Bishop dedicates new church in Denison

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
February 23, 2006

DENISON - Hundreds of parishioners gathered in the parish hall at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Denison on Feb. 19 where parish representatives presented Bishop R. Walker Nickless with documents and the key to the new church building.

"Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a day of rejoicing. We have come together to dedicate your new church by offering within it the sacrifice of Christ," said the bishop, in opening comments. "May we open our hearts and minds to receive his word with faith; may our fellowship born in the one font of baptism and sustained at the one table of the Lord, become the one temple of his spirit as we gather round his altar in love."

The bishop handed Father Ed Murray, pastor of St. Rose, the keys to the church and told him, "Let us go forth and enter the house of God." The two, followed by 12 other priests that were on hand for the bilingual dedication liturgy, led a procession to the new church.

The parish has been using the 720-seat building for services since late August, but did so without using the new altar.

After the procession, the bishop, an altar server and the deacon of the Mass, Robert Lenz; proceeded to the baptismal font located near the main entrance of the church.

"Bless this water; sanctify it," Bishop Nickless prayed. "As it is sprinkled upon us and throughout this church make it a sign of the saving waters of baptism, by which we become one in Christ, the temple of your Spirit."

The bishop sprinkled the people and walls with holy water.

Liturgy of the Word followed. The first reading, Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; was presented in Spanish. The second reading, 1 Corinthians 3:9-13, 16-17; was delivered in English as was the Gospel, Matthew 5:23-24.

In his homily, the bishop mentioned that this was his first public Mass since he was ordained to the episcopacy on Jan. 20.

"I want to first take this occasion to thank you and all of the people you represent in the diocese for your extraordinary welcome and words of encouragement and support as I begin my ministry as bishop among you," he said.

Bishop Nickless said he knew that the people of St. Rose of Lima had been waiting a long time for the dedication of their new church.

Recalling the first reading, the bishop recapped the central message of that passage, "Today is holy to the Lord. Rejoicing in the Lord must be our strength."

"We have gathered on this day, the Lord's day, to keep us holy and to rejoice in what has been accomplished through the sacrifices and hard work of so many of you. How proud you must be of this beautiful new church," he said. "We gather to give thanks to God in the most important way that we can, through the celebration of the Eucharist."

Bishop Nickless told the people that the building was "indeed a holy place. It is not just a meeting hall or a gathering space. It is a place where God dwells in our midst - first in the Eucharist and then in his people gathered in prayer and worship."

The bishop said that in all three readings, they were given clues as to what they celebrated at the dedication liturgy. He pointed out that the dedication of a new church building is so significant that special readings are used for the liturgy.

Referring to the first reading, he said that after the people had heard the word of the Lord "so holy was God's word, that not only did they hear it but they bowed down before it. It is a reminder to us that God's word that we hear today and everyday in this church is holy and is given to us for our benefit."

In the second reading from Corinthians, the bishop said that St. Paul "reminds us today that we are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. If he is not the center, and the focus and the strength of our lives, then all we do is meaningless."

Bishop Nickless said St. Paul tells the people that God dwells within them - in their hearts and lives.

The Gospel from St. Matthew, noted the bishop, states in clear terms that people should not be in "this holy place worshiping God if there is a distance, a hatred or a separation between us and our brothers and sisters no matter who they be. If we want our worship and praise of God to be what it is supposed to be, we must first be reconciled with those who hate us, those who don't like us, those who don't respect us, those who do not love us."

Along with the privilege of being able to worship God together "in this beautiful place," Bishop Nickless said they had the privilege of going forth from this place each week "to love one another and truly be God's holy people, the church of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit."

Bishop Nickless invoked the Holy Spirit during the Prayer of Dedication."Lord, send your Spirit from heaven, to make this church an ever-holy place, and this altar a ready table for the sacrifice of Christ," prayed the bishop.

After the prayer, the bishop anointed the altar with chrism. Next, Father Murray and his brother, Father Eugene Murray, anointed the walls with the sacred oil. Bishop incensed the altar before it was dressed by Dorothy Leinen and Marilyn Pollak with the altar cloth. Members of the community also brought forth candles that were placed in stands by the altar.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist followed the special rituals of the dedication.

In closing comments, Father Murray expressed gratitude to Bishop Nickless for his words in the homily as well as for consecrating the worship space.

He also acknowledged the efforts of former pastors of St. Rose as well as the work of the liturgy committee and all of the parishioners who helped prepare the liturgy. The priest also extended gratitude to the Denison Ministerial Association along with the greater Denison community.

"Over the seven years that I have been in Denison, we have seen some great changes in this community. There has been great expansion of the Hispanic community. When I first came here, there was only one Mass once a month in Spanish with a small number of people attending," said Father Murray. "The community has grown in great numbers. We now have nearly a church full who come for the Hispanic Mass each week and often during the weekdays as well." He thanked Father Eriberto da Costa for his work with the people.

The pastor thanked all of the people involved with the planning and fundraising of the new church.

"I remember your passion. I remember your hopes. I remember your goals and sometimes your conflicts, but it was your work and your foresight," he stressed.

Parishioner Gayla Hargens described the dedication Mass as overwhelming.

"It was truly a blessing to have our new bishop among us," she said.

Paul Matthews, along with his wife and six of his eight children, were gift bearers for the liturgy. He said his children were excited about participating in the Mass.

"I had never been to a dedication. It was absolutely beautiful," he said. "The bishop's homily was very special. He said a lot about not only dedicating the church but also why we do these things as Catholics. There is such a depth and richness to our faith."

Dorothy Leinen, the parish sacristan and a Eucharistic minister at St. Rose, not only participated by dressing the altar during the liturgy, but she actually made the altar cloth. The main part of the cloth is made of linen, she then crocheted the word "holy" and a symbol of a cross around the exterior.

"It was a privilege that Father Murray asked me to make it," she said.

Being able to place the cloth on the altar for the first time was thrilling for Leinen.

"It just seems a part of me," she said. "In all of the things that I was asked to do, it has brought me closer to God."

Paul Schumacher, who was one of the lectors for the celebration, said it was very rewarding to be part of the Mass.

"To have the bishop here was the icing on the cake. It was great to have him here after we waited so long," he said. "It was so nice to see our dream realized after we put in all of the hard work."

The consecration of the new altar and seeing it in such a prominent spot, Schumacher noted, was consoling and comforting. When the bishop poured the oil on the altar, that was one of the most moving parts of the service for him as were the bishop's comments.

Ken Livingston, a parishioner at St. Rose, pointed out that he and his wife moved 15 different times due to his business career. They were involved in six church building committees that they were never around to see finalized. About the time they had their pledges paid off, they were transferred.

"So this is a thrill for us," noted Livingston, who is a former Denison mayor. "This was an amazing day. It is the fruition of a lot of hard work and a lot of great people doing it. This is another beautiful addition on the spiritual side to a community that is really growing and developing in all aspects - economically and everything else."