By
Barbara Fitzgerald
Special to The CS&T
A column of incense smoke billowed up from the new altar of St. Peter
Catholic Church and floated past a stained-glass window of the crucified
Christ, rising majestically aloft until it reached the sunlight streaming
in from the uppermost windows near the wooden rafters.
As the light, incense and prayers intermingled, the choir chanted softly.
The people in the pews were visibly moved.
Moments later, Cardinal Justin Rigali lit a candle, saying, “Light
of Christ, shine forth in this church.” Then, slowly, the lights
throughout the building came on, casting a fresh glow on the wood-carved
Stations of the Cross, the pale green fabric of the pews and a beautiful
statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There was a gasp and the audience applauded.
At long last — after years of planning and wrangling with red tape,
construction timetables and a few doubts — a new Catholic church
in Chester County was dedicated to God during a ceremony on Sunday, March
18.
“I cried. I cried. I really did. It was heartfelt,” Jean Aikmin,
a parishioner, said following the dedication ceremony.
For many members of St. Peter Church in West Brandywine Township, the
sheer size of the new building was dizzying enough. Their old church,
with seating for only about 300, was nearer to the size of a chapel. Their
new church is able to accommodate comfortably more than 1,000 people.
One usher recalled how hard it was to find seats for people in the old
building: People were elbow-to-elbow against the walls during major Church
feasts.
With so many new families streaming into the area, the new church is a
welcome relief. It comes in the midst of a population boom in the northwest
corner of Chester County.
Longtime parishioners can recall a time when there were no stop signs
in the area, and traffic was only slowed by Amish and Mennonite horse-and-buggies.
Now there are housing developments by the dozens.
Catholic officials recognized the need to begin planning for a new church
at least a decade ago, but it took time for those plans to become a reality
at 2835 Manor Road in West Brandywine.
“I am so happy for these parishioners, because for decades they’ve
endeavored, struggled, faced challenges, and finally succeeded …
as a whole community in building this church,” said Father Michael
Fitzpatrick, the pastor. “It’s been a dream … for a
very long time, and we’re very, very grateful.”
The parish business manager, Dottie Pepe, echoed those thoughts: “I
was on the first building committee in 1990, and this is 2007. So, yes,
it’s a long time coming.” As she watched the dedication ceremony,
Pepe said, she worked hard to keep from crying.
“It was very moving — very emotional — and it’s
just a wonderful thing to share with all the rest of my church family,”
she said.
Small touches throughout the church reflected the close knit, generous
nature of the congregation. The walls of the new confessionals were hand-built
by one member of the parish; a grand piano and a new security system were
donated by others.
Following the dedication ceremony, Cardinal Rigali took note of the vibrancy
of St. Peter’s community.
“It was a great occasion to see a dynamic parish family,”
the Cardinal said. He described the congregation as “a wonderful
expression of the Church, and something for which we give praise and thanks
to God.”
More than 1,000 parishioners and guests, many of whom had never been inside
the new building, had waited expectantly outside the church for the dedication
to begin.
Though the building was finished in the secular sense, it was not ready
to become God’s house until it was anointed and dedicated to Him,
a ceremony that occurred in stages throughout the Mass.
The ceremony included many of the same signs and symbols — chrism,
incense, candles — that are also used for the sacraments.
At the beginning, the blueprints and keys to the church were given to
Cardinal Rigali. Then Father Fitzpatrick unlocked the church doors and
the congregation streamed in, as the choir sang, “Christ is made
the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone.”
Cardinal Rigali blessed water, a reminder of baptism, and sprinkled it
throughout the church, a symbol of purification.
A prayer of dedication was offered, describing “the mystery of the
Church as God’s fruitful vineyard, the holy dwelling place of God
on earth, a beacon to the whole world.” The beacon-like aspect of
the church was particularly apt, since the church was constructed with
a roof that resembles the top of a lighthouse.
The dedication prayer also likens the Church to a bride, a virgin and
a mother, saying its branches envelop the whole world and its tendrils
are “carried on the tree of the cross reaching up to the kingdom
of heaven.”
In his homily, Cardinal Rigali echoed that theme.
Just as a Church structure is dedicated to God, so too are the people
within it, he said. He recalled the Christian challenge to remain committed
to living the Gospel, commandments and teachings of Jesus.
