After fifty one months and one day of waiting, the Salesian Sisters of SEC province finally dedicated their new St. Joseph Province Chapel. With Sr. Phyllis Neves, FMA, as a delegate of Mother General, and three bishops in attendance – Bishop Kevin Sweeney, Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, Bishop Emmanuel Cruz, past pupil and Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, New York – the provincial of SUE, Fr. Timothy Zak, SDB, and numerous other dignitaries and generous benefactors, the rarely seen Rite of a Dedication of a Church proceeded with great solemnity and beauty thanks to the preparatory work of countless sisters, led by Sr. Maria Colombo, FMA, province secretary.
When the four-alarm fire hit on May 18, 2018 in the early hours of the morning, the Sisters were stunned and devasted. Not only did they lose their prayerbooks, but a gathering place where vows and prayers were offered to God since it was first built in 1976. Renovations to the main altar had been completed in 2016 to beautify the sanctuary, install projection televisions, and improve the sound system. As students arrived on campus, fire and police trucks blocked their way, leaving them to wonder what had happened to their chapel where they gathered several times a week for Adoration and to make Visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
Adamant that they would rebuild, fundraising started almost immediately, with contacts to the media and press releases being sent through Sr. Mary Rinaldi, FMA in the Development Office. People across the country were touched by the experience of the Sisters and opened their hearts to support them, but then the pandemic slowed rebuilding and raised the cost of construction and supplies. What should have been completed in two years, took over four, but was well worth the wait.
The great celebration, held on August 19, 2022 in the newly dedicated chapel, was marked with a sense of awe and gratitude for the beauty and sacrifices of so many generous donors and the skills of our sisters who spearheaded such a complicated project, especially Sr. Margaret Wilhelm, FMA, and Sr. Frances DeGrossa, FMA who negotiated, guided, and oversaw the construction, contracts, permits, and design. Over 1,000 people joined the ceremony on livestream, with more than 300 in attendance in the chapel. Following the chapel dedication and Mass, a celebratory dinner was held, but being Salesian Sisters, that was not enough.
Saturday, August 20, 2022 was set aside for families to bring their children for games, swimming in the pool, enjoying the ice cream trucks, food, music, and for a chance to catch up with the Sisters and get a tour of the new chapel, followed by a 4:00pm Sunday Vigil Mass. It was a celebration that could not neglect the young people in this, the 150th anniversary of the Institute and the 5th anniversary of the formation of the Province of SEC. The Sisters pray for many decades of future joyous celebrations to be held around this new house, which God has built among them on the patrimonial property of their province.
The entire Chapel Dedication can be viewed here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KkcoiBrSfXk
