St. Mary Church in Storm Lake rededicated

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
March 15, 2007

STORM LAKE - The Eucharistic liturgy celebrating the rededication of St. Mary Church in Storm Lake was held in an afternoon ceremony on March 11.

Bishop R. Walker Nickless was the main celebratant with Father Bruce Lawler, pastor; and Father William Vit, associate pastor; concelebrating with seven other priests of the diocese.

One of the first significant elements of the ceremony was the blessing of the water in the baptismal font.

"Bless this water; sanctify it," prayed the bishop. "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."

After sprinkling the congregation and then the altar with holy water, Bishop Nickless said, "May God, the Father of mercies, dwell in this house of prayer. May the grace of the Holy Spirit cleanse us, for we are the temple of his presence."

The opening prayer followed in which the bishop asked God to fill the place with the Lord's presence.

Following the Scripture readings, Father Eugene Murray, a native son of St. Mary's, gave the homily.

"In the first reading for today's liturgy, taken from the Book of Genesis, Jacob awoke from a dream and exclaimed, 'How awesome is this triumph.' For several years the parishioners here have dreamed of this moment," noted Father Murray. "As last you are able to see the fruits of your labor."

Even though this is the season of Lent, the priest said he thought the accomplishment called for an Alleluia.

"You have made many marvelous improvements here, updating the structure to fit the needs of the future," said Father Murray. "You are to be commended for what you and all of your pastors have accomplished."

He told the people though that things should be kept in perspective so that the building itself didn't have too much importance. The priest asked them to remember that when they entered the structure, they entered more than just a building, they entered into the mystery of the Catholic Church.

A new church, he stressed, was only a building smelling of paint, plaster and new carpet "until it is consecrated."

"The renovation of this church like any other church is kind of like a pilgrimage - a journey from a secure place of faith to the unknown," said Father Murray.

He pointed out that when the church was first built in the 1950s, the pastor at the time - Msgr. Cleo Ivis - fought to have the altar moved away from the wall so that when the changes that were anticipated in the Second Vatican Council came, the church would be ready.

"For many, such a change was a radical and difficult thing for them but they accepted it in faith," said Father Murray. "Fifty years later, some changes are made again to the structure of this church. For some, the changes are difficult but the changes are for the better and you are asked to make the journey in faith."

He equated the renovation of the church with packing for a long trip.

"While it is important to bring the essentials along, we are cautioned to be careful not to carry much baggage. We must be able to let go of some things otherwise you will lose track of the mystery of our faith," said Father Murray.

As he looked out at the people, he noted that many of them were probably in the parish when the church was first constructed.

"The renovation has artfully kept much of the old and blended it with the new," he said.

Father Murray commended Father Lawler and members of the committee who worked on the project.

The Litany of Saints was followed by 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." The bishop continued, "From here may the whole world clothed in the dignity of the children of God, enter with gladness your city of peace."

Bishop Nickless then anointed the altar, spreading sacred Chrism (holy oil) over the entire top surface. Next, Father Lawler and Father Vit anointed the walls of the church.

After the rite of the anointing, the blessing rite continued with incensing of the altar and the lighting of the altar. The Liturgy of the Eucharist followed.

As the liturgy drew to a close, Father Lawler offered some comments. He extended thanks to the priests, women religious and people who were present.

"It is no small project to undertake the renovation of a church building. This project was the fruit of the labor of a good number of parishioners who served on the renovation committee. They gave themselves generously and completed the tasks," said the pastor. "If the number, length and difficulty of meetings is an indication of how much people love their church building then this building is well loved."

He extended gratitude to St. Mary's Guild, which donated the altar just as they had done when the church was first built.

Father Lawler also recognized the architect, contractor, subcontractors and others who helped with the project. The priest also expressed sadness with the recent death of Peter Laven, who was instrumental in the design and fabrication of the altar, font and ambo. His son Bill finished that portion of the project.

Finally, he thanked the parishioners for their financial support of the project and "for all that you have done to make this wonderful church, a more wonderful than ever church to worship God."

The bishop told the people that they should be proud. He said they built on the foundation of the people who had gone before them and they now have done their part.

"My prayer today is that God richly bless this place and this community. May this sacred place provide room for all of us to hear and respond to the will of God in our lives," said Bishop Nickless.

After the ceremony, parishioner Jeff Kester, expressed his approval of the renovation and said he was happy to see the completion of the project as they spent many years discussing it. He had worked on the finance committee in the beginning stages of the project.

"The ceremony was very neat. That was the first time I had ever been to something like this," noted Kester, whose son was a server for the liturgy. "This was a neat thing to be part of and to remember - who knows maybe I'll be around in 50 years for another one."

Parishioner Marilyn Laven said she wished her husband could have been at the ceremony. Peter Laven, who had worked the on altar and so forth, died just recently.

With that in mind, the liturgy held special meaning for her. About half of her children were on hand for the service to remember their father and what he had done for St. Mary's.

Parishioner Jim Kennedy was also pleased with the renovation.

"I think it is much more user-friendly," he said. For instance, the altar railing was taken down - removing what some had viewed as a barrier to the people - and the choir area was improved as were the acoustics.

His wife Mary Elinor Kennedy described the ceremony as beautiful.

"I had never attended the consecration of a church. I found that it was interesting - the special things that were done such as the blessing of the altar and the blessing of columns."