“So, dear friends, we dedicate this sacred structure, as we consecrate
ourselves and commit ourselves to the great task of Christian living.
We recommit ourselves to Jesus Christ and His commandments, and to His
way of life …,” the Cardinal said. “We find in Jesus
and in His church the fulfillment of our lives.”
After his talk, Cardinal Rigali rolled up his sleeves to anoint the altar,
a symbol of Christ, with chrism. He poured the sacred oil over the entire
top surface, and reverently rubbed it in with his hands. Then, using the
same chrism, he anointed the walls of the church, signifying that the
building has been given over perpetually and entirely to Christian worship.
A brazier of incense was lit on the altar, a visible reminder that prayers
are ascending to the throne of God. At the same time, a handful of priests
walked through the church, incensing the people of God “because
they are the living temple in which each faithful member is a spiritual
altar,” according to the dedication program. The action also designated
the church as a house of prayer.
The altar was then dressed and covered and adorned for the Mass.
After holy Communion, Cardinal Rigali placed the remaining consecrated
hosts in the tabernacle, which until then had stood empty with open doors.
He knelt in prayer for a few moments, and the perpetual sanctuary light
was lit.
The ceremony was also a joyful reminder that the Church — the body
of Christ — is more than a building, or location. It is part of
a universal family that spans the world and eternity.
A nod to the great history of the church and her saints was given during
the ceremony, as the congregation invoked the intercession of the saints
in a sung litany.
The church, which is named after the first pope, was designed in an octagonal
shape, a reference to the church that stands over the house of St. Peter
in Capernaum, where Jesus also stayed, according to program notes. Signs
of St. Peter are evident throughout.
Above the narthex doors, at the entrance to the church, there is a stained-glassed
representation of St. Peter encountering Christ as he fled Roman persecutors.
Peter, in speaking with Christ, regained the courage to go back to Rome
and face the Church’s persecutors.
On the tabernacle, there are three scenes of St. Peter and Jesus: Christ
washing Peter’s feet, Jesus breaking the bread during the first
Eucharist, and a scene depicting Christ grilling fish on a beach as he
gently prods Peter to begin his ministry and “feed My lambs.”
The church’s artistic were praised by many at the dedication, including
Jayne Scamuffa, a parishioner.
“A lot of hard work went into it,” Scamuffa said. “It’s
absolutely gorgeous.”
Her husband, Jim, an usher, said he’d been to the new building every
day for the past month- and-a-half: “I’m one of Father’s
hammer and nails guys. It feels comfortable to be here.”
In the construction the new church, care was taken to make sure that much
of the old church would contained within the new building, in order to
ease the transition for longtime parishioners.
In fact, most of the new chapel is filled with statues and furniture from
the old church — including the old altar, crucifix and tabernacle.
The chapel is expected to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it daily
Mass will be celebrated there for the parish.
One women observed that if she missed the old Church, all she had to do
was walk into the new chapel.
One person who realized the enormity of the work involved in erecting
and opening the new church was Pastor Emeritus Father William J. Cox,
who still strolled through it long after the crowd had departed. He had
served as pastor of St. Peter Parish from 1991 to 2003.
Father Cox was invited by Father Fitzpatrick to celebrate the closing
Mass in the old church on Saturday night. It was a very touching experience
for him, he said. Meanwhile, some people who stopped by the new chapel
and recognized its furnishings had already started calling it “Father
Cox’s little church.”
As a sign of love for both pastors, the parishioners asked that their
images be placed somewhere in the new building.
On the doors to the ambry, where the Holy Chrism is kept, Fr. Fitzpatrick
is depicted administering the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick.
Father Cox is depicted anointing a baby at Baptism.
One Father Cox moved about the church, one parishioner recalled with him
bumpy roads he traveled in managing to get the church built — and
how unlikely it sometimes seemed that would ever be accomplished.
Another person said God moves in unexpected ways and His will, in the
end, was done.
Father Cox agreed. Then he smiled, and added: “That’s why
it’s so great working for Him.”
Barbara
Fitzgerald is a freelance writer and a parishioner of St. Ignatius in
Yardley. She can be reached at babsfitz@earthlink.net.