Tomorrow, at 3:00 P.M., I'll be up in nearby Middletown, at a dedication of a new church building. The parish is popularly known as "St. Mary's." But it's canonical and official name has always been "Mary, Mother of God" parish.
That parish happens to be my first assignment as a priest!
For over 43 years, the people of this parish have been worshipping both at the small, intimate church building as well as in the gymnasium of the school across the street. Truth be told, we priests used to call the gym masses: "Our Lady of the Hoops."
Tomorrow, the over 6000 families of the parish of St. Mary will dedicate a new building for worship. Finally, after almost 50 years of worshipping in a gym, they'll be able to gather with their priests and the Bishop to celebrate worthily in grace and peace.
I'm looking forward to being one of the MC's for this celebration. Don't be surprised if you see me shedding a tear or two at the beauty of the celebration.
I don't know of any other celebration that can be more emotional than the dedication of a new church building. Especially, since I know of the real history of this particular, very special parish, it may be a very emotional day for me.
Yeah, I may be a weepy mess tomorrow at the ceremony. But so what? I'm looking forward to sitting down at the end of the night with my priest friends who've worked at St. Mary's, who currently work at St. Mary's, and having a small drink of "holy water" to celebrate this great accomplishment. May this wonderful new building be the beginning of a new chapter of Gospel living for the entire community of St. Mary, Mother of God in New Monmouth, New Jersey!
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