January 14, 2021
By Matthew Liptak/Special to the Catholic Review
Photos: Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff
LINTHICUM HEIGHTS – The nearly 1,000 people who entered St. Philip Neri Church for Christmas Mass also got to marvel at a newly renovated house of worship. This was their gift to God.
“They stood here in awe,” said Mark Rachid, the parish’s business manager. “The tears, the emotion – I never expected to see that.”
“I think this is an effort to put God back in first place, “ said Father Michael DeAscanis, pastor of St. Philip Neri, which was established in 1964. “Somebody once said (of) the 1970s and ’80s: We put into our houses cathedral ceilings and marble floors; we put into our churches shag carpeting and drop ceilings.
“It was almost as if the emphasis turned to us instead of God.”
The $1.5 million renovation was funded through larger donations from parishioners, as large as $15,000, but also through recurring donations consisting of $25 a month.
When work on the project began in 2017, it was only to restore the walls of the church, which were suffering from moisture damage. But those involved realized the rest of the church might benefit from some refurbishing, too.
“Father DeAscanis decided,” Rachid said, “let’s get the parish (involved). Let’s create something beautiful for God.”
The pastor said he was both excited and nervous about the project, saying he did not want to “mess it up.” The parish formed a renovation committee and named the project “Restoring God’s House.”
There were lively discussions over the four years of the project, but Father DeAscanis said prayer brought peace, and the Holy Spirit guided the parish.
Construction finally got underway in June 2020, when it was unclear if its goal of celebrating the first Mass in the new sanctuary on Christmas Eve would be realized.
The laying of the church’s new marble tile floor happened only around a week before Christmas. As workers waited on the arrival of tiles, the parish prayed to its patron saint for help and they prayed to God.
“If it be your will it will get here … and it will be in place for your birthday,” Rachid recalled praying. “And it happened.”
The impeccable tile floor, made from marble sourced in both Italy and the United States, was just one of many additions. The parish contracted with multiple artistic sources to bring new beauty to the church – from Italy and Peru, to Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The ambo (lectern), altar’s crucifix, tabernacle, baptismal font and liturgical appointments including candles and holders, are all new creations. The existing pews were refinished and the Stations of the Cross were refurbished by an artist.
Full story at CatholicReview.org
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