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St.
Mary Magdalen Church:
Old beauty with new graces
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
MEDIA — On the eve of the closing of the bicentennial of the Church
of Philadelphia, St. Mary Magdalen Parish opened the doors of its new,
$9.1 million church complex.
“This beautiful church building … becomes a sign of a living
Church, a living community,” Cardinal Justin Rigali said at the
late afternoon dedication Mass he celebrated Saturday, April 12. “And
we, dear friends, are this living community — all of us who have
been baptized into Christ Jesus.”
“I couldn’t take my eyes off the altar,” said parishioner
Colleen Robinson. “The altar was so beautiful.”
She was referring to the main altar of Carrera marble, which has a depiction
of the Last Supper carved into its front section.
The church’s altars and many of its statues came from the now-closed
St. Clement Church in Philadelphia. Marble side altars were modified to
serve as pedestals for statues of the Sacred Heart, Blessed Mother and
Child, and St. Joseph, also from St. Clement Church.
A statue of St. Anthony of Padua is from St. Aloysius Church, now a worship
site, in Philadelphia — as are the restored baptismal font and ambo.
“I can’t stop praising God and thanking all of you,”
said Father Ralph Chieffo, the pastor, in concluding remarks at the Mass.
St. Mary Magdalen parishioners in the pews gave him a standing ovation
of thanks for his leadership.
“As we begin another century of building a family of faith through
Catholic worship, education and charity, we pray that our vibrant faith
and generous hearts will enrich and extend the presence, power and peace
of Jesus Christ — the Way to the truth of eternal life and love,”
Father Chieffo said.
The Gothic influence of the church is evident in pointed arches and tracery
windows characteristic of that style.
The tabernacle, designed in Spain, sits on a marble altar in front of
a mosaic and marble background. Stately chandeliers with a bronze patina
and hand-cut alabaster shades — also made in Spain — were
chosen for their old-world look so they would blend with the church’s
antique altars and statuary.
Stained-glass windows depicting the crucifixion, nativity, ascension and
the baptism of th e Lord are also from St. Aloysius Church, and the stations
of the cross are by the artist Robert McGovern, a member of St. Margaret
Parish in Narberth.
“We were thrilled to be a part of the dedication,” said Colleen
Robinson, who attended the dedication with her husband, Bill, and their
children, Ryan, 13; Casey, 11; Cullen, 9 and Brennan, 6.
The children attend the parish elementary school next to the new church,
and Robinson said she was grateful they had seen firsthand the hard work,
dedication and love for God that went into its construction.
“It’s been quite a journey,” she said. She added that
the power of God was evident in the packed congregation at the dedication
Mass. “We have been blessed — beyond blessed,” she said.
“It was very beautiful,” said Alexa Raspa, a sixth-grader
in the parish religious education program.
Alex considered it “very cool,” for instance, that a stained-glass
window of St. John the Baptist was placed near the baptismal font. And
she could attest to the new church’s acoustics because she sang
in the choir at the dedication Mass.
St. Mary Magdalen Parish was founded in 1963 in a barn.
Designers reused the altars, statues, windows and tabernacle of the former
church, which was built in 1970, for the new church’s chapel. Now
the chapel is a smaller replica of the church that served the parish for
almost 40 years. The artist Bolton Morris’ stained-glass windows
dramatize the history of salvation from and Adam and Eve to the Last Judgment.
Anthony Antonello, 73, and his wife, Camille, have been parishioners at
St. Mary Magdalen for 31 years. Antonello signed on as the volunteer parish
business manager seven years ago. In assessing the needs of the church
at that time, he said, consideration was given to adding more church pews
to the existing church. The decision to build a new church came after
the costs were calculated for repainting the church and replacing its
heating, air-conditioning, electrical wiring, lighting, carpets and roof.
The previous church was razed and the new church was built on the same
site.
“I never dreamed it would turn out as beautiful as it has,”
Antonello said.
The spacious basement will be used for offices, and for conferences and
meeting rooms.
The complex includes the church, parish offices and a parking lot.
The parish has grown from 340 registered families in 1970 to its current
roll of 1,646 registered families, or 5,672 registered individuals.
To date, the parish’s capital campaign has generated more than $6.1
million. An additional $2.1 million has come through Sunday contributions.
“We’ve done a tremendous job of raising money,” Antonello
added. “The efforts have been great from the parishioners.
“The people are so generous — that’s the real ticket
— not only in their finances, but also in the number of contributions
— building materials, labor and so forth,” he said. “We
saved a tremendous amount of money that way also.”
The business manager predicted that the new church will draw “a
tremendous number of people. The young brides are going to want to get
married there, it’s so beautiful. I also think it’s going
to attract families to the school.”
When Antonello peered into the completed new church for the first time,
he said, his first thought was: “Give the glory to the Lord. We
give all the credit to the Lord ”
And applause to the pastor. “The energy that Father Chieffo has
is tremendous. And that’s really what got it done,” he said.
For more information, contact St. Mary Magdalen Parish at (610) 566-8821
or visit the Web site, www.stmarymagdalen.net.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215) 587-2468
or cchicoin@adphila.org.
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St. Mary Magdalen