangelist

St. Patrick

St. Stanislaw the Bishop

St. Therese of Liseux

Thomas

Thomas Aquinas

More Sounds of Spring

More Sounds of Spring

Stained Glass Windows and Pipe Organ to Be Removed This Week

In preparation for the arrival of the contractors, the church organ will be removed piece by piece, pipe by pipe and stored for safe keeping until we determine exactly what to do with it.

Thursday and Friday, Beyer Studios will remove all the stained glass windows in the church - The St. Helena window above the altar, St. Alphonse and St. Anthony windows will be taken to their studio in Philadelphia for restoration and cleaning. The remaining windows will be stored on campus until they are sold or re-configured into smaller pieces for keepsakes and domestic use.

 

If you have expressed interest in a pew, PLEASE come and take it. Everyone's job will be much simpler if the floor space in the church is clear.

 

While Holy Cross Church Is Under Construction

During Construction at Holy Cross Church
Every effort will be made by our Construction Manager, Parish and School staffs to
minimize the impact of construction work on the comings and goings of
parishioners and school students. The current estimate for the project is May,
2013 – August 2014. We will publish the site plan map when we have it, showing
parking, access driveways and fenced-off construction areas. We do not
anticipate losing any parking spaces except the spaces directly behind the
Carriage House, as this area will be developed for the plaza and prayer garden.
Holy Cross School should function normally. Student security and safety will be
paramount. No contractors will have access to the school or contact with our
students. Outdoor recess and play will continue. Some areas of the parish field
and the play equipment may be restricted during different phases of the
project.




Auditorium Sanctuary for the Easter Vigil Mass




Chapel
Holy Cross Chapel is a wonderful place for private prayer and liturgical worship and
the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in its tabernacle. The chapel is open daytime
hours seven days. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held all day on
Wednesdays.  Our votive candles and alms
box are located inside the chapel. A security camera is operational and masses
wlll be live streamed soon.


Holy Cross Chapel Sanctuary for Easter


 Masses
Weekday masses will continue to be held in our refurbished Holy Cross Chapel at 9 AM.
Classes of school children will attend mass in rotation during the school year
as they have been doing since we moved from the Church some weeks ago.
Weekend masses will be held in the auditorium except for the Latin Mass which will be
held in the chapel on Sundays at 7 PM.
 
Funeral Masses
Funerals will be held in either our auditorium or by special arrangement through Holy
Cross, at Precious Blood in Monmouth Beach. Fr. Manning and the Holy Cross
parish staff including our Music Director and soloist will conduct the services
at Precious Blood. 
Our chapel seats approximately 60 people. In cases where this seating may be
adequate, funeral masses with cremains, funeral services without a mass or
funeral masses without bringing the casket into the chapel may also be
arranged.  Memorial masses are also
possible, keeping in mind the seating limitations.
 Weddings
Our chapel is available for smaller weddings and convalidations (sometimes known as
“blessing of a marriage”). Otherwise, Precious Blood in Monmouth Beach has
agreed to make their church available for Holy Cross parish staff and pastor to
conduct weddings there subject to availability of dates. 
Baptisms
Infant baptisms are being scheduled as usual. They may be held either in the chapel or
at a Sunday mass in the auditorium.
Confessions
By appointment or Saturday mornings immediately following the 9 AM mass in the
Chapel